But there are indications that basic research can 

 substantially reduce some of the fundamental biological 

 limits to plant productivity, which can then be 

 translated into higher yielding varieties. 1 



Recent reports suggest that three interdependent 

 basic research areas are particularly promising for 

 crop plants: (1) increasing biological fixation of 

 nitrogen, (2) increasing photosynthetic efficiency, and 

 (3) developing more powerful tools for genetic 

 manipulation. Since the major impacts of this research 

 are likely to be realized only after 15 to 25 years of 

 effort, this work needs to be sharply accelerated now 

 in order to bring results to farmers' fields before 

 production increases from other means level off. Aside 

 from the long-term payoffs, important benefits are 

 likely in the short and medium term. For example, work 

 on new genetic tools has already produced techniques 

 for screening plant varieties and storing germ plasm 

 more efficiently, which could accelerate advances from 

 conventional plant breeding. 



Work to expand the science base for increased 

 global crop production is a strong suit for the United 

 States. Many research leaders in developing countries 

 recognize this and hope for U.S. progress. Thus we 

 recommend that the United States (1) indicate its 

 intent to accelerate basic research in the three areas 

 mentioned above; (2) note the major benefits this is 

 likely to bring for all countries, especially 

 developing ones; and (3) report that U.S. research and 

 international collaboration in this area has already 

 begun to intensify. 



Health and Related Needs 



Although health is among the most basic of human 

 needs, it is a need that is frequently unmet in 

 developing countries, except for the small minority of 

 people with access to modern hospitals and well-trained 

 doctors. U.S. investments in improving the health of 

 the poor majority and in the related fields of 

 nutrition and population should thus have high 

 priority. 



As the initiatives proposed in this section 

 suggest, more research is needed — for example, on ways 

 to control infectious diseases common in the tropics 

 and on biomedically oriented approaches to the 

 development of new contraceptives. But perhaps the 

 greatest gains can be made from research and 

 development looking toward improving systems for 

 delivering safe, clean water and providing primary care 

 in health, nutrition, and family planning at reasonable 

 costs. 



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