ABSTRACT
Between 1970 and 1995, global cereal production increased by 58 per cent (625 million mt) at a time when population increased by 53 per cent and world food prices rapidly declined. Moreover, malnutrition among children under five in developing countries declined from an aggregate rate of over 45 per cent to 31 per cent during this period. Agricultural research has played a fundamental role in bringing about the tremendous improvements in per capita cereal availability of the last several decades. Serious questions remain, how ever, about the ability of world agriculture to continue to realize significant increases in developing-country food availability into the 21st century. With suitable arable area throughout much of the world already under crop produc tion, agricultural research and development will be an increasingly crucial variable affecting future cereal production increases, and contributing to im proved food security.
