Operational Plan 2011—2015 - Agricultural Science and

ASTI’s Operational Plan, 2011–2015
Transitioning From Ad Hoc Data Collection
Activities to a Sustainable System of
Data Compilation and Analysis
March 2011
For more information: Nienke Beintema, head ASTI, IFPRI
(n.beintema@cgiar.org)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary
p2
Acronyms
p3
Background
p4
Statement of Purpose
p5
Mission
p5
Vision
p5
The Importance of Agricultural R&D Data
p5
Objectives
p6
Operational Model
p7
Transforming ASTI: Planned Activities (2011-15)
p 12
Summary of Anticipated Financial Needs (2012–15)
p 14
ANNEX
Achievements during 2001–10
p 16
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Having been awarded a substantial grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in
addition to direct support provided by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI),
the ASTI initiative was overhauled and expanded during 2008–11. Activities focused on
updating agricultural research and development (R&D) datasets for Sub-Saharan Africa and
South Asia and making essential improvements to the initiative’s communication and
dissemination strategies. These achievements have enabled ASTI to embark on a process of
transformation from a program of ad hoc data collection to a sustainable system of up-to-date
data compilation and analysis. Completing this transformation will require meeting three
further objectives:
1. Establishing an institutionalized data collection system at regular intervals. An
institutionalized data collection system will facilitate more decentralized and frequent
collection, synthesis, and analysis of data through a set of national and regional focal
points, thereby promoting ownership of the datasets by national partners, stimulating
further advocacy and analysis, and securing the continuity of data collection activities.
2. Expanding ASTI’s geographical coverage. The expansion will enable ASTI to update its
datasets for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and West
and Central Asia and the Middle East. These updates are important to enhance
assessments of agricultural R&D investment, human resources capacity, and
institutional patterns across low- and middle-income countries, and will form the basis
for two-year rolling status reports on global agricultural R&D.
3. Expanding analysis beyond the descriptive examination of national and regional capacity
and investment trends conducted to date. The intensification of analysis will be achieved
by developing capacity within ASTI; sourcing a network of external analysts; and
organizing a series of workshops, seminars, and conferences. ASTI’s analytical agenda
will be built on the outcomes of the conference ASTI is organizing with the Forum for
Agricultural Research in Africa.
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ACRONYMS
AARINENA
AgGDP
AMCOST
APAARI
ASARECA
ASTII
CAADP
CGIAR
CORAF/WECARD
FAO
FARA
FORAGRO
GFAR
ISNAR
NEPAD
OECD
R&D
RUFORUM
S&T
UNESCO
Association of Agricultural Research Institutions in the Near East and
North Africa
agricultural gross domestic product
African Ministerial Council on Science and Technology
Asia Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions
Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and
Central Africa
African Science, Technology, and Innovation Indicators program (under
NEPAD)
Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and
Development
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa
Forum for the Americas on Agricultural Research and Technology
Development
Global Forum on Agricultural Research
International Service for National Agricultural Research
New Partnership for Africa's Development
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
research and development
Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture
science and technology
United Nations Educational, Science, and Cultural Organization
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BACKGROUND
Extensive empirical evidence demonstrates that agricultural science and technology (S&T)
investments have greatly contributed to economic growth, agricultural development, and
poverty reduction in developing regions over the past five decades.1 Effectively disseminated
new technologies and crop varieties resulting from S&T investments have enhanced the
quantity and quality of agricultural produce, at the same time increasing sustainability, reducing
consumer food prices, providing rural producers with access to markets, and improving genderbased allocations and accumulations of physical and human capital within households. Given
important challenges—such as rapid population growth, adaptation to climate change,
increasing weather variability, water scarcity, and the volatility of prices in global markets—
policymakers are increasingly recognizing the value of greater investment in agricultural S&T as
an essential element in increasing agricultural productivity.
The Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI) initiative is one of the few
sources of information on agricultural S&T statistics for low- and middle-income countries.
Facilitated by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), ASTI has been compiling,
analyzing, and publicizing primary data on institutional developments, investments, and
capacity trends in agricultural S&T in low- and middle-income countries since 2001, building on
prior projects undertaken by IFPRI and the former International Service for National Agricultural
Research (ISNAR). ASTI has published sets of country briefs and country notes, regional
synthesis reports, and datasets that have been widely and frequently cited in national and
international agricultural research policy documents. ASTI outputs provide both data trends—
the progress of human and financial capacity agricultural research over time—and data
comparisons—the performance of a country or a region relative to another. The initiative has
