When a developing country improves its farm productivity, it at once increases job opportunities, both on-farm and in those rural industries that service farmers and process food. When poor people gain employment and a regular income, they spend most of their money on food, and their health and general standards of living improve. People with an adequate income have smaller families, and also show greater concern for their environments, the welfare of women, and children’s education. Today’s challenge is to find ways of improving farm production throughout the world, while still conserving the natural resources which will be needed for the survival of future generations. If this is achieved, everyone will benefit - and there is only one way of doing it. The new knowledge that is so urgently needed can only come from increased investments in research.