Suchergebnisse

Suite à la période de stagnation qui a marqué les années 1990, une reprise des investissements et des effectifs consacrés à la recherche et développement (R&D) agricole en Afrique subsaharienne a entraîné un taux de croissance moyen supérieur à 20 % au cours des années 2001–2008. En 2008, la région dépensa 1,7 milliard de dollars (en parité de pouvoir d'achat, valeur 2005) en R&D agricole – soit 0,8 milliard de dollars É-u constants de 2005 – et l'effectif total de chercheurs agricoles exprimé en équivalents temps plein (ÉTP) dépassa les 12 000. À noter, cependant, que cette reprise ne s'est manifestée que dans un petit nombre de pays et qu'elle s'explique principalement par l'engagement de certains gouvernements à rectifier des niveaux de salaires totalement inadéquats et à appuyer la réhabilitation des infrastructures délabrées, souvent par suite d'années de sous-investissement. En effet, de nombreux pays doivent relever le défi fondamental que représente la faiblesse de leurs ressources humaines et financières – et parmi eux, tout particulièrement les pays de l'Afrique de l'Ouest francophone, où la fragilité extrême des systèmes de financement constitue une véritable menace. Ces pays ont accusé des baisses d'investissements si importantes qu'ils sont tombés dans une dépendance critique de l'aide extérieure, souvent très instable. Pour ce qui est des capacités humaines : malgré la croissance des effectifs enregistrée pour l'ensemble de la région, un certain nombre de pays ont vu se détériorer le niveau moyen des qualifications universitaires. Ainsi, certains pays ont signalé des arrivées massives – souvent déclenchées par la fin d'un gel de recrutement prolongé – de scientifiques n'ayant qu'une formation de 1er cycle ; ces afflux grèvent les budgets de formation déjà insuffisants et dépassent de loin les possibilités qu'ont les instituts d'assurer un encadrement approprié, vu leur manque de scientifiques cadres, ce dû à plusieurs années de non-remplacement de chercheurs partis à la retraite ou qui ont démissionné pour d'autres raisons. Cependant, en dépit de tous les obstacles, le renouveau d'intérêt pour la R&D agricole de la part des gouvernements et des bailleurs de fonds semble indiquer que nombre de pays africains peuvent s'attendre à voir s'améliorer leur situation de R&D agricole. Les initiatives régionales constituent également un facteur clé : elles permettent d'améliorer la coordination et de renforcer les collaborations de recherche et elles veillent sur le respect des priorités et sur l'efficacité des démarches. En augmentant de façon durable leurs investissements, les gouvernements nationaux, les organisations régionales et internationales et les bailleurs de fonds appuieront de manière effective la stabilisation des niveaux de financement et de capacité consacrés à la R&D et la réalisation de progrès réels partout dans la région. L'examen des recommandations stratégiques émises dans différents rapports et comptes rendus de conférences de haut niveau, ainsi que la prise en considération des diverses contraintes de ressources financières et humaines décrites dans le présent rapport, ont abouti à l'identification de quatre domaines thématiques clés, dont les implications politiques devront être assumées par les gouvernements, les bailleurs de fonds et d'autres parties prenantes. Les thématiques peuvent se résumer comme suit : (1) le sousinvestissement dans la R&D agricole dure depuis plusieurs décennies ; (2) une volatilité excessive caractérise les niveaux annuels d'investissement ; (3) la faiblesse des capacités en matière de ressources humaines présente des défis actuels et imminents ; (4) il faut maximiser les collaborations de R&D régionales et sous-régionales. ; PR ; IFPRI1; GRP31; ASTI ; EPTD

Following two decades of increasing investments, growth in public agricultural research spending in Sub-Saharan Africa stagnated during the 1980s and 1990s at an average rate of about 1% per year. Nonetheless, this continent-wide trend masks significant variation among countries. During 1991–2000, about half the countries in the authors' 27-country sample experienced negative annual growth in total agricultural research and development (R&D) spending. Declines often resulted from political unrest or the completion of large donor-funded projects. The majority of African agricultural research is still conducted by the government sector, with the private for-profit sector accounting for only a small, but seemingly increasing, share of total research expenditures. ; IFPRI3; ISI; ASTI ; EPTD; ISNAR ; PR