produced a large amount of original and ongoing survey work focusing on developing countries,
but it also maintains access to relevant data for developed countries for comparative purposes.
ASTI is also a comprehensive source of qualitative information on the history of national
agricultural R&D systems, institutional changes, and constraints that agencies and researchers
face in undertaking agricultural R&D. Data collection, analysis, and dissemination are conducted
through a network of national, regional, and international agricultural R&D agencies.
1
See International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), Synthesis
Report, Washington, DC: Island Press and World Bank, 2008, and World Bank, World Development Report 2008: Agriculture for
Development, Washington, DC, 2007.
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STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
This operational plan has been developed for the purpose of defining and directing ASTI’s
activities over the next five years (2011–15). The plan envisions an expanded program
combining more frequent, sustainable data collection with further in-depth data analysis,
capacity strengthening at the national levels, and a wider geographical focus. This will be a
“living document” to be amended over time as the proposed expansion of ASTI progresses in
accordance with the recommendations of ASTI’s stakeholders, elicited through consultation,
the initiative’s Advisory Committee, and other modes of communication.
VISION
Informed policy decisions will have a positive impact on agricultural R&D systems and
ultimately enhance productivity growth in agriculture, economic development, food security,
and poverty reduction.
MISSION
To provide up-to-date quantitative and qualitative datasets and subsequent analyses on
investment, capacity, and institutional trends in agricultural R&D in low- and middle-income
countries that will assist R&D managers and policymakers in improved policy formulation and
decisionmaking at national, regional, and international levels.
THE IMPORTANCE OF AGRICULTURAL R&D DATA
“YOU CAN’T MANAGE WHAT YOU DON’T MEASURE.”
Data on the size and scope of R&D capacity and investments together with the changing
institutional structure and functioning of agricultural research agencies enhances our
understanding of the contribution of agricultural R&D in promoting agricultural growth.
Indicators derived from such information allow the performance, inputs, and outcomes of
agricultural R&D systems to be measured, monitored, and benchmarked. They assist research
managers and policymakers in formulating policy and making decisions about strategic
planning, priority setting, monitoring, and evaluation. They also provide information to
governments and others involved in the public debate on the state of agricultural S&T at
national, regional, and international levels. For example, monitoring African agricultural S&T
systems is fundamental to assessing progress toward the targets of the Comprehensive Africa
Agricultural Development Program (CAADP), specifically related to CAADP’s foundational pillar
focusing on increasing investments in agricultural research, extension, education, and training
as a means of promoting agricultural productivity growth.
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OBJECTIVES
The ASTI initiative has identified four objectives in fulfilling its vision and mission:
Objective 1. Providing Up-To-Date, High-Quality Datasets on Agricultural R&D
ASTI will provide comprehensive datasets on agricultural R&D investment and capacity trends
and institutional changes in low- and middle-income countries. The datasets will be of high
quality; be updated at regular intervals; and be made easily accessible to policymakers, S&T
managers, donors, researchers, and others. The datasets will provide insights into country and
regional trends over time, and allow for comparisons among countries and regions at specific
points in time. The initiative will continue to undertake original and ongoing survey work
focused on developing countries, while maintaining access to relevant developed-country data.
In addition to its statistical undertakings, ASTI will also continue to provide comprehensive
qualitative information on the history of national agricultural R&D systems, institutional
changes, and constraints facing agencies and researchers undertaking agricultural R&D. Data
collection, analysis, and dissemination will be conducted through an expanded network of
national, regional, and international partners.
Objective 2. Conducting Further Analysis based on Agricultural R&D Datasets
ASTI will stimulate the use and further analysis of its datasets by policymakers, R&D managers,
researchers, and other stakeholders. Greater emphasis on analysis will enable the data’s
inherent potential to be realized, thereby increasing the relevance of ASTI’s outputs. During
various consultations, three areas of analytical activities were identified:
1. Analysis to improve ASTI’s methodology and data collection procedures. This area
focuses on problems relating to conceptualizing and measuring S&T investments to
ensure the data can be meaningfully compared across space and over time.
2. Analysis for policymakers, R&D managers, and other stakeholders. Additional in-depth
analyses of the quantitative and qualitative information compiled by ASTI are needed to
provide further insight into the underlying trends and issues related to agricultural R&D
capacity and investments, as well as the structure and functioning of agricultural R&D
systems. This type of analysis is needed by policymakers, R&D managers, and other
stakeholders in order to make informed decisions.
3. Data provision for broader economic analysis. This type of analysis focuses on questions
related to the development and diffusion of technologies, and should go beyond more
traditional rate-of-return and priority-setting studies.
The ASTI team will focus on the first two research areas both by conducting analytical
