SOUTHERN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS JULY 1990 ROLE OF ECONOMICS AND OTHER SOCIAL SCIENCES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH

Biotechnology research promises to have a greater developments (Griliches; Schmitz and Seckler; impact on agriculture and society as a whole than Martin and Havlicek). These assessments have pro-any other technological development in agriculture vided us with a better understanding of changes in the past (such as hybrid corn) or any in the induced by technological developments, the effects foreseeable future. Biotechnology research poten- of such changes, and the responses of markets and tially encompasses a multitude of technological de- participants in markets to such changes. This infor-velopments that are likely to impact all aspects of mation has been useful for decision making and agriculture from agricultural production to food pro- policy formulation (White and Havlicek). cessing to food consumption and possibly even to Biotechnology research has the potential of im-waste and residuals management, pollution control pacting all aspects of agriculture. The animal and and water quality. These technological develop- plant biotechnology developments that are emerg-ments provide challenging research and educational ing impact directly on the costs and outputs at the opportunities for agricultural economists, econo- production level. These impacts entail changes in mists, rural sociologists, sociologists, and other so- the quality of inputs, levels of input use, and substi-cial scientists. In this paper, two dimensions of the tution among inputs. The substitution among input