Improving Investments, Policies, and Productivity Is Critical to Meeting Growing Demand for Food, Combating Hunger & Malnutrition

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) — May 24, 2011

St. Louis, MO—Global demand for major grains, such as maize, rice, and wheat, is projected to increase by nearly 48 percent from 2000-2025 and by 70 percent between 2000 and 2050. Per capita meat consumption will also increase in many developing regions of the world and it will more than double in Sub-Saharan Africa from 2000-2050, leading to a doubling of total meat consumption by 2050, according to research presented by Mark Rosegrant, who delivered the Ag Economic Forum Keynote during the 2011 Ag Innovation Showcase held in St. Louis on May 23-24. Rosegrant is director of Environment and Production Technology at IFPRI. At the same time, the growth in production of staple foods is expected to decline significantly in most of the world if business continues as usual.

“Climate change, high and volatile food and energy prices, population and income growth, changing diets, and increased urbanization will put intense pressure on land and water and challenge global food security as never before,” said Rosegrant. “If agricultural production and policymaking continues down its present course, there could be severe consequences for many poor people in developing countries.”

Using state-of-the-art economic modeling based on alternative future scenarios for agricultural supply and demand that take into account the potential harmful impact of climate change, IFPRI projects crop yields, food prices, and child malnutrition through 2050 and beyond.  Even without climate change, the prices of rice, maize, and wheat are projected to increase by 25 percent, 48 percent, and 75 percent, respectively, by 2050, in a business-as-usual scenario. Climate change will further slow productivity growth, increasing staple food prices and reducing progress on food security and childhood malnutrition.

“Although the threats to food and nutrition security are very real, these outcomes are by no means inevitable,” said Rosegrant. “The myriad challenges underscore the importance of agricultural research, better policies, new technologies, and social investments to feeding the world’s burgeoning population while protecting critical natural resources.”

According to IFPRI’s sophisticated computer model, developed by Rosegrant, with US$7 billion of additional annual investments in research to improve crop and livestock productivity, nearly 25 million less children in developing countries would be malnourished in 2050 compared to a business-as-usual scenario.  If projected business-as-usual investments in agricultural research are increased along with greater spending on irrigation, rural roads, safe drinking water, and girls’ education, for a total additional increase of US$22 billion per year, the number of malnourished children in the developing world—currently projected to be 103 million in 2050—would drop substantially to 45 million.

“Spending in these areas would particularly help farmers to boost their yields, improve their market access, increase their incomes, and improve the health and wellbeing of their families,” added Rosegrant. “Greater crop productivity also means that more of the growing demand for food could be satisfied from existing land, limiting environmental damage and ensuring that progress in the fight against hunger and poverty is sustainable.”

For more information, please contact:  Michele Pietrowski, m.pietrowski@cgiar.org, +1 (202) 862-4630

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) seeks sustainable solutions for ending hunger and poverty. IFPRI is one of 15 centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, an alliance of 64 governments, private foundations, and international and regional organizations. www.ifpri.org

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The call was made by the International Food Policy Research Institute while releasing a new report on Agriculture Research and Development.

The report shows that investment in agricultural research and development (R&D) in Sub-Saharan Africa increased by more than 20 percent from 2001-2008, but most of this growth occurred in only a handful of countries. The report shows that Nigeria alone accounts for one-third of the increase.

spending on agriculture research

The report is a result of a collaboration between IFPRI’s Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI) initiative with more than 370 agricultural research agencies in Sub-Sahara Africa. ASTI is spearheaded by IFPRI on behalf of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

“Studies show that investments in agricultural R&D have greatly contributed to economic growth, agricultural development, food security, and poverty reduction in developing regions over the past five decades,” said Nienke Beintema, head of ASTI.

“New agricultural technologies and crop varieties have helped to increase yields, improve nutrition, conserve natural resources, and expand rural markets,” Beintema said during a teleconference to release the report.

The report a result of a survey in 32 countries expresses concern that spending in most of the region has stagnated or fallen, and urgent investment is needed to rescue the situation.

Gert-Jan Stads, ASTI program coordinator says the state of agricultural R&D is particularly grave in francophone West Africa, where insufficient national investment has left programs debilitated and dangerously dependent on volatile external funding. Gabon, Gambia and Sierra Leone were at the lowest end of funding agriculture research and development. Many of these countries are also struggling with a rapidly aging pool of scientists, many of whom will approach retirement within the next decade, the IFPRI researchers said.

The IFPRI Report on Agriculture Research in Africa

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The report found that investment in agricultural R&D had rebounded in many of the larger countries, primarily Ghana, Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. However, in 13 countries, spending actually declined. Even where funding did increase, much of the money went to boost low salaries and rehabilitate infrastructure and equipment after years of neglect.

Most countries in the study are facing human capacity challenges, such as recruitment freezes, retention problems, and researchers who either lack high-level training or are old and nearing retirement, according to the report.

