Comments are invited from members on the following draft position paper
email comments to: chairman@taa.org.uk
Position Paper on National, International and Bilateral funding of Agricultural Research for Development .
Roger W. Smith
1. Background.
The Tropical Agricultural Association (TAA) has a membership of some 1,500 persons concerned with issues surrounding agriculture in the warmer parts of the world. Members encompass a wide range of disciplines. Together, they assemble a huge wealth of knowledge and practical experience. Details of the TAA and its activities can be found by visiting the Web Site : http://www.taa.org.uk.
The Association is governed by an Executive Committee under the leadership of its President, Sir Charles Pereira FRS. The Executive Committee has discussed the issues presented in this paper, and has decided to present it to the International Community through the UK Forum on Agricultural Research for Development.
The TAA also recognises the need to eliminate poverty, and considers that one of the ways to do this is through raising productivity and moving subsistence farmers into commercial agriculture, through the development of rural agro-industrial commodity chains, and the improvement of the development and delivery of appropriate inputs.
The importance of developing sustainable high output agricultural production systems which recognise the importance of conserving and improving the environment and biodiversity is also recognised by the TAA.
The TAA considers that research is essential to support these developments, and that farming in the tropics should benefit much more than it has in the past from modern technologies encompassed in crop and animal germplasm, in high input/high output technologies, in mechanisation, in post harvest processing and in the development of marketing systems. Whilst recognising the importance of indigenous knowledge, of social and economic considerations, of gender issues and the place which organic farming could play in the production process, the TAA considers that some current concepts such as intermediate technology, support of low input/low output systems and the support of subsistence farming as a way of life serve to hold back the needed raising of production and indeed the elimination of poverty.
The TAA recognises that all advances made in the development of agriculture in the tropics can be traced back to earlier research, whether that has been conducted by the farmers themselves, or by national, regional or international research organisations. Often the research has been done many years before it has eventually been applied. Its application has often been delayed because it was ahead of its time and the enabling environment was not ready to use it. Deficiencies in the transfer of technology through information and extension channels have also frequently delayed is application, and subsequent impact.
The TAA is concerned that investments in research at the present time are declining and considers that they must be increased for future needs, and that the present biotechnological revolution must be harnessed to ensure that the new doubly- green revolution becomes a reality and continues well into the next millennium.
3. The present Agricultural Research System
The key centres of agricultural research are the Agricultural Research Systems of individual nations (NARS). NARS consist of national agricultural research institutions, research conducted in Universities and Colleges, by quasi-government organisations or statutory bodies, and by the private sector. Increasingly, recognition is being given to research conducted by farmers themselves, frequently in collaboration with non-government organisations (NGOs).
NARS are more and more participating in regional and global networks. These are frequently co-ordinated through the regional and sub-regional fora of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR).
International Agricultural Research is led by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), which not only supports the International Agricultural Research Centres (IARCs), but also cross-centre, or system-wide initiatives. The CGIAR is placing considerable importance on the eco-regional initiatives established in partnership with NARS and Regional networks.
Aid, or Development Assistance to all these organisations is provided by the International and Bilateral donor community.
3. Funding trends
The funding of national agricultural research systems
has traditionally been by the host governments, as part of the national
budgets. In recent years there has been a strong trend towards the commercialisation
or privatisation of many of these institutions, resulting in decreasing
funding by the governments seldom matched by new sources of income for
core activities. As a result, many of the research activities have become
demand-led, the demand being the short-term requirements of the clients
for the research. Many staff have moved from long-term, permanent, positions
to short-term contracts, most frequently limited to 3- year periods. Long-term
research programmes have as a consequence suffered, resulting in loss of
continuity and a reduced ability to conduct speculative research, basic
research, or academic research which lays the foundations for the applied
and adaptive research which today receives the priority, and the bulk of
available funds. This is true both in the NARS of developing countries,
and in the advanced research institutes (ARIs) of donor countries. Changes
in funding modalities, and declining investments in ARIs are seriously
reducing the capacity of science to provide the technologies which farmers
the world over need to sustainably raise productivity in the years to come.
There has also been a marked downward trend in the funding of agricultural research programmes of development assistance programmes of most donor countries. the trend has been to move money into research which is orientated towards social and economic problems which affect the welfare of the poor and away from scientific research which lays the foundation for increased productivity, reduction of pre- and post- harvest losses and the improvement of sustainable production systems.
At the International level, the IARCs of the GIAR were
well funded when they were established. The concept of establishing institutes
which were equipped with the best up-to-date instruments, provided with
the necessary consumables, staffed by the best scientists available who
received appropriately high salaries to attract them to the system, paid
off. The benefits of the Green Revolution were the result of this policy.
Subsequently, the CGIAR system has expanded, both in terms of the number
of IARCs supported by it and by the proliferation of cross-centre and eco-regional
programmes.
This expansion has not been accompanied by a corresponding
increase in the funding provided by the donors to the system, in spite
of a widening of the donor base to the system. Many of the original donors
have reduced their contributions to the system, the World Bank is no long
the donor of last resort, new donors have come in with relatively small
contributions, and the requested budgets of the IARCS and CGIAR programmes
are not being met. In many cases, programmes have been axed or curtailed,
staff complements have been reduced, and the high efficiency of the early
days has suffered.