SMU SOE Seminar (Feb 10, 2017): Modern Variety Diffusion and Infant Mortality: Evidence from 600,000 Births

  We provide novel estimates of the impacts of the spread of modern, high-yielding seed varieties (MVs) across large parts the developing world on infant mortality. Our analysis makes use of geocoded data on 600,000 children in 37 developing countries, coupled with newly constructed spatially precise proxies of MV adoption.  We find that a one standard deviation increase in MV diffusion led to around a 9% decrease in infant mortality.  We further show that the impact is higher for male infants.  Given the central role of MVs during the Green Revolution, documenting the impact on human welfare of one of the greatest technological revolutions in human history provides new empirical inputs into the debate on the merit of continued investment in improving agricultural technology.

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