Yet the researchers say well-developed, funded, and staffed agricultural research programs are crucial if farmers are to be more productive and prosperous in the future. The report shows,  that only a few countries are making the necessary investments. In 2008, only eight countries in the study—Botswana, Burundi, Kenya, Mauritania, Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa, and Uganda—spent more than one percent of their agricultural GDP on research and development, the target set by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). Moreover, many countries still depend on donors for funding, which is often short-term and unpredictable, leaving programs vulnerable and hampering long-term planning.

To address the challenges hindering agricultural R&D in Africa, the report calls for increased, consistent, and coordinated funding among governments and donors to counteract decades of underinvestment in agricultural R&D; improved recruitment and training, and expanded investments in agricultural higher education to resolve human resource capacity issues; and increased regional and sub-regional cooperation in agricultural R&D to pool resources, share information and innovations, and maximize the benefits of research.

“In the face of escalating challenges to food security, such as rapid population growth, climate change, water scarcity, and volatile food prices, investing in agricultural research is more important than ever,” said Gert-Jan Stads.

He said although there has been renewed interest in the role of agriculture in tackling hunger and poverty in recent years, governments, donors and development banks should translate this political support “ into action if the immense potential of agricultural research is to be realized.”

The IFPRI researchers say investing in agriculture research is vital for the development of agriculture and ensuring food security.

Also see

Country Specific agriculture research trends

Absolute Levels of R&D Spending and Staffing by Country

Spending: Overall and Countries with Greatest Increases & Decreases

Spending: Annual Growth Rates by Country

“Best Bets” for Agricultural Research at Global and Regional Levels

By Gerald Businge

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*All data related to investment and spending patterns are adjusted for inflation.

BENIN

• Agricultural R&D expenditures have gradually increased since 2000, reflecting enhanced government funding and greater involvement by the higher education sector, but agricultural research remains largely donor dependent.

• Benin faces a serious research capacity crisis. Staff levels at the country’s National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRAB), the main R&D agency, have dwindled and the high average age of scientists means that the most experienced researchers are nearing retirement.

• INRAB has difficulty retaining qualified researchers due to low salaries relative to universities and a public-sector recruitment ban that limits opportunities. About two-thirds of its researchers are contract workers.

• Urgent steps must be taken to boost scientific cooperation among research actors, cancel the hiring freeze, and provide young researchers with training opportunities.

BOTSWANA

• Investments in agricultural research rose rapidly until 2007, after which spiraling inflation prompted the government to cut funding to public R&D agencies in 2008.

• Research capacity also declined in 2008 due to a considerable exodus of R&D staff from the Department of Agricultural Research (DAR), the country’ main public agency for agricultural research.

• R&D is mainly funded by the government. Donor support for, and private-sector involvement in agricultural research is minimal.

• Despite government-funded training initiatives, which increased the number of PhD-level scientists, DAR has serious difficulties attracting and retaining well-qualified staff because of its relatively low salaries.

MoneyMaker Pumps made by KickStart International

BURKINA FASO

• Agricultural R&D spending has followed a pattern of booms and busts, coinciding with the start and end of projects funded by World Bank loans, which have heavily funded R&D since the late 1980s.

• In 2004, R&D expenditures plummeted following the conclusion of a World Bank-funded project, resulting in dire financial straits, disruptions in research, and a halt to recruitment.

• Overall, the country’s agricultural researchers are among the more highly qualified in West Africa, but recruiting and training young scientists are vital as the average age of researchers has rapidly risen.

• The government needs to increase funding, with a long-term focus, to halt the instability and fragility that have characterized the country’s agricultural research to date.

BURUNDI

• Following a decade of sociopolitical turmoil, a peace treaty was signed in 2003 that prompted the return of donors and has led to an increase in agricultural R&D spending and research capacity.

• Donors, particularly Belgium and the World Bank, play a key role in funding Burundi’s agricultural R&D.

• The Burundi Institute of Agricultural Sciences (ISABU), the country’s main R&D agency, lacks a critical mass of PhD-level scientists due to serious difficulties in attracting and retaining well-qualified staff. However, the status of ISABU researchers has been upgraded recently, which will allow the institute to offer much higher salaries and, hopefully, recruit and retain highly qualified staff.

• The government needs to provide long-term support to R&D to strengthen the agricultural sector, which has been weakened by sociopolitical crisis and climatic disturbances, so it can play a crucial role in poverty reduction and food security.

CONGO (REPUBLIC OF)

• Despite recent and slight improvements, agricultural R&D spending remains far below the levels recorded before the civil wars of the 1990s, which had caused investments to plummet.

• The country’s agricultural research is primarily funded by the government. Donors play only a very modest role in funding compared to many African countries.

• Research capacity levels declined from 2001–08 at the agricultural centers of the General Delegation of Scientific and Technical Research (DGRST)—which coordinates and oversees research at 14 centers in the country—due to numerous retirements and a public-sector hiring freeze.

• Congo’s researchers are among the oldest in Africa and 60 percent of DGRST staff are expected to retire between now and 2016, making the recruitment and training of young researchers an urgent need.

• Reviving the agricultural sector and developing a research policy is crucial to reducing rural poverty and supporting economic diversification as oil production, the country’s main source of income, declines.

 
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