Following two decades of increasing investments, growth in public agricultural research spending in Latin America stalled during the 1980s, reflecting shrinking government contributions and declining donor support in the midst of general economic crises. Data for more recent years show some signs of recovery with an average rate of growth for an 11-country sample of 4 percent per year during the first half of the 1990s (compared with 1 percent during the 1980s). Nonetheless, this regional trend masks significant variation among the various countries. The regional averages are also heavenly influenced by developments in Mexico and Brazil; two countries that accounted for almost two-thirds of total Latin American agricultural research investment in the mid-1990s. Over the past few decades the organization of agricultural research in Latin America has changed considerably, becoming institutionally more complex and fragmented in many countries. In addition, some shifts in the sources of funding have occurred as well as changes in the way funds are dispersed."-- Authors' Abstract ; Non-PR ; IFPRI1; GRP31; Theme 10; Subtheme 10.2; Pro-poor science and technology policies; ASTI ; ISNAR

La promesse et les défis inhérents au développement du secteur agricole en Afrique subsaharienne ont incité à l'organisation de la conférence intitulée « R&D agricole : Investir pour l'avenir de l'Afrique – tendances, défis et opportunités ». Elle fut convoquée par le programme ASTI sur les indicateurs relatifs aux sciences et aux technologies agricoles – que gère l'Institut international de recherche sur les politiques alimentaires (IFPRI) – et par le Forum pour la recherche agricole en Afrique (FARA) et elle avait pour but de dresser une feuille de route pour la revivification de la recherche agricole en Afrique en examinant quatre thèmes principaux : -la durabilité du financement de la recherche agricole; -la formation pour assurer la relève des scientifiques agricoles; -l'évaluation des instituts et systèmes de recherche ; et -la rationalisation des activités nationales de recherche agricoles aux niveaux régional et international. Le présent document fait la synthèse des communications présentées lors de la conférence et des délibérations menées par les participants. Les exposés de conférence ont été publiés sous la forme d'une série de documents de travail ASTI/IFPRI–FARA. Un livre résumant à la fois les résultats de la conférence et les travaux d'analyse réalisés ultérieurement est en voie de rédaction et sera publié en 2013. ; Non-PR ; IFPRI2; ASTI ; EPTD; DSGD

After a period of slow or no growth during the late 1970s and 1980s, public agricultural research investments in Latin America rebounded during the early 1990s.1 These regional trends were heavily influenced by developments in Brazil, which accounted for close to half of the region's total agricultural research expenditures (Beintema and Pardey 2001). Consequently, developments in Brazilian agricultural R&D are of great significance to the rest of the region and to the developing world more generally.2 But agricultural research investment has grown much more rapidly in Brazil than in many other Latin American countries, reaching intensity ratios close to those found in the developed world. ; PR ; IFPRI1; Pro-poor science and technology policies; Public Policy and Investment ; ISNAR

Despite efforts in many Latin American countries to diminish the government role in the funding and performing of agricultural research and development (R&D), general government revenues are still the predominant source of support for agricultural research, as in many less-developed countries (Pardey and Beintema 2001). Colombia is an exception, evidenced by the presence of 12 nonprofit organizations, which together accounted for about a quarter of the country's agricultural research investments in 2000. Many of these organizations are linked to producer organizations and are funded largely through export or production taxes or voluntary contributions.1 In addition, public agricultural research in Colombia underwent a major reform in 1993 with the creation of the Colombian Corporation for Agricultural Research (CORPOICA).2 The main objective of its creation was to give the agency more flexibility in its organization compared with its predecessor, the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA), in addition to stimulating privatesector involvement and investment. Nonetheless, CORPOICA remained heavily dependent on government contributions. In recent years, the agency's funding situation has deteriorated, but this trend is common to all agricultural R&D agencies in Colombia as a consequence of the country's ongoing economic and social crises. ; PR ; IFPRI1; Pro-poor science and technology policies; Public Policy and Investment ; ISNAR

