Technology and Agricultural Development

1. Technology and Agricultural Development Week 9a – presented on Oct 24th

2. Objectives • Discuss the concept of agricultural technology • Explain the importance of agricultural technology to development • Discuss some Science and Technology Institutes in some African countries • Discuss some benefits of crop and livestock technologies in Africa

3. Introduction • The increasing scarcity of land and water, • Productivitygains will be the main source of growth in agriculture and the primary means to satisfy increased demand for food and agricultural products. • What is causing the increased demand for land and food? • Are our previous discussions have revealed that 70 % of people in developing countries derives their livelihood from agriculture and related activities

4. Introduction…(2) • Improving the productivity, profitability, and sustainability of smallholder farming • is the main pathway out of poverty in using agriculture for development. • What will this take? • A broad array of policy instruments, many of which apply differently to commercial smallholders and to those in subsistence farming. • With globalization requires that farmers innovate

5. Introduction…(3) • After a decade of stagnation during the 1990s, • Investments and human resource capacity in public agricultural research and development (R&D) increased • It averaged more than 20 percent growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) during 2001–2008. • In 2008, the region spent $1.7 billion on agricultural R&D or $0.8 billion (in 2005 constant US dollars)

6. The Rationale for Monitoring the Allocation of Agricultural R&D Resources • Extensive empirical evidence demonstrates that agricultural research and development (R&D) investments have greatly contributed • to economic growth, • agricultural development, and • poverty reduction in developing regions over the past five decades (World Bank 2008).

7. The Rationale for Monitoring the Allocation of Agricultural R&D Resources….(2) • Effectively disseminated new technologies and crop varieties resulting from R&D 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 gender-based allocations and • accumulations of physical and human capital within households.

8. The Rationale for Monitoring the Allocation of Agricultural R&D Resources…(3) • 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 R&D • This is seen as an essential element in increasing agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

9. Technology Initiatives in Africa • The 2003 Maputo Declaration directed all member countries of the African Union (AU) • to increase agricultural investments to at least 10 percent of their national budgets. • To gauge progress toward this target, the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) under the AU’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) • agreed to monitor agricultural expenditures, • setting a 6 percent yearly target for growth in agricultural gross domestic product (AgGDP) in countries where agriculture plays a dominant economic role.

10. Technology Initiatives in Africa…(2) • During 2000–2008, the region’s GDP grew by an average of more than 5 percent per year • More than twice as fast as in the two preceding decades • but AgGDPgrew by only 3 percent per year on average (Montpellier Panel 2010). • One of CAADP’s four foundational pillars focuses on • increasing investments in agricultural • research, • extension, • education, and • training as a means of promoting growth in agricultural productivity (NEPAD–CAADP 2010).

11. Technology initiative in Africa…(3) • NEPAD’s African Ministerial Council on Science and Technology • established and adopted a Consolidated Plan of Action for developing regional science and technology (S&T). • This plan calls for substantial increases in national R&D budgets, • Each country taking concrete measures to allocate at least 1 percent of its GDP to R&D (NEPAD 2006). • Quantitative data is essential to • measure, • monitor, and • benchmark the inputs, outputs, and performance of agricultural S&T systems at the national and regional levels and • to assess progress toward the successful implementation of CAADP targets related to S&T.

12. Technology initiatives in Africa • S&T indicators are an essential tool • when assessing the contribution of agricultural S&T to agricultural growth and, • more generally, to economic growth. • 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.

13. Organizations • Over the past 40 years, a public breeding program - • International agricultural research centers of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), • Have released more than 8,000 improved crop varieties • Private seed companies have also become significant sources of improved hybrid varieties for smallholders for some crops, especially maize. • CIMMYT – the international Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, for 30 years conducting research to produce drought tolerant maize hybrids • See page 171 (assets of public and private sectors in agri-biotechnology research (WorldBank report, 2008)

14. Research and development in some countries in SSA. • In 2005 Mozambique established The Agricultural Research Institute of Mozambique, • the objective of centralizing • agronomic, • veterinary, • animal production, and • forestry research (Flaherty, Mazuze, and Mahanzule 2010). • Tanzania consolidated national research activities under the Department of Research and Development (DRD) and agency for R&D activities related to livestock (Flaherty and Lwezaura 2010). • R&D systems in some other countries also underwent important structural changes.

15. Research and development in some countries in SSA….(2) • Uganda = The National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), • For instance, was transformed from an agency to a consortium in efforts • to improve its response to client needs and its ability to oversee and guide agricultural R&D service provision (Flaherty, Kitone, and Beintema 2010). • In Nigeria = The Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) was created • to improve coordination and linkages across research agencies and • between research providers and clients, and to redress overlaps in mandates within the institutes (Flaherty et al. 2010a). • In most of the smaller countries, agricultural research is undertaken by a handful of government agencies and university faculties; • systems in the large countries like Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Sudan are, understandably, far more complex.

16. Research and development in some countries in SSA….(3) • The majority of SSA countries have a single national agricultural research agency that accounts for the bulk of agricultural R&D capacity and investments. • Examples include • the National Agricultural Research Institute of Niger (INRAN), • the Togolese Agricultural Research Institute, and • the National Agricultural Research Institute in Eritrea. • In some countries, an umbrella organization like Ghana’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) or South Africa’s Agricultural Research Council (ARC) • oversees and coordinates the R&D activities of a large number of commodity or thematic centers, • In Mauritania, the national crop, livestock, and fisheries research agencies operate independently of each other without a coordinating body. • Overall, the government sector dominates agricultural research in the region, but its relative share has declined over time.

17. Biotechnology • Public-private partnerships offer much potential and booming • Biotechnology products available to farmers in rural areas • Biotechnology partnerships can link global and local actors (see page 171, Worldbank Development Report, 2008)

18. Crop varieties • Maize – high yielding varieties (HYV) were adopted by small farmers, mostly in Southern Africa • Cassava – disease resistant strains of cassava were adopted – West Africa • Rice - high yielding varieties (HYV) were adopted by small farmers • Beans – new bean varieties • Pearl Millet – early maturing • Sorghum – disease resistant varieties

19. Livestock and fish • Pigs and poultry have been adopted • Cross breeding of dairy cows with exotic breeds has improved the livelihoods of small farmers in high potential areas • Fish- genetically improved tilapia is changing aquaculture in Namibia, Kenya and South Africa.

20. How do we judge an intervention is appropriate? • Before we think of any intervention or technology, we should rationalize on the following questions: • Does it work? • Does it add significant value? • Is it equitable? • Is it resilient? • Are there downsides? • What is the counterfactual?

21. In Summary • Research & Development be more responsible to the farmers and the market • Formal R&D partnerships with farmers’ organizations aim to enhance the demand for innovation by bringing farmers’ voices into decision making • Collective action of this sort can identify constraints, pool indigenous knowledge, and aggregate technological demands.

22. Quiz Questions….80 points • Name three areas to which research and development contributes positively. [5 points] • How important is improving profitability, productivity and sustainability of agricultural technology? [5 points] • What are the rationale for monitoring the allocation of agricultural R&D resources? [10 points] • What are the challenges for R&D resource allocation for agriculture? [10 points] • What is does AGGDP stands for? [5 points] • What are the foundational pillars on CAADP focuses on? [10 points] • How does science and technology helps managers and policymakers in agriculture development? [10 points] • Name any African countries and state the research council or institute in that country and the objective of that institute. [5 points] • Why the limited green revolution in Sub-Saharan Africa? [5 points]