By Gert-Jan Stads, ASTI program coordinator, International Food Policy Research Institute. Presented at the Development Partners Business Meeting on CAADP Brussels | 5–6 February 2013

1. Agricultural R&D in Sub-Saharan Africa:
Investment and capacity challenges
Gert-Jan Stads
ASTI program coordinator | International Food Policy Research Institute
Development Partners Business Meeting on CAADP
Brussels | 5–6 February 2013

2. Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI)
• Institutional, investment and
staffing data on agricultural R&D:
– Focus on developing countries
– Primary data collection
• Large network of national,
regional and international
partners; facilitated by IFPRI
• Aim is to provide:
– Trends over time at agency, country,
regional and global levels
– Comparisons across institutes,
countries and regions

3. ASTI Indicators and Outputs
ASTI outputs:
• Country notes
• Regional and subregional reports
• Downloadable datasets
• Analytical assessments
• Seminars, presentations
• 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 thematic area

4. Global Public Agricultural R&D Spending, 2008

5. Global Public Agricultural R&D Spending, 2008

6. Global Private Agricultural R&D Spending
• Most private-sector R&D was undertaken by companies in
OECD countries;
• Evidence suggests significant growth in large middle-income
countries such as China and India

7. CGIAR Spending, 1981-2011
After more than a decade of stagnation, R&D spending
by the CGIAR has accelerated since 2006
Inbilliondollars

8. ASTI’s Findings in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Investment Trends
• Human Capacity Trends
• Institutional Developments
• Future Directions to Address Current Challenges

9. ASTI activities in Africa
• 2009/10 data collection round:
– In close collaboration with SROs and
national focal points
– Coverage: 500 government , higher-
education, and nonprofit agencies in
32 countries
• 2012/13 data collection round:
– Expansion in number of countries and
indicators
– Analytical expansion
– Transformation to more frequent and
decentralized data monitoring and
analysis system
– Also initiated surveys in North Africa

10. Public agricultural R&D Spending in SSA, 2008
• In 2008, spending
totaled $1.7 billion (in
2005 PPP prices)
• Total includes salaries,
operating costs, and
capital investments
• Total includes R&D on
crops, livestock,
forestry, fisheries,
postharvest, etc.
• Nigeria, South Africa,
and Kenya combined
accounted for half the
region’s agricultural
R&D spending

11. 0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
1971
1975
1979
1983
1987
1991
1995
1999
2003
2007
SSAAgriculturalR&Dspending
(biilion2005PPP$)
• 22% growth in 2001–08
• Growth driven by just a
few countries
• Growth largely result of
increased government
commitment to boost
salaries and restore
neglected infrastructure
• Continent-wide growth
masks severe declines in
many smaller countries
SSA’s long-term spending, 1971–2008

12. Investment challenge: Uneven growth
• 2001–08 marked by spending decline in 13 countries (7
of which in francophone West Africa); for some decline
began in 1990s

13. Investment challenge: Underinvestment
• Common target: Allocation of at least 1% of GDP to R&D
• In 2008, Africa spent $0.61 for every $100 of AgGDP on
agricultural R&D
• Caution: Intensity ratios should neither be used as the sole
measure of AgR&D spending, nor as a target to be reached

14. Investment challenge: Volatility
0
10
20
30
40
0
2
4
6
8
1981 1984 1987 1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008
Billion2005CFAfrancs
BurkinaFaso
Million2005PPPdollars
0
9
18
26
35
0
2
4
6
8
1981 1984 1987 1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008
Billion2005CFAfrancs
Niger
Million2005PPPdollars
0.0
0.8
1.5
2.3
3.1
3.9
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007
Billion2005CFAfrancs
Gabon
Million2005PPPdollars
0
83
166
249
332
415
0.0
0.3
0.6
0.9
1.2
1.5
1981 1984 1987 1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008
Billion2005rand
South Africa Million2005PPPdollars

15. Investment challenge: Volatility
• Annual agricultural R&D spending in Africa has been
considerably more volatile than in other developing regions
• Volatility is found to be more pronounced in donor-
dependent low-income countries
• Donor and development bank funding is generally short-
term and ad-hoc (and nearly 3 times more volatile than
government funding)

16. Donor2008

17. 0
20
40
60
80
100
Guinea
Eritrea
Uganda
Madagascar
BurkinaFaso
Niger
Mali
Benin
Tanzania
Burundi
Senegal
Mauritania
Kenya
Gambia
Togo
Zambia
Côted'Ivoire
Namibia
Ghana
SouthAfrica
Botswana
Mauritius
Shareintotalfunding,2001-08(%)
Investment challenge: Donor dependency
Share of donor
funding as a %
of total
agricultural
R&D funding,
2001–08
Range between
highest and
lowest annual
share of donor
funding in total
agricultural
R&D funding,
2001–08

18. Public agricultural R&D staff in SSA, 2008
• More than 12,000
FTE researchers in
2008
• Total includes
government, higher
education, nonprofit
sectors
• 4 countries with
NARS > 1,000 FTEs
• 9 countries with
NARS < 100 FTEs

