Wednesday 3rd December

Statistics and International Development

In association with the RSS International Development Working Group

Ian Plewis - School of Social Sciences, University of Manchester [Presentation]

Indian farmer suicides: Is GM cotton to blame?

Trends in the numbers of Indian farmers committing suicide have generated considerable media interest and have been linked with changes in farming practices, notably the introduction of genetically modified (GM) cotton seeds. This is one of the arguments used by anti-GM campaigners. The statistical basis for many of the assertions is, however, flimsy. The talk will address questions about data sources and data quality, the statistical analysis of short time series, and causal inferences from observational and aggregate data. The balance of evidence does not support the asserted link between increases in farmer suicides resulting from growing GM cotton. The talk will end with some more general reflections about the use of statistics in the GM debate.

Kathryn Nicklin (on behalf of Andy Challinor) - School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds [Presentation]

Using models and statistical analyses to predict the impact of climate change on food production

Understanding of the impacts of climate change is central to the development of adaptation strategies. Statistical and process-based crop models can both be used together with climate models to project future food production. A review of the strengths and weaknesses of each of these methods is presented, with a particular focus on quantification of uncertainty. The potential for using diverse methods synergistically is explored.

Room: Seminar Room B.09, Parkinson Building, University of Leeds. See campus map (Building 60)

Time: From 3pm until 5pm, teas and coffees from 2:30