National agricultural research systems in Africa increased markedly in size throughout the past three decades, but from an especially small base. In 1961, public systems in 33 of 48 African countries employed fewer than 25 full-time equivalent (fte) researchers, by 1991 there were only 8 such systems (and 23 countries employed more than 100 fte researchers, compared with only 4 countries in 1961). Despite this overall growth, and the efforts that began in the late 1980s to consolidate the conduct of agricultural research, most African agencies are still very small and fragmented by international standards, making it difficult to realize the scale and scope economies that seem increasingly evident in agricultural R&D conducted elsewhere. This study reports a range of institutional indicators for 341 agricultural research agencies located in 39 African countries. In 1991, 236 agencies (nearly 70 percent of our sample total) employed less than 20 fte researchers. Most public research in Africa is still done by government agencies; they employed 87 percent of the total number of researchers in 1991. University research has grown the most rapidly, but still accounted for only 10 percent of the total number of African researchers in 1991. Partly in response to the small, fragmented, and comparatively isolated structure of agricultural R&D agencies, but partly from local political and, especially, donor pressure too, there has been a proliferation of research networks in recent years. We identified 86 networks, of which 72 involved Africans linked to Africans, a rather parochial strategy in an increasingly interdependent world. Regional approaches to the conduct and funding of agricultural R&D have been revived in more recent years, a feature of much of the regions's research in earlier, colonial times, as we describe here. However, the political and economic realities of today bear little relationship to those of colonial times, and it remains unclear how these regional approaches will prosper and effect meaningful research given the organizational uncertainties that still abound. ; Non-PR ; IFPRI2 ; EPTD

After a decade of stagnation during the 1990s, investments and human resource capacity in public agricultural research and development (R&D) averaged more than 20 percent growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) during 2001–2008. In 2008, the region spent $1.7 billion on agricultural R&D (in 2005 purchasing power parity dollars)—or $0.8 billion (in 2005 constant US dollars)—and employed more than 12,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) agricultural researchers. Most of this growth, however, occurred in only a handful of countries and was largely the result of increased government commitments to augment incommensurately low salary levels and to rehabilitate neglected infrastructure, often after years of underinvestment. Many countries—particularly those in francophone West Africa, which are threatened by extremely fragile funding systems—face fundamental capacity and investment challenges. National investment levels in such countries have fallen so low as to leave them dangerously dependent on often volatile, external funding sources. Despite the overall capacity growth recorded, average qualification levels have deteriorated in a number of countries. Some reported large influxes of BSc-qualified scientists, often in response to prolonged recruitment restrictions, further straining already inadequate training opportunities and far exceeding the capacity for appropriate oversight and mentorship by senior researchers, given years of nonreplacement of retiring and departing scientists. Notwithstanding the challenges facing many countries, renewed commitment to agricultural R&D by governments and donors indicates improved prospects for agricultural R&D for a number of African countries. Regional initiatives are also a key factor in increasing research coordination and collaboration and ensuring the prioritization and efficiency of research. Increased and sustained investment from national governments, regional and international organizations, and large donors will go a long way toward stabilizing investment and capacity levels and enabling real progress for agricultural R&D in the region. Building on the strategic recommendations of various highly influential reports and meetings, and taking into account the various investment and capacity challenges outlined in this report, four key areas with strong implications for policy must be addressed by governments, donors, and other stakeholders: (1) decades of underinvestment in agricultural R&D; (2) excessive volatility in yearly investment levels; (3) existing and imminent challenges in human resource capacity; and (4) the need to maximize regional and subregional cooperation in agricultural R&D. ; PR ; IFPRI1; GRP31; ASTI ; EPTD

