Publications

December 2004 (Revised May 2005)
Case

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research

By: David E. Bell and Hal Hogan

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) has a long, successful history at inventing solutions that help developing countries improve their agriculture. Their research centers are spread across the globe. For many years, they were funded by... View Details

Keywords: History; Adaptation; Investment; Research and Development; Agribusiness; Developing Countries and Economies; Innovation and Invention; Consulting Industry

December 1986 (Revised March 1987)
Case

Chiapas: Reconciling Agriculture and Ecology

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Juan Enriquez-Cabot

Keywords: Environmental Sustainability; Agribusiness

December 1984
Case

American Cyanamid: Agricultural Group

September 2000
Case

Novartis Agricultural Discovery Institute (A)

Steve Briggs, a PhD biologist, is asked to propose a strategy to take global life-science giant Novartis into the rapidly expanding field of plant genomics. View Details

Keywords: Design; Plant-Based Agribusiness; Genetics; Infrastructure; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry

October 1999
Case

Agricultural Biotechnology Brief, 1999

By: Forest L. Reinhardt and Jennifer Burns

Keywords: Business and Government Relations; Environmental Sustainability; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry

September 2016 (Revised September 2016)
Case

The Tavistock Group and the Australian Agricultural Company

By: Dante Roscini and Matthew Preble

In late 2015, Dr. Shehan Dissanayake, a managing director and board member of Bahamian investment firm The Tavistock Group (Tavistock), the largest shareholder in the Australian Agricultural Company (AACo), one of the country's largest agribusinesses, faces a... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Foreign Direct Investment; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Business and Government Relations; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Australia; Bahamas

December 1986 (Revised October 1987)
Case

Mexican Debt and Agricultural Policy

Keywords: Borrowing and Debt; Agribusiness; Policy; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Mexico

September 1993 (Revised February 1994)
Case

Calgene, Inc.: Pioneering Agricultural Biotechnology

Keywords: Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry

December 2006 (Revised March 2007)
Case

Common Agricultural Policy and the Future of French Farming

By: J. Gunnar Trumbull, Vincent Marie Dessain and Elena Corsi

Presents the history and evolution of the EU Common Agricultural Policy, from early price supports to the 2003 decision to "decouple" payments to European farmers. Explores the logic behind agricultural supports, with a focus on the economic, political, and cultural... View Details

Keywords: History; Agreements and Arrangements; Price; Policy; Trade; Agribusiness; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; France; European Union

03 Jan 2013
Working Paper Summaries

The Value of Advice: Evidence from Mobile Phone-Based Agricultural Extension

Keywords: by Shawn A. Cole; Agriculture & Agribusiness

February 2017 (Revised December 2017)
Case

Precision Agriculture at Deere & Company

By: Rajiv Lal, Michael E. Porter and Alexandra Houghtalin

October 1988 (Revised November 1988)
Case

Du Pont: Biotechnology in Agricultural Products

Keywords: Competitive Strategy; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry

December 1999 (Revised September 2000)
Case

Novartis Agricultural Discovery Institute, Inc. (C)

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

June 2023
Teaching Note

Agricultural Revolution without a Land Revolution: The Megafarms of CP Group

By: William C. Kirby and Noah B. Truwit

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 316-150. The case introduces students to an innovative new agricultural venture on the outskirts of Beijing. It can be used as a platform to discuss broader issues of agricultural policy reform and regional disparities in social and... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Policy; Economic Growth; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Thailand

2008
Working Paper

Fixing Market Failures or Fixing Elections? Agricultural Credit in India

By: Shawn A. Cole

This paper integrates theories of political budget cycles with theories of tactical electoral redistribution to test for political capture in a novel way. Studying banks in India, I find that government-owned bank lending tracks the electoral cycle, with agricultural... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Banks and Banking; Financing and Loans; Political Elections; State Ownership; Banking Industry; India

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December 2010 (Revised April 2012)
Background Note

Stalemate at the WTO: TRIPS, Agricultural Subsidies, and the Doha Round

By: Arthur A. Daemmrich

This note analyzes disputes over intellectual property enforcement and agricultural trade barriers at the center of the Doha Round of World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations. Fundamental principles of intellectual property rights and agricultural subsidies are... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Trade; Globalization; Governance; International Relations; Intellectual Property; Agreements and Arrangements; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry

2023
Working Paper

Targeting, Personalization, and Engagement in an Agricultural Advisory Service

By: Susan Athey, Shawn Cole, Shanjukta Nath and Jessica Zhu

ICT is increasingly used to deliver customized information in developing countries. We examine whether individually targeting the timing of automated voice calls meaningfully increases engagement in an agricultural advisory service. We define, estimate, and... View Details

Keywords: Developing Countries and Economies; Knowledge Dissemination; Customization and Personalization; Performance Effectiveness

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June 2023
Case

Russia's Invasion of Ukraine in 2022: Consequences for Agriculture

By: José B. Alvarez and Natalie Kindred

Russia's brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine that begain in February 2022 caused major destruction to Ukraine's agriculture sector, one of the most productive and important in the world. This note provides a brief overview of certain singificant moments and moments... View Details

Keywords: Food; Agribusiness; War; Disruption; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Ukraine; Russia