19. Agricultural researchers, 1981–2008
• 20% growth in
capacity since
2000
• Includes PhD,
MSc, BSc holders
• Increased role of
universities
(Nigeria, Sudan)
• Relaxation of
recruitment
restrictions
(Kenya, Nigeria)
• However, many
new recruits are
BSc holders
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
1981 1984 1987 1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008
Full-timeequivalentresearchstaff

20. • Striking that
many West
African countries
maintain large
pool of PhDs
despite recent
declines in overall
capacity and
investment levels
• These high shares
stem in large part
from training
programs
conducted during
the 1990s (and
earlier), funded
through bilateral
or World Bank
projects

21. Africa’s human capacity challenges
• Many countries face rapidly aging pools of scientists due
to public sector recruitment restrictions
• Large influx of young BSc-qualified scientists after years
of recruitment restrictions in some countries
• High staff turnover / brain drain: Many researchers have
left agencies due to low salaries and conditions of service
• Limited in-country postgraduate training opportunities
• Female scientists severely underrepresented (22% in
2008)
• Small countries lack required critical mass of agricultural
R&D capacity

22. Changing composition of agricultural R&D
82% 77% 73%
15% 20% 24%
0
20
40
60
80
100
1991 2001 2008
Higher education
Nonprofit
Government
ShareofFTEresaerchers(%)

23. Investment /capacity challenge: Fragmentation
Indicators
32 African
countries
(2008)
Brazil
(2006)
China
(2007)
India
(2009)
US
(2008)
Number of public agricultural
research agencies 353 130 1,105 131 51
Number of public agricultural
researchers (FTEs) 12,120 5,376 70,000 11,217 9,965
Annual public spending on
agricultural R&D (million
2005 PPP dollars) 1,741 1,307 3,626 2,276 4,825
Researchers / agency 34.3 41.4 63.3 85.6 195.4
Annual spending / agency 4.9 10.1 3.3 17.4 94.6

24. Private Sector Involvement in Agricultural R&D
• ASTI/Rutgers study in Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, and Zambia
• Private R&D in Africa remains limited (but is on the increase)
• Sources of innovation from private sector: 1/3 own R&D, 10%
public R&D, >50% imported
• New released cultivars primarily from private sector in South
Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia; from public sector in Kenya and
Senegal
• More enabling environment for private agricultural R&D
needed (admin procedures, stringent regulations, tax
incentives, IPR regulations)

25. Summary
LIMITED TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
AGING SCIENTISTS
UNDERINVESTMENT
VOLATILE FUNDING
INSTITUTIONAL FRAGMENTATION
LIMITED PRIVATE-SECTOR INVOLVEMENT
DONOR DEPENDENCY
SMALL-COUNTRIES LACK
CRITICAL MASS 2001–08: >20%

26. Addressing Challenges:
1) Counteract Decades of Underinvestment
• Governments, donors, and regional and international
organizations must cooperate more closely and increase
their commitments to agricultural R&D if SSA countries
are to meet CAADP’s targets
• Increased funding to allow universities to establish and
maintain basic research programs, which to date have
been limited.
• Diversification of funding sources is needed (including
private sector)

27. Addressing Challenges:
2) Stop Excessive Volatility in Annual Spending Levels
• Gains achieved through donor-funded projects can get
quickly eroded in the absence of viable mechanisms to
sustain them
• Governments have to clearly identify long-term national
R&D priorities and design relevant, focused, and
coherent R&D programs accordingly
• Donor funding needs to be better aligned with national
priorities
• Consistency and complementarities between donor
programs need to be ensured.

28. Addressing Challenges:
3) Invest in Human Resources
• Enhance the number and size of MSc and PhD programs
and improve the curricula of existing programs
• Countries with serious capacity gaps must:
- lift recruitment restrictions
- increase the retirement age for scientists
- institute flexible working arrangements to ensure that
retired researchers can contribute to much-needed
training and mentorship initiatives

29. Addressing Challenges:
4) Maximize (Sub-)Regional Cooperation in R&D
• Small countries generally lack the required critical mass of
agricultural R&D capacity and face great challenges in
producing high-quality research outputs
• (Sub-)regional linkages need to be strengthened in order
to maximize synergistic opportunities
• CGIAR will continue to act as a critical provider of
agricultural technologies in most SSA countries, as well as
supporting capacity building efforts

30. Way Forward:
Monitoring R&D Investment and Capacity Trends
• Up-to-date information is critical to accurate interpretations of
the current status and direction of national agricultural research
systems
• Monitoring the inputs, outputs, and performance of agricultural
R&D systems is fundamental to assessing progress toward
CAADP’s targets
• New ASTI data collection round currently ongoing
• By mid-2013, ASTI will release updated (to 2011) datasets for
SSA
• Pilot a number of key agricultural R&D output and performance
indicators
• More analysis on issues underlying agricultural R&D and
institutional developments in close collaboration with Africa-
based economists and other agricultural R&D experts needed

31. Thank you