I read with interest your Development Conundrum and, when it came out, the original article). I think the real problem, which Julie Levy also alludes to, is a kind of either-or mentality. Either hi-tech, or subsistence farming. There has to be a middle way, but it is very hard indeed to advocate for such a position, when extremists have a much simpler story to tell. This is as true of development as it is of politics. What is disappointing is that when a fresh source of funding and thinking comes on stream and is effectively captured by one of the extremes. I, for one, had hoped for better things, and am disappointed in AGRA to date. It seems that they are being advised by retired generals who are still fighting the previous war.

Jeremy Cherfas
Agrobiodiversity Weblog