The Fate of Peasant-Friendly Plant Breeding in Nazi Germany

The peasantry played a central role in National Socialist ideology, as both a source of racial strength and a foundation of the economy. In this paper I explore the extent to which the regime's policies actually favored peasant farming. The first section looks at the overall character of agricultural policy and demonstrates that although peasant farmers were targeted for special assistance from 1933 until 1936, they were neglected thereafter as the economy geared up for war. In the second section I focus upon a particular set of policies——-the regime's attempts to promote the use of high-quality seed——-and show that while farmers as a whole probably gained from these measures, peasants appear not to have benefited differentially. In the third section I examine agricultural officials' attempts to establish a "division of labor" between public-sector plant breeding institutions and commercial breeders. I demonstrate that although the former had been successfully developing new varieties specifically designed for peasant farmers since the turn of the century, this work was henceforth to be curtailed so as not to "compete" with the private sector. In the conclusion I argue that neither the regime's policies on plant breeding nor the highly centralized character of agricultural policy-making can be regarded as specifically fascist.

Constructing quality-adjusted price indices from revenue and cost data

This paper shows how to construct quality adjusted price indices without direct observation of product-level data (prices, quantities and characteristics). The technique used here allows for a welfare based measurement of price change using commonly available (at least for the manufacturing sector) plant-level data on revenue and cost. However, one has to be explicit about the evolution of the outside good quality and the structure of demand and supply. Using data on the Colombian beer industry and combining the methodologies originally proposed by Katayama, Lu and Tybout (2003), DeSouza (2006a) and Trajtenberg (1990) I am able to uncover the demand parameters and build welfare-based price indices for the 1977-1990 period.

CROP GENETIC RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND THE THREAT POSED BY THE LOSS OF PUBLIC SECTOR PLANT BREEDING PROGRAMS

Collections of crop genetic resources have been assembled and evaluated as part of plant breeding efforts and in that capacity have served as the foundation for genetic improvement of crops. Most of these collections have been held at public sector institutions, including both federal and state agricultural experiment stations. However, recent changes have occurred in government agricultural research policies and funding structure which have lead to a decline in public sector breeding programs. Breeders retire and are not replaced or, for other reasons, programs are discontinued. The loss of the breeding programs maybe adversely affecting the status of the associated germplasm, if no means are provided for continued conservation of the collections. The results of a nationwide survey to assess the number and status of crop germplasm collections associated with public sector plant breeding programs and the relationship of those collections to the National Plant Germplasm System will be discussed. Recommendations will be made in regard to coordination of activities to ensure conservation of the germplasm held in plant breeders' collections.

CROP GENETIC RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND THE THREAT POSED BY THE LOSS OF PUBLIC SECTOR PLANT BREEDING PROGRAMS

Collections of crop genetic resources have been assembled and evaluated as part of plant breeding efforts and in that capacity have served as the foundation for genetic improvement of crops. Most of these collections have been held at public sector institutions, including both federal and state agricultural experiment stations. However, recent changes have occurred in government agricultural research policies and funding structure which have lead to a decline in public sector breeding programs. Breeders retire and are not replaced or, for other reasons, programs are discontinued. The loss of the breeding programs maybe adversely affecting the status of the associated germplasm, if no means are provided for continued conservation of the collections. The results of a nationwide survey to assess the number and status of crop germplasm collections associated with public sector plant breeding programs and the relationship of those collections to the National Plant Germplasm System will be discussed. Recommendations will be made in regard to coordination of activities to ensure conservation of the germplasm held in plant breeders' collections.