Derek Byerlee (born 30 April 1946) is an Australian agricultural researcher, economist and policy advisor. He has held senior positions at

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

, the

International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (known - even in English - by its Spanish acronym CIMMYT for ''Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo'') is a non-profit research-for-development organization that develops im ...

and the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...

. Byerlee was the lead author of the World Bank's World Development Report 2008. Byerlee was appointed as an

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Go ...

in the

2019 Queen's Birthday Honours The 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as ...

. Byerlee said his interest in agriculture began in his childhood while growing up on a sheep and wheat farm near Eurelia in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

.Denholm, Piper (10 June 2019
High honour for Professor Byerlee
'' The Flinders News'',

Australian Community Media Australian Community Media (ACM) is a media company in Australia responsible for over 160 regional publications. Its mastheads include the ''Canberra Times'', ''Newcastle Herald'', '' The Examiner'', ''The Border Mail'', '' The Courier'' and th ...

. Retrieved 13 June 2019.

References

1946 births Living people Officers of the Order of Australia World Bank people Michigan State University faculty Australian expatriates in the United States Writers from South Australia 20th-century Australian male writers 21st-century Australian male writers 20th-century Australian economists 21st-century Australian economists {{Australia-economist-stub