Investment and capacity trends in agricultural R&D: New evidence for West Asia and North Africa

USDA-ERS seminar

Washington, DC | 18 May 2015

Gert-Jan StadsSenior Program ManagerInternational Food Policy Research Institute

Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators

Why monitor agricultural R&D resources?

Challenges:

- Rapid population growth

- Climate change

- Degradation of land and water resources

- Food price volatility

Agricultural R&D is a major contributor to productivity growth, food security, and poverty reduction

Quantitative data are essential for stakeholders to be able to analyze trends in agricultural R&D capacity and investments; identify gaps; set future investment priorities; and better coordinate agricultural R&D across institutes, regions, and commodities

What is ASTI?

Collects institutional, investment, human resource capacity, and

research output data from agricultural R&D agencies in

developing countries worldwide.

Established in 2001; led by IFPRI. Builds on earlier data collection

activities (early 1980s onwards).

Large network of national, regional, and international partners.

ASTI’s objectives are to provide high-quality, up-to-date datasets

on agricultural R&D; to conduct ongoing analysis of its datasets;

to disseminate the results of its analysis to promote advocacy

and support policymaking; and to build national and regional

capacity for data collection and analysis.

ASTI Methodology

ASTI data collected based on internationally accepted

definitions and statistical procedures for compiling S&T

statistics (OECD’s Frascati Manual)

This facilitates comparisons of ASTI datasets with other

relevant S&T datasets

FAO definition of agriculture: crops, livestock, forestry,

fisheries, natural resources, etc.

ASTI provides:

Trends over time at country / regional levels

Comparisons within and across countries / regions

ASTI outputs

• Country factsheets

• Regional and global reports

• Downloadable datasets

• Analytical assessments

• Seminars and presentations

• Press releases/media outreach

• ASTI website (www.asti.cgiar.org)

ASTI indicators

• Institutional arrangements• R&D spending by cost category• Funding sources• R&D staff by degree, gender, and age• R&D focus by commodity and theme• Output indicators

ASTI outputs

ASTI country coverage

BMGF (2008-2018):SSA and South Asia

USDA-ERS (2013-2015):WANA

IDB (2013-2015):South America and Mexico

Canada (2013-2014):Central America and Caribbean

West Asia and North Africa: Methodology

Surveyed more than 300 government, higher education,

nonprofit, and private-sector agencies in 11 WANA countries

Collected quantitative and qualitative information for 2009-2012

Human resource data were FTE-adjusted

Financial data include salaries, operating, and capital costs

Financial data are expressed in 2005 PPP dollars

Policy Context of Agricultural R&D in WANA

Of the 11 countries included in ASTI analysis, 4 do not have official national science, technology, and innovation policies

In several of the countries that do, policies focus on innovation at the macro level without offering sufficient guidelines or incentives to individual sectors

Agriculture-related priorities are not always satisfactorily embedded within national S&T policies, with the result that decisionmaking is fragmented and coordination among relevant actors is lacking

Most countries in the region lack policies to stimulate private agricultural R&D and innovation

Morocco, Oman, Tunisia, and Turkey have strongest policy frameworks

Agricultural R&D remains a public-sector affair

Good news: Recent increases in R&D capacity

+26%

+61%

+26%

+1%

+8%

+26%

+7%

+16%

+1%

+17%

+30%

0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000

Mauritania

Lebanon

Oman

Jordan

Yemen

Tunisia

Morocco

Algeria

Sudan

Turkey

Egypt

Full-time equivalent agricultural researchers

2012 2009

More good news: Recent capacity increase mainly at PhD and MSc level

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

2009 2010 2011 2012

Full-

tim

e eq

uiv

ale

nt

rese

arch

ers

PhD MSc BSc

FTE researchers by degree (11 countries combined), 2009-2012

Number of PhD-qualified researchers (FTEs), 2012

16

62

93

97

137

151

222

335

344

1,252

5,692

Mauritania

Oman

Lebanon

Jordan

Algeria

Yemen

Morocco

Tunisia

Sudan

Turkey

Egypt

Full-time equivalent agricultural researchers

MAIN

CHALLENGE:

National agricultural R&D institutes face difficulties attracting (and retaining) PhD-qualified scientists.

2012

CHALLENGE:

A very large share of PhD-qualified researchers at national agricultural R&D institutes will be retiring in the coming decade.

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PhD

Total

PhD

Total

PhD

Total

PhD

Total

PhD

Total

PhD

Total

PhD

Total

PhD

Total

PhD

TotalIN

RA

AN

CA

RE

LAR

IIN

RA

DG

ALR

INR

AT

GD

AR

AR

EAA

RC

Alg

eria

Jord

anLe

ban

on

Mo

rocc

oO

man

Tun

isia

Turk

eyYe

me

nSu

dan

Share of researchers in age bracket

<31 31-40 41-50 51-60 >60

2012

CHALLENGE:

Women are underrepresented in agricultural R&D in many WANA countries.

Uneven growth in agricultural R&D investment

-21%

-43%

-5%

+57%

-28%

+13%

+19%

+19%

+3%

0%

+24%

0 100 200 300 400 500

Mauritania

Sudan

Jordan

Lebanon

Yemen

Tunisia

Algeria

Oman

Morocco

Turkey

Egypt

million PPP dollars; 2005 prices

2012 2009

Widespread underinvestment prevails

0.19

0.21

0.440.49

0.51

0.56

0.64

0.800.95

1.84

6.51

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Sudan

Algeria

Egypt

Morocco

Turkey

Yemen

Tunisia

Mauritania

Lebanon

Jordan

Oman

Agricultural R&D spending as apercentage of AgGDP (%)

Caution when analyzing research intensity ratios!

2012

Salaries account for bulk of R&D spending

Spending by cost category for main agricultural R&D agencies, 2009-2012

Limited diversification of agricultural R&D funding

Relative shares of research funding for main agricultural R&D agencies, 2009-2012

Policy Implications

Governments must address underinvestment in agricultural

R&D and take the necessary policy steps to diversify funding

sources

Governments must invest in training and capacity building and

remove status and salary discrepancies between government-

and university-based researchers

Governments must develop long-term national agricultural

research policy agendas and provide stronger institutional,

financial, and infrastructural support to NARIs

Governments must strengthen research linkages at the

regional and international level

WANA outputs

www.asti.cgiar.org/wana

Thank you

www.asti.cgiar.org