studies and by establishing a network of national, regional, and international partners capable
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of providing analysis following a broader research agenda related to S&T policy. ASTI will also
engage with S&T policy researchers to stimulate activities within the third area, but it is not
anticipated that ASTI will conduct such research itself.
Objective 3. Communicating Data Results and Analysis for Policy Formulation and Advocacy
ASTI will enhance the dissemination and use of its outputs at national, regional, and
international levels. This will include presentations, dialogues with stakeholders, enhancements
of ASTI’s website and blog, and other communication activities. Reaching out to national
policymakers and R&D managers—one of ASTI’s most difficult communication challenges to
date—will receive greater emphasis. ASTI will also collaborate more closely with organizations
involved in advocating the importance of agricultural R&D to economic development and
poverty reduction. These activities will also promote awareness of ASTI and its reputation as an
authoritative source of information on the structure and funding of agricultural R&D in the
developing world.
Objective 4. Building Capacity for Data Collection and Analysis
ASTI will initiate a number of capacity building activities to improve the use and understanding
of ASTI datasets as an information and analysis tool, specifically at the country level and
including
 establishing and maintaining a clear set of standards and definitions to be shared with
national and regional partners and to be published online via ASTI’s Toolkit (Beintema and
Stads 2011), which will be revised when needed;
 working with national partners to conduct in-depth analyses of underlying trends and
issues related to agricultural R&D capacity and investments, as well as the institutional
structures and functioning of agricultural R&D systems; and
 providing national partners with the tools needed to establish long-term sustainable
systems for agricultural S&T data collection and analysis.
OPERATIONAL MODEL
Since its establishment in 2001, ASTI has mainly focused on the collection of quantitative and
qualitative information on investments, human resource capacity, and institutional
developments in agricultural R&D. ASTI began to develop its remaining three objectives in
2010.
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ASTI Data Portfolio and Collection Procedures
ASTI datasets are collected and processed using internationally accepted definitions and
statistical procedures for compiling R&D statistics developed by the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO). This is important to ensure the comparability of ASTI’s datasets with
others. For each country in which ASTI is active, the research team typically works with the
national agricultural research institute or, in a few cases, with consultants. These national
partners coordinate the implementation of the survey round, and coauthor and co-publish the
resulting country briefs/notes and related fact sheets. To this end, three different survey forms
were developed: one for government agencies and nonprofit institutions, one for higher
education agencies, and one for the private sector. All forms have different sets of questions,
with those for government agencies and nonprofit institutions requesting the most detail. The
more important indicators are collected for a number of subsequent years, while the remaining
indicators cover one year only, mostly the year prior to the year in which the benchmark survey
is conducted (see Figure 1 for ASTI’s current data portfolio). Over the years, the list of indicators
has been amended and improved based on experiences and consultations with partners during
the various national survey rounds.
Note: New indicators have been included for future survey rounds, such as the structure of agricultural research
staffing by age (see Beintema and Stads 2011).
Key ASTI Outputs and Other Communication Vehicles
ASTI’s set of outputs has increased over the years and in broad terms comprises the following:
• Publications. These include regional and global analyses of agricultural R&D investments, as
well as country reports, briefs, notes, and fact sheets that present the analysis of ASTI’s
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country-level survey rounds. In expanding the program to include an analytical component,
more reports, articles, and other types of publications are expected.
• Various datasets. These can be accessed and customized at ASTI’s website.
• ASTI’s website. The website currently provides access to ASTI’s datasets and other outputs.
In 2009, the website was redesigned and expanded to enhance functionality, dataset
presentation features, and visibility. In the future, the website will be further expanded to
include links to other S&T datasets related to agriculture and food. The website also plays a
key role in fostering cooperation and information sharing with stakeholders.
• ASTI’s blog. The blog announces new publications, events, and citations of ASTI materials.
• Brochures, flyers, posters, and other communication materials. These additional materials
have been developed to generate more awareness of ASTI’s activities and outputs. They
also include a periodic newsletter, the first issue of which will be published in 2011.
• ASTI seminars and outreach events. These events allow ASTI to present its results to a
variety of stakeholders and to the media.
Stakeholders
ASTI has a large set of stakeholders at the national, regional, and international level including
the following (see also Figure 2).
• National agricultural research agencies and policymakers in developing countries
• Regional and subregional agricultural research organizations such as the Asia–Pacific
Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI), the Association for
Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), the West and
Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF/WECARD), the
Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture
Development Programme (CAADP), the New Partnership for Africa’s Development
(NEPAD), the Forum for the Americas on Agricultural Research and Technology
Development (FORAGRO), and the Association of Agricultural Research Institutions in the
Near East and North Africa (AARINENA).
• Multilateral organizations such as the World Bank; InterAmerican Development Bank,
African Development Bank; Asia Development Bank; OECD; Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO); UNESCO; and other United Nations
organizations.
• Donor organizations involved in funding agricultural R&D in developing countries
• International agricultural research consortiums and forums such as the Consultative Group
on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), including its 15 International Agricultural
Research Centers, and the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR).
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ASTI’s audience has not changed significantly since its inception. Some users draw only
on a portion of ASTI’s outputs (for example, specific gender data or R&D spending totals for a
specific country or region), while others use the indicators more intensively to analyze the
institutional structure, funding, or impact of agricultural R&D in a particular country or region.
Generally, ASTI information has been used more widely by international and regional
stakeholders as opposed to national ones. When cited or used for analysis, aggregated globalor regional-level data have usually been presented. The initiative’s primary methods of
disseminating data and information have been through its website and publications, which are
more likely to reach these types of stakeholders. In comparison, ASTI has been less successful in
reaching national-level stakeholders. One of the biggest communication challenges for the
initiative is how to enhance the relevance of its information for national policymakers and R&D
managers.
Capacity Building Mechanisms
The ASTI initiative has developed a number of capacity building mechanisms:
• ASTI’s Toolkit. Over the years the list of ASTI indicators has been amended and the
underlying definitions and data collection procedures improved based on experiences and
consultations with partners during national survey rounds. This will continue into the
future as the need arises. The Toolkit aims to make ASTI’s definitions and procedures
available to further enhance the understanding of the datasets and facilitate future
national survey rounds. The Toolkit will be an important guide in the coming years as ASTI
introduces a system of more frequent and decentralized data collection.
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• Regional technical review meetings. ASTI organized two meetings with national and
regional partners in 2010, one for West and Central Africa and one for East and Southern
Africa. The main objectives of these meetings were (a) to receive feedback from national
partners on their experiences with and involvement in ASTI’s national survey rounds, (b) to
discuss strategies on how ASTI’s outputs can be disseminated and used to better advantage
for advocacy purposes, and (c) to discuss methods for enhancing ASTI’s analytical activities
related to agricultural R&D systems at national and (sub)regional levels. It was
recommended that ASTI formalizes its country-level institutional partnerships, provide
training for the implementation of ASTI’s survey rounds, and work with the national
partners to establish guidelines for disseminating ASTI’s data results and analysis within the
countries.
Oversight
Oversight of the ASTI initiative will occur at two levels. The technical coordinating unit is hosted
by IFPRI, which provides oversight on financial and project management-related activities.
Subprojects funded at the regional level will be similarly administered by their respective
responsible organizations. Additional (nonfinancial) oversight will be given by ASTI’s Advisory
Committee, which comprises five members with S&T data collection experience and analytical
expertise. The Committee’s task is to provide guidance to the initiative’s ongoing activities and
advice on its long-term strategy in order to ensure its continuation and financial sustainability.
The Committee convenes twice per year: once a year in person and once via teleconference.
Within the CGIAR, ASTI is placed under the recently developed CGIAR Research Program 2,
Policies, Institutions, and Markets to Strengthen Food Security and Incomes for the Rural Poor,
under the subtheme 1.1 that focuses on strategic foresight and future scenarios.
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TRANSFORMING ASTI: PLANNED ACTIVITIES (2011–15)
In order to fulfill its mission and objectives, ASTI will need to be transformed from an ad hoc
R&D data collection system with limited analytical activities to a system that (a) sustainably
collects and disseminates R&D data; (b) expands the geographical coverage of R&D data; and
(c) conducts further in-depth analysis on R&D issues (see Figure 3).
Main Activity 1. Building a Sustainable R&D Data Collection and Dissemination System
A more decentralized data collection, synthesis, and analytical system is desirable, ideally by
establishing a set of national and regional focal points. This will allow for closer linkages with
national stakeholders, and it will link the ASTI team with specialists at regional organizations,
other CGIAR centers, and other partner institutions. The coordination of the overall program
will remain within ASTI’s team, managed by IFPRI, to ensure that the data collected are of high
quality and follow the standards and methodologies developed by ASTI over the years. This
approach ensures that one of ASTI’s core functions—producing and disseminating comparable
cross-country data—is not compromised. Such a system will promote ownership of the datasets
