The Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD)'s paper on The Benefits from Agricultural Research and Development, Innovation,
and Productivity Growth (2010) reviewed studies that measured agricultural
research and development (R&D) in terms of productivity, innovation and
social benefit. While the paper was a bit technical, it does articulate the
need to look at the hard science to evaluate our efforts' effectiveness. The review supports other findings that
suggest there is a very high rate of return to agricultural R&D. It also
states that despite clear benefits, the world as a whole has underinvested in
agricultural R&D.
Investment in agricultural R&D could
make a significant contribution to increasing agricultural productivity at a
time when demand for agricultural products is growing at alarming rates. In
addition, research and new technologies will be required to address emerging
challenges, such as increasing weather variability, adaptation to climate
change, water scarcity, limited arable land, and increased price volatility in
global markets.
In 2000, the world spent 39.5 billion dollars on
agricultural R&D. Approximately 41 percent of this came from private investors,
with the vast majority located in industrialized countries (96 percent).[1]
China and India accounted for 89 percent of the increase in
regional spending from 1995 to 2000. Although geographically
large and home to more than 10 percent of the world's population, Sub-Saharan
Africa accounts for just 0.5 percent of the world's gross investment in
science. Moreover, the share of the bottom 80 countries slipped from 0.29
percent of the global total in 1995 to 0.26 percent in 2000[2].
These statistics show the growing gap of R&D investments in
industrialized and developing countries. Given the interconnectedness of and
dependency upon global supply chains, the benefits of R&D across all
regions would prove beneficial throughout the global cotton supply chain.
But research alone will not create the
change that is necessary. We need to test the research in the field and then
bring the successful advancements to scale, focusing on developing countries
where population growth will be greatest and where farmers are not yet
optimizing efficiencies and production. Supporting elements such as finance,
marketing and training will also be needed. Successful programs to bolster
agriculture R&D will require coordinated efforts under agreed upon frameworks.
Here are just a few organizations that facilitate or support agricultural
research in developing countries:
CIRAD (Centre
de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement) is a
French research centre working with developing countries to tackle
international agricultural and development issues. CIRAD is a targeted research
organization, and bases its operations on development needs, from the field to the
laboratory and from a local to a global scale.
The
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) seeks
sustainable solutions for ending hunger and poverty.
The
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) is a
global partnership that unites organizations engaged in research for
sustainable development with the funders of this work.
Questions to consider
How could the global cotton industry
support research to benefit the targeted beneficiaries and the wider industry?
Are the above-mentioned organizations
potential partners for the cotton industry?
[1] Culled
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agricultural_Science_and_Technology_Indicators
on July 13, 2011.
[2] Pardey, P., Beintema, N., Dehmer,
S., Wood, S. Agricultural Research: A Growing
Global Divide? August 2006.
