A renowned pioneer in his field and an enduring contributor, Carl K. Eicher was University Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics at Michigan State University. His career at Michigan State University began in 1961 following his Ph.D. studies at Harvard and was devoted to educating 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. Eicher also cooperated with Nigerian Dr. Babaatunde Fafunwa, former Minister of Education, and others in the founding in 1972 of the Association of African Universities in Accra.
After retirement, his dedication to African development persisted 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).
Carl K. Eicher Official Obituary: http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201407111716/NEWS01/307110034&nclick_check=1
Carl K. Eicher’s Notable Publications On-Line
Carl K. Eicher’s MSU Distinguished Faculty Emeritus Profile
MSU and related publication series which Professor Eicher helped develop over his career (note some downloads from the links below may be slow due to the size of the scanned documents)
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
