College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics

Bio-Info

Biographical Information 

• Eicher Legacy CV
• MSU AFRE International Food Security Update Special Release - Carl K. Eicher’s passing
• Cark K. Eicher Life Celebration Service - Video

Carl K. Eicher, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics at Michigan State University.  Carl Eicher’s career was devoted to training students, building institutions and helping develop applied agricultural research capacity throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.  He served as Visiting Professor at the University of Nigeria (1963-66), Stanford University (1968) and the University of Zimbabwe (1983-87).  

In 1963, he helped establish the Economic Development Institute at the University of Nigeria and subsequently served as the Director of the Institute from 1964 to 1966.  He received the Foreign Francqui Prize, University of Leuven, Belgium in 1986 and he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree by the University of Zimbabwe in 1998.  

After retirement, his dedication to African development continued through his work with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Bank, the Kellogg Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and African organizations such the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).

• MSU and related publication series which Professor Eicher helped develop at MSU over his career

  • Employment Generation in African agriculture. 1970.  by Carl K. Eicher, et. al.  Research report Michigan State University. Institute of International Agriculture No. 9
  • Consortium for the Study of Nigerian Rural Development (CSNRD). 1969. In-Country Publication List.
  • African Rural Employment    & Rural Economy Papers.   1972 -1980.
  • African Rural Employment (Economy) Working Papers  1974 -1982.
  • MSU Rural Development Papers.  1978-1980
  • MSU Rural Development Series Working Papers. 1979 -1982
  • UZ/MSU Food Security Research in Southern Africa Project - Annual Conference Reports.  1987 -1991
  • MSU International Development Papers.  1982 - Current
  • MSU International Development Working Papers.  1982- Current

Students

Student Mentoring

• View a list of Professor Eicher’s advisees and respective theses/dissertations topics

Teaching Experience at MSU

• Professor Eicher was a pioneer in teaching over many years a graduate course on Agriculture in Economic Development.  He also developed and taught a development-related undergraduate course (EEP 260: World Food, Population and Poverty)

Pubs Online

Publication Listings (with many downloadable)

• List of all Eicher publications
• Selected publications by online archive source, many listed are downloadable
  • MSU Library
  • USAID Development Experience Clearing House
  • AgEconSearch
  • Core Historical Literature of Agriculture (CHLA) Cornell University Library
  • JSTOR author - search 
  • Books World Cat

MSU and Related Publication Series Which Professor Eicher Helped Develop at MSU Over His Career

• Employment Generation in African agriculture. 1970.  by Carl K. Eicher, et. al.  Research report Michigan State University. Institute of International Agriculture No. 9
• Consortium for the Study of Nigerian Rural Development (CSNRD). 1969. In-Country Publication List.
• African Rural Employment    & Rural Economy Papers.   1972 -1980.
• African Rural Employment (Economy) Working Papers  1974 -1982.
• MSU Rural Development Papers.  1978-1980
• MSU Rural Development Series Working Papers. 1979 -1982
• UZ/MSU Food Security Research in Southern Africa Project - Annual Conference Reports.  1987 -1991

Notable Docs/Pres

• The Evolution of Agricultural Education and Training: Global Insights of Relevance for Africa.   2013. Carl K. Eicher and Steven Haggblade. MAFS Working Paper No.4
• Two Views on Training African Agriculturalists
  • The Evolution of the African Rural Employment Research Network. 1974. by Carl K. Eicher and Merritt Sargent.
  • Building African Scientific Capacity in Food and Agriculture. 2009. By Carl K. Eicher. Review of Business and Economics.
• Agricultural Extension in Africa And Asia. 2007.  by Carl K. Eicher
• Conference Paper No. 16. Flashback: Fifty Years of Donor Aid to African Agriculture. 2003. By Carl K. Eicher, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Michigan State University.
• Institutions and the African Farmer. 1999.  By Carl K. Eicher.  Cimmyt Economics Program Third Distinguished Economist Lecture
• International Agricultural Development. 1998.  Edited by Carl K. Eicher and John Staatz. (Third Edition - John Hopkins)
• The Food Security Equation in Southern Africa. 1987. by Mandivamba Rukuni and Carl K. Eicher.  MSU International Development Reprint No. 5.
• Famine Prevention in Africa: The Long View. 1987. by Carl K. Eicher.  MSU International Devopment Reprint No. 3.
• Facing Up to Africa’s Food Crisis. 1982. By Carl K. Eicher.  Foreign Affairs. Fall 1982 Issue.
• Research on Agricultural Development in sub-Saharan Africa. 1982. by Carl K. Eicher and Doyle Baker.  MSU International Development Paper No. 1.
• Agriculture and Economic Development. 1980. Edited By Carl K. Eicher and Lawrence Witt.
• Growth and Development of the Nigerian Economy. 1970. edited by Carl K. Eicher and Carl Liedholm. (slow download-large file)

Projects

• Food Security in Africa Cooperative Agreement
• Senegal Agricultural Research Projects I and II
• Alternative Rural Development Strategies Cooperative Agreement
• Animal Traction Study - Sahel
• National Institute of Agricultural Research - Niger
• Integrated Rural Development, Eastern ORD, Upper Volta (Burkina Faso)
• Sahel Master’s Degree Training Program
• Agricultural Economic Services in the Sahel
• Sahel Secretariat and Documentation Center (I and II)
• Poor Rural Households,Technical Change and Income Distribution in Developing Countries (Sierra Leone and Nigeria)
• African Rural Employment Network - Ethiopia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone
• African Rural Employment Network (Start-Up)
• Consortium for the Study of Nigerian Rural Development (CSNRD)
• University of Nigeria - Nsukka