by the national partners, and ultimately stimulate the use of the datasets for further advocacy
and analysis, and secure the continuity of data collection activities.
The more frequently a survey round is conducted, the easier it will become for
respondents to provide data. Ideally, fully fledged benchmark rounds will be conducted every
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five years, with monitoring survey rounds focusing on key R&D and indicators, and perhaps a
“special-topics” section to be conducted every two years. Detailed plans on the frequency and
content of the survey rounds will be developed region by region in close collaboration with the
partners.
Main Activity 2. Expanding the Geographical Coverage for R&D Data
Since 2008, ASTI’s data collection activities and synthesis has exclusively focused on SubSaharan Africa and, more recently, South Asia. Available quantitative evidence is now rapidly
falling behind for low- and middle-income countries in other regions. As a result, the most
recent year for which global R&D investment data are available is 2000. This means that an
expansion of ASTI’s geographical focus is urgently needed.
The first step is to update the current datasets to a more recent year by conducting full
benchmarking survey rounds on public agricultural research in selected ASTI countries in
Southeast Asia and the Pacific (last updated in 2002/03), Latin America and the Caribbean (last
updated in 2006), Central and West Asia and North Africa (last updated in 2001/02). After this
initial update, a system of monitoring survey rounds can be developed, involving a more formal
network of national partners as described in the previous section. Detailed implementation
plans will be developed by region in close collaboration with ASTI’s partners. ASTI will explore
the possibility of developing a series of regional reports on the state of agricultural R&D,
depending on the demand and the availability of funding.
In order to update global agricultural R&D investment data beyond the current most
recent year (2000), ASTI will incorporate available secondary R&D investment data for
developed countries with the updated ASTI datasets mentioned above. With the establishment
of monitoring survey rounds conducted at regular intervals, rolling global updates will be
feasible every two to three years. These updates will form a key input into the biennial Global
Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD), organized by GFAR and the
CGIAR.
Main Activity 3. Expanding Analytical Capacity
In-depth analysis is urgently needed to improve the use, understanding, and expansion of ASTI
data and to address key science and technology policy questions faced by agricultural research
systems and donors who are supporting them. With the closure of ISNAR, this type of analysis
has been limited. With its years of experiences in quantitative and qualitative data collection
ASTI is well positioned to fill this analysis gap. What is envisioned here is analytical work that
goes beyond the common use of ASTI data that feed into agricultural growth or impact
assessment models.
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To implement this objective, ASTI will first need to build its internal analytical capacity,
and second—following its overall network-approach—develop links with other institutions,
researchers, and initiatives at national, regional, and global levels. In collaboration with its
regional partners, ASTI will also build capacity in countries that currently lack a system of ASTI–
type data collection and analysis. This can be achieved by organizing of a series of workshops,
seminars, and conferences such as the ASTI–FARA conference. Expanding ASTI’s analytical
capacity will also enhance the relevance, use, and visibility of ASTI datasets and outputs.
ASTI will develop a research agenda focusing on issues related investment levels and
stability, human resource development, and measuring the performance of agricultural R&D. In
addition, ASTI research will also dealing with the methodological problems related to
measurement and comparisons. The agenda will be in based on the outcomes of the
discussions at the conference Agricultural R&D: Investing in Africa’s Future. Analyzing Trends,
Challenges, and Opportunities, which ASTI is organizing with FARA in December 2011.
ANTICIPATED FINANCIAL NEEDS (2012–15)
ASTI received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as a core allocation
from IFPRI, which will be sufficient to cover the costs of the technical office and its activities in
Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia for 2011. To implement the full scope of activities outlined in
this operational plan beyond 2011, it is estimated that additional resources of about US$9.3
million—or US$2.3 million per year—will be required, as is detailed below.
1. ASTI’s technical office, including
communications and capacity building activities: US$ 2.5 million (excl. secured funding for 2011)
2. Monitoring survey and benchmarking rounds
for Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia:
US$ 1.7 million (excl. secured funding for 2011)
3. Benchmarking and monitoring survey rounds
for Latin America and the Caribbean:
US$ 1.2 million
4. Benchmarking and monitoring survey rounds
for Southeast Asia and the Pacific:
US$ 1.1 million
5. Benchmarking and monitoring survey rounds
for Central and West Asia and North Africa:
US$ 1.1 million
6. Building capacity for an analytical subprogram:
US$1.7 million
Funding for these activities will be sought through a series of concept notes and project
proposals, which will be prepared in close collaboration with regional partners.
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Annex
ANNEX—ACHIEVEMENTS DURING 2001–10
OVERVIEW
Publications
 ASTI has published sets of country briefs and regional synthesis reports that have been widely and
frequently cited in both national and international agricultural research policy documents.

