1. Global agricultural R&D spending:
Developing countries accelerate investment
Nienke Beintema
ASTI program head | International Food Policy Research Institute
CropWorld Global 2012 Congress
London, UK | 6–7 November 2012

2. Background: the ASTI initiative
• Collects national-level investment and
human resource capacity data on
agricultural R&D:
– Focus on low- and middle-income countries
(coverage close to 70)
– Through institutional survey rounds (primary
data)
• Includes a large collaborative network of
national, regional and international
partners; facilitated by the International
Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) of
the CGIAR Consortium
• Provides:
– Trends over time at country / regional levels;
within countries
– Comparisons across countries / regions; within
countries

3. Developing countries drive public spending growth
Following a period of declining growth, public agricultural
R&D spending increased globally by 22 percent during
2000-2008
In billion 2005 PPP dollars
2000 2008

4. Also increased spending by the private sector
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
Private
In billion 2005 PPP dollars
Public
2008 total: $40.1 billion (2005 PPP dollars)
1994 2000 2008

5. And growth in international research spending
After more than a decade of slow growth, R&D spending by
the CGIAR Consortium has accelerated since 2006
In billion dollars

6. Regional allocation of public spending, 2008
High government commitment to public agricultural R&D in
Brazil, China, and India has resulted in continuous spending
growth beyond 2008
Other middle income (98)
In billion 2005 PPP dollars
China
India
Brazil
Note: dotted lines indicate preliminary estimates.

7. Investing in agricultural R&D pays off
• Increased public investment, combined with key reforms,
has increased agricultural productivity levels in Brazil and
China relatively to the rest of the developing world
Agricultural total factor productivity index (1970 = 100)
Brazil
China
Low-and middle income
South Asia
Africa south of the
Sahara

8. But world’s poorest countries lag behind
During 2000–2008, spending levels in low-income countries
were considerably more volatile as those of middle- and
high-income countries

9. Main messages from new evidence
• Globally agricultural R&D investments are no longer
declining, but have in fact increased substantially since
the turn of the millennium
• Growth is driven by China, India, and a number of other
larger more-advanced middle-income countries
• Agricultural R&D spending in high-income countries are
stagnating (and declining for one third of OECD
countries)
• More attention should be given to the poorest countries
that have low, often declining or stagnating investment
levels that are highly volatile

10. THANK YOU
Please check www.asti.cgiar.org/globaloverview for the global
assessment report, underlying data, and background information