I recently returned from Tahiti and Moorea in French Polynesia, where I attended a conference on Sustainable Island Health at the UC Berkeley Gump South Pacific Research Station. The meeting brought together scientists, policymakers, and local leaders to imagine how French Polynesia—one of the most stunning places on Earth—might become a global model of sustainable development […]
Building a Blue Bioeconomy in Paradise Read More »
A comprehensive new textbook, Agricultural Economics and Policy, by David Zilberman, Ruiqing Miao, and Jian Rong (World Scientific). Over the past forty years, I have taught graduate courses in agricultural and resource economics. When I was a graduate student at Berkeley, no course in this area was offered. The faculty who had previously taught it had
Bridging Theory, Evidence, and Practice in Food, Resources, and Sustainability Read More »
The circular bioeconomy aims to enhance the productivity of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries by optimizing the use of natural resources in these sectors. It emphasizes recycling residues and waste products to generate energy, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals, while also enabling carbon sequestration. These efforts contribute significantly to the transition from non-renewable resources, such as petroleum, to
Traveling Across Europe on the Road to a Circular Bioeconomy Read More »
Late August and early September are always good times to travel. This year, I am in Europe, where I participated in the European Agricultural Economics conference in Bonn and then travelled for two days to discover Lisbon. The Conference in Bonn The good news that I learned this summer is that agricultural economics is alive
Working at Bonn and Playing at Lisbon Read More »
I enjoyed my recent visit to New Delhi and Jarfour in India so much that I was excited to accept an invitation to the third Kautilya Economic Conclave in New Delhi in October 2024. I attended all three days of the Conclave and then visited Kerala in Southern India with my guide and friend Gajendra Nathgubey (+91
Learning About and Enjoying India’s Natural Resources Read More »
Our bioeconomy consortium (ICABR) returned to Ravello after five years of pandemic and meetings in Bologna and Argentina. Ravello is as charming as ever. I still enjoy climbing the steps and taking in the view, but I do it slower. Both the regulars and some new faces participated in this glorious meeting. There was a
Integrating Technology and Policy To Tackle Climate Change Under the Italian Sun Read More »
Last week, the first week of November 2023, I attended the 2023 World Laureate Association (WLA) meeting in Shanghai. This was the group’s first live meeting after the pandemic, and as usual, it was enjoyable and educational[1]. I enjoyed this meeting as an economist as I got exposed to the frontiers of science, where leading scholars thoroughly
The Strength of Science and the Vulnerability of Humanity Read More »
I first encountered the debate on climate change in the 1980s when I helped to organize a workshop at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. Our aim was to discuss the findings and implications of emerging research on climate change. As I recall there was not yet a consensus among meteorologists and other scientists about interpreting
Food Evolution is a documentary about GMOs. It is an excellent film that mixes a few compelling stories with interesting interviews that inform viewers without losing their attention. As someone that has worked in agricultural biotechnology for 30 years, I find the contents accurate and insightful. The lynchpin of the movie is the story of
Is ‘Food Evolution’ propaganda? No! Just an accessible presentation of a tough topic Read More »