A typical ASTI publication is the country brief, which provides stakeholders interested a particular
country with an overview of trends of national agricultural research agencies over time.

Country brief coverage
– Asia and the Pacific (12 countries)
– Latin America and the Caribbean (6 countries)
– Middle East and North Africa (5 countries)
– Sub-Saharan Africa (30 countries)
Regional synthesis reports have been produced on Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the
Caribbean, and Sub-Saharan Africa.


ASTI has published two updates on global agricultural R&D investments.

ASTI provided inputs to a number of key international publications and initiatives, such as the World
Development Report 2008; the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and
Technology for Development (IAASTD); the Inter-Academic Council (IAC) report “Realizing the
promise and potential of African agriculture”; and issue briefs prepared for the FAO’s expert
meeting on how to feed the world in 2050.
Website
 The ASTI website provides access to ASTI datasets and publications.

The website has been redesigned and expanded based on user feedback to increase userfriendliness and accessibility for stakeholders.

The interactive website allows users to
– map, view, and compare agricultural S&T data from over 60 low- and middle-income countries;
– download and export national, regional, and global investment and capacity time-series
datasets;
– access the ASTI Website Directory, which provides links to a large and growing number of
agricultural R&D agencies worldwide;
– access country web pages that provide links to all relevant ASTI publications, datasets, and other
ASTI information; and
– download national, regional, and global ASTI publications.
Partnerships

ASTI has built a large network of partners at the national, regional, and international levels. Data
collection, analysis, and dissemination are conducted through this network.

At the country level, partnerships have been established with primary agricultural research agencies
in most countries.

At the regional level, ASTI partners with the regional associations of agricultural R&D agencies.
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PUBLICATIONS
1. Country-Specific Reports and Briefs
Asia and the Pacific


2007 Country Reports (3 countries)
2005–08 Country Briefs (12 countries)
Latin America and the Caribbean

2008–10 Country Briefs (6 countries)

2000–01 Country Reports (4 countries)
Middle East and North Africa

2005–08 Country Briefs (5 countries)
Sub-Saharan Africa

2010 Country Notes (30 countries)

2002–04 Country Briefs (26 countries)

