About Robert Horsch
Dr. Rob Horsch has recently retired after 12 years with the Bill & Melinda Foundation, leading the science and technology initiative of the agricultural development program. He managed a team of program officers and other staff that made and managed a large and diverse portfolio of research and development grants aimed at improving the productivity of smallholder farmers by improving the crops that poor farmers raise, and poor consumers eat. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research, and as an Advisor to the Global Commission on Climate Adaptation. Rob worked at Monsanto for 14 years (1981 to 1995). In that capacity, he contributed to the development of the Bollgard, Yieldgard, and Roundup Ready traits in broad use today and directed an expanding research group to apply genetic transformation technology to many important crops, including potato, tomato, cotton, soybean, corn and wheat. He served until 2006 as Vice President of International Development Partnerships with responsibility to help small-holder farmers in developing countries gain access to better agricultural products and technologies. Rob received his Ph.D. in Genetics at the University of California, Riverside, in 1979, and then conducted postdoctoral work in plant physiology at the University of Saskatchewan. He has served on the editorial boards of several leading journals in the plant sciences and as an advisor to the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. He was awarded the 1998 National Medal of Technology by President Clinton for contributions to the development of agricultural biotechnology.
The power of innovation to improve the quality and sustainability of life on earth can be readily seen in nature and in human social and economic development. To quote Jonathan Swift: “that whoever could make two ears of corn, or two blades of grass, to grow upon a spot of ground where only one grew before, would deserve better of mankind . . . “What is less self-evident is the power of equity as a driver of progress and sustainable development. We usually think of equity as a goal or a value, rather than as a lever for change. But the history of development reveals it is on a par with innovation to improve the lives of all, not just the lives of the poor. An even less self-evident driver is the rate of progress.
In this presentation, Horsche discusses equity and innovation in their ability to reduce poverty while also creating room for innovation. Equity can be seen as a justice in accordance to fairness and law or settling for an equal share of a particular resource. Horsche elaborates on the poverty trap and states the poverty trap is not true, those in poverty are able to get out of it. “People do not stay poor because they start poor, very poor people can make progress with very incremental progress.” Equity plays a role on the poverty trap because depending on the use of it, equity can either hinder innovative progress or allow for improvement.
Horsche brings up Ethiopia as an example, Ethiopia has followed a specific formula for reducing poverty: a 10% government investment in agriculture nationwide allowing for equity, a 6% increase to agriculture production which leads to a 3% agriculture growth above the initial 3% population growth. The 10% investment through the government has allowed Ethiopia to supercede India’s agricultural productivity leading to a cut in poverty by more than half. Equity has been used in a way to improve the agricultural industry and provide funds for improved agriculture methods. Equity plays hand in hand with innovation; in the agricultural world if money is used according to the specific formula, innovation will present itself and poverty will decrease. Horsche believes equity can be seen as the center for decreasing poverty as equity is not just money, but a structural element in the aid of innovation to produce great outcomes.
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