The National Bureau of Economic Research, with the generous financial support of the Economic Research Service at the United States Department of Agriculture and the University of California Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics, published a new book titled Agricultural Productivity and Producer Behavior.

Edited by Wolfram Schlenker, the book includes several chapters written by current and former members of the Giannini Foundation: Christine L. Carroll, Colin A. Carter, Rachael E. Goodhue, Katrina Jessoe, C.-Y. Cynthia Lin Lawell, Rebecca Taylor, and Sofia B. Villas-Boas.

An excerpt from the book jacket states that:
“Agricultural Productivity and Producer Behavior examines the factors contributing to the remarkable steady increase in global yields and assesses whether yield growth can continue. This research also considers whether such growth will impose significant environmental externalities. Among the topics studied are genetically modified crops; changing climatic factors; farm production responses to government regulations including crop insurance, transport subsidies, and electricity subsidies for ground water extraction; and the role of specific farm practices such as crop diversification, disease management, and water-saving methods. This research provides new evidence that technological as well as policy choices influence agricultural productivity.”

More information can be found here.