AWARD Factsheets on Female Participation (15 countries)
2. Regional Reports
Asia and the Pacific
Beintema, N. M., and G. J. Stads. 2008a. Diversity in Agricultural Research Resources in the Asia-Pacific
Region. Synthesis. Washington, DC: IFPRI and Bangkok, Thailand: APAARI.
________. 2008b. Agricultural R&D Capacity and Investments in the Asia–Pacific Region. Research Brief
No. 11. Washington, DC: IFPRI.
Latin America and the Caribbean
Beintema, N. M., and P. G. Pardey. 2001. “Recent Developments in the Conduct of Latin American
Agricultural Research.” Paper prepared for the International Conference on Agricultural Science and
Technology, Beijing, November 7–9.
Roseboom, J., M. W. J. Cremers, and B. Lauckner. 2001. Agricultural R&D in the Caribbean: An
Institutional and Statistical Profile. The Hague: International Service for National Agricultural
Research.
Stads, G. J., and N. M. Beintema. 2009. Public Agricultural Research in Latin America and the Caribbean:
Investment and Capacity Trends. ASTI Synthesis Report. Washington, DC: International Food Policy
Research Institute and Inter-American Development Bank.
Stads, G. J., F. Hartwich, D. Rodríguez, and F. Enciso. 2008. Agricultural R&D in Central America Policy,
Investments, and Institutional Profile. ASTI Regional Report. Washington, DC: International Food
Policy Research Institute and Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture.
Sub-Saharan Africa
Beintema, N. M., and F. Di Marcantonio. 2009. Women’s Participation in Agricultural Research and
Higher Education: Key Trends in Sub-Saharan Africa. Washington, DC, and Nairobi: IFPRI and Gender
and Diversity Program.
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________. 2010. Female Participation in African Agricultural Research and Higher Education: New
Insights. Synthesis of the ASTI–Award Benchmarking Survey on Gender-Disaggregated Capacity
Indicators. IFPRI Discussion Paper No. 957. Washington, DC: IFPRI and AWARD.
Stads, G. J., and N. M. Beintema. 2006. Women Scientists in Sub-Saharan African Agricultural R&D. Brief
prepared for the USAID meeting on "Women in Science: Meeting the Challenge. Lessons for
Agricultural Sciences in Africa", Washington, DC, June 21.
Beintema, N. M. and G. J. Stads. 2004a. Agricultural R&D in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Era of Stagnation.
ASTI Background Report. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute.
________. 2004b. Sub-Saharan African Agricultural Research: Recent Investment Trends. Outlook on
Agriculture 33 (4): 239–246.
________. 2004c. Investing in Sub-Saharan African Agricultural Research: Recent Trends. 2020 African
Conference Brief 8. Washington, DC: IFPRI.
3. Global and Other Publications
Beintema, N. M. 2006a. Participation of Female Agricultural Scientists in Developing Countries. Brief
prepared for the meeting, “Women in Science: Meeting the Challenge,” an adjunct to the CGIAR
Annual General Meeting, Washington, DC, December 4.
________. 2006b. The Agricultural Science Technology Indicators (ASTI) Initiative: Methods and Trends.
In Book of Abstracts: 9th International Conference on Science & Technology Indicators. Leuven:
Catholic University Leuven.
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and Development: Challenges, Opportunities, and Fiscal Realities. Paper prepared for the Expert
Meeting, “How to Feed the World in 2050,” held June 24–26 at the Food and Agricultural
Organization of the United Nations, Rome.
Beintema, N. M., and G. J. Stads. 2008. Measuring Agricultural Research Investments: A Revised Global
Picture. ASTI Background Note. Washington, DC: IFPRI.
________. 2010. Public Agricultural R&D Investments and Capacities in Developing Countries: Recent
Evidence for 2000 and beyond. Note prepared for GCARD 2010.
Beintema, N. M., A. Koc, P. Anandajayasekeram, A. Isinika, F. Kimmins, W. Negatu, D. Osgood, C. Pray,
M. Rivera-Ferre, V. Santhakumar, and H. Waibel. 2008. Agricultural Knowledge, Science, and
Technology: Investment and Economic Returns. Chapter 8 in International Assessment of Agricultural
Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) Global Report. Washington, DC: Island Press.
Echeverría, R. G., and N. M. Beintema. 2009. Mobilizing Financial Resources for Agricultural Research in
Developing Countries: Trends and Mechanisms. GFAR Briefing Paper. Rome: The Global Forum on
Agricultural Research.
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College.
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Science and Technology Consolidated Plan of Action. Pretoria.
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Food Policy Report. Washington, DC: IFPRI.
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________. 2001b. “Losing Ground? What’s Happened with Agricultural Research Regarding Less
Developed Countries.” Background paper for UNDP’s Human Development Report 2001.
Washington, DC IFPRI.
Pardey, P. G., J. M. Alston, and N. M. Beintema. 2006. Agricultural R&D Spending at a Critical Crossroads.
Farm Policy Journal 3 (1): 1–9.
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Background paper to the Inter-Academy Council (IAC) Panel on S&T Strategies for Improving
Agricultural Productivity and Food Security in Africa.
4. Partnerships
International
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR)
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
World Bank
Asia and the Pacific
Regional
Asia Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI)
National
Bangladesh – Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC)
India – Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR)
Indonesia – Indonesia Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development (IAARD)
Laos – National Agricultural and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI)
Malaysia – Malaysian Agricultural Research Development Institute (MARDI)
Nepal – Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC)
Pakistan – Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC)
Papua New Guinea – National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI)
Philippines – Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry & Natural Resources Research & Development
(PCARRD)
Sri Lanka – Sri Lankan Council for Agricultural Research Policy (CARP)
Vietnam – Department of Science, Technology and Product Quality, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development (MARD)
Latin American and Caribbean
Regional
Forum for the Americas on Agricultural Research and Technology Development (FORAGRO)
Inter-American Development Bank
National
Argentina – Instituto Nacional de Technologia Agropecuaria (INTA)