"This report reviews the major investment trends, human resource trends, and institutional developments in public agricultural research and development (R&D) in 11 countries of the Asia-Pacific region, drawing from comprehensive datasets derived from primary surveys. These data are linked with investment and human resources data from the Chinese government and other secondary sources to provide a wider regional and global context for the sample's agricultural R&D investment trends. The Asia-Pacific region is a highly diverse region in terms of geography, population distribution, economic development, and cultural, political, and historic backgrounds. Employing more than 50,000 full-time equivalent (fte) agricultural researchers in 2002, China has the largest agricultural R&D system in the world in terms of number of research staff. But the region also encompasses small Pacific islands with less than 100 fte agricultural researchers each. Average degree levels of agricultural research staff also diverged widely from one country to the other. Nonetheless, all countries in our survey sample experienced improvements in qualification levels of agricultural scientists over the past decade, despite the challenges that certain countries face in rejuvenating their researcher pool. Distribution of spending among countries in the Asia-Pacific region was also very uneven, with China, Japan, and India accounting for the lion's share of the region's agricultural research expenditures. Many countries in the region realized impressive growth in agricultural R&D spending in recent years, whereas growth in other countries was more sluggish (and in some cases negative). Funding for agricultural research is still predominantly through government allocations, although a number of countries now have a dual funding system where a portion of the government allocations are disbursed through a competitive funding system. A number of countries have sought to fund agricultural R&D by a tax on agricultural production or exports while other countries have been successful in commercializing their research results." -- from text ; PR ; IFPRI1; GRP31; ASTI ; ISNAR

"Following two decades of increasing investments, growth in public agricultural research spending (adjusted for inflation) largely stagnated in Sub-Saharan Africa during the 1980s and 1990s, at an average rate of about 1 percent per year. This continentwide trend masks significant variation among countries. During 1991–2000, about half the countries in our 27-country sample experienced a contraction in total agricultural research and development (R&D) spending. Declines often occurred during periods of political unrest or following the completion of large donor-funded projects. The majority of African agricultural research is still conducted by the public sector. The declining growth in public agricultural R&D investments has not been justified by the growing needs of the agricultural sector, nor counteracted by growth in investments by alternative suppliers, such as the private sector or international research centers. In addition, with its current investment patterns, Africa will probably miss out on most of the biotechnology advances that are being made in other regions in the world. Institutional reforms may have improved efficiency in a number of countries, but without a corresponding increase in financial support, such gains will be insufficient to turn the trends around. The funding base for African R&D urgently needs to be restored, with increased commitments from both governments and donors. This should go hand-in-hand with the pursuit of innovative funding mechanisms." -- Authors' Preface ; Non-PR ; IFPRI1; GRP31; Theme 10; Subtheme 10.2; Pro-poor science and technology policies; ASTI ; KCID

During the past 30 years, the structure of Colombian agricultural research has evolved from one depending almost entirely on a single national agricultural research institute to one that is much more diverse. Colombia's public agricultural R&D agencies underwent a major reform in 1993 with the creation of CORPOICA¾a joint venture arrangement between the government and various not-for-profit, often industry supported research agencies. CORPOICA assumed the personnel and research infrastructure of ICA, the principal government agricultural R&D agency hitherto (and itself founded in 1962). Staff were no longer public employees, but hired on a contract basis, thereby freeing research salary structures from public service strictures and freeing management's hand to manage it's staff. However, a series of national government budget crises during the 1990s stymied efforts to raise scientists salaries, CORPOICA's overall funding has fluctuated around a stagnant total, and in inflation adjusted terms spending per scientist has slipped. A distinctive feature of agricultural R&D in Colombia is the significant roles played by the nonprofit sector in both conducting and funding research with funds often raised by commodity levies. In 1996, we surveyed 11 such agencies that collectively accounted for 24 percent of total agricultural R&D spending in that year. ; PR ; IFPRI2; GRP31; Theme 10; Subtheme 10.2; Pro-poor science and technology policies; ASTI ; ISNAR

In 1996, Brazil employed more than 5,000 full-time equivalent researchers and spent more than $1 billion (1993 international dollars) on agricultural R&D; about one half of the total agricultural research spending throughout Latin America in that year. ; PR ; IFPRI2; GRP31; Theme 10; Subtheme 10.2; Pro-poor science and technology policies; ASTI ; ISNAR