Brazil – Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa)
–19–
Central America – Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)
Chile – Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIA)
Dominican Republic – Instituto Dominicano de Investigaciones Agropecuarias y Forestales (IDIAF)
Mexico – Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agricolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP)
Uruguay – Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria (INIA)
Middle East and North Africa
Regional
Association of Agricultural Research Institutions in the Near East and North Africa (AARINENA)
National
Iran – Agricultural Extension, Education and Research Organization (AEERO)
Jordan – National Center for Agricultural Research and Technology Transfer (NCARTT)
Morocco – National Agronomic Research Institute (INRA)
Syria – General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research (GCSAR)
Tunisia – Agricultural Research and Higher-Education Institute (IRESA)
Sub-Saharan Africa
Regional
Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA)
Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources (FANR), Directorate of the Southern African Development
Community (SADC)
Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)
Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM)
West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF/WECARD)
National
Benin – Institut National de Recherche Agricole du Bénin (INRAB)
Botswana – Department of Agricultural Research (DAR)
Burkina Faso – Institut de l'Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA)
Burundi – Institut des Sciences Agronomiques du Burundi (ISABU)
Cameroon – Institut de Recherche Agricole pour le Développement (IRAD)
Congo (Republic of) – Directorat General de Recherche Scientifique et Technique (DGRST)
Côte D'Ivoire – Centre National de Recherche Agronomique (CNRA)
Ethiopia – Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR)
Eritrea – National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI)
Gabon – Institut de Recherches Agronomiques et Forestières (IRAF)
Gambia – National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI)
Ghana – Science and Technology Policy Research Institute (STEPRI)
Guinea – Institut de Recherche Agronomique de Guinée (IRAG)
Kenya – Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI)
Madagascar – Centre National de la Recherche Appliquée au Développement Rural (FOFIFA)
Malawi – Department of Agricultural Research Services (DARS)
Mali – Institut d'Économie Rurale (IER)
Mauritania – Centre National d’Élevage et de Recherches Vétérinaires (CNERV)
Mauritius – Food and Agricultural Research Council (FARC)
Mozambique – Instituto de Investigação Agrária de Moçambique (IIAM)
Niger – Institut de Recherches Agronomiques du Niger (INRAN)
–20–
Nigeria – Farm and Infrastructure Foundation (FIF) and the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria
(ARCN)
Rwanda – Institut des Sciences Agronomiques du Rwanda (ISAR)
Senegal – Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA)
Sierra Leone – Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute (SLARI)
South Africa – University of Pretoria, Department of Agricultural Economic, Extension and Rural
Development (UOP) and Agricultural Research Council (ARC)
Tanzania – Department of Research and Development (DRD)
Togo – Institut Togolais de Recherche Agronomique (ITRA)
Uganda – National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO)
Zambia – University of Zambia
–21–
ASTI indicators and geographical/time coverage as of October 2010
Indicator
Regional/period coverage
Professional
research staff
-
SSA: 1971–2008
APC: 1981–91to 2002–03
LAC: 1971–1996 and 2004–06
WANA: 1991–96 to 2001–03
- By degree level (PhD, MSc, and BSc)
- Collected for multiple years
- Government, nonprofit, higher education, and private agencies
Professional
female research
staff
-
SSA: 2000–01 and 2008
APC: 2002–03
LAC: 2006
WANA: 2001–03
- By degree level (PhD, MSc, and BSc)
- Numbers (not by degree level data available) for 14 SSA (1991)
and 16 LAC (1996)
- Government, nonprofit, and higher education agencies
Professional
research staff
by age group
- SSA: 2007–08
- For 15 countries only; conducted as part of a special study for
the African Women for Agricultural Research (AWARD)
scholarship program
Research focus
by major
subsectors
- SSA: 2000–01 and 2008
- Includes crops, livestock, forestry, fisheries, postharvest, natural
resources, socioeconomics
- Government, nonprofit, higher education, and private agencies
- APC: 2002–03
- LAC: 1996 and 2006
Specific details
- WANA: 2001–03
Research focus
by crop and
livestock items
- SSA: 2000–01 and 2008
- APC: 2002–03
- LAC: 1996 and 2006
- Includes ± 20crops items, ± 6 livestock items, and ± 6 other items
- Listed crops differ by region
- Government, nonprofit, higher education, and private agencies
- WANA: 2001–03
Thematic
research focus
- SSA: 2000–01 and 2008
- APC: 2002–03
- LAC: 1996
- WANA: 2001–03
Expenditures
- Include ± 4 crops themes, ± 5 livestock themes, and ± 7 other
themes
- Themes are currently being adjusted to include emerging
themes, such as climate change, bioenergy, biotechnology
- Government, nonprofit, higher education, and private agencies
- SSA: 1971–2008
- Categorized as salaries, operating costs, and capital investments
- APC: 1981–91 to 2002–03
- Government and nonprofit agencies
- LAC: 1971– 96 to 2004–06
- WANA: 1991–96 to 2001–03
Funding sources
- SSA: 1991; 2000–01 and 2008
- APC: 1996 to 2002–03
- LAC: 1996 and 2004–06
- WANA: 2001–03
- Government, (multilateral and bilateral) donors,
producers/marketing boards, public/private enterprises, own
income, other
- Sources differ by region and by country
- For some countries multiple years available
- Government and nonprofit
Technical
support staff
- SSA: 2001–08
Support staff
- SSA: 1991–2008
- By technical, administrative, and other support
- APC: 1991–96 to 2002–03
- Government, nonprofit, and higher education agencies
- By degree level (PhD, MSc, and BSc)
- By gender
- LAC: 1991–96 and 2004–06
- WANA: 1996 to 2001–03
Source: Beintema and Stads (2011).
Notes: Country coverage from 2001–10 includes 34 Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, 11 Asia–Pacific countries (APC), 15
Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) countries, and 6 West Asian and North African (WANA) countries. Periodic
coverage applies for most, but not all, countries
–22–
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This Operational Plan has been prepared as an output for the ASTI initiative and has not been peer reviewed.