Increase in the African agricultural research obstructed editions of instability

Report finds that many countries on temporary loans are dependent.Expenditure for agricultural R & D is not equal in sub-Saharan Africa.Andy Aitchison / in images/Corbis

Expenditure on agricultural research and development (R & D) in sub-Saharan Africa has increased significantly in the last decade. But investment in some countries is always still too low to reduce the improvement of rural development and poverty, warns a report released today.

After a decade of stagnation of agricultural expenditure in the 1990s, research grew nationwide funding by 20% between 2001 and 2008, according to data from the international food policy Institute in Washington DC, which published the report.

"This growth sounds impressive, but it hides between differences." Expenditure in some countries has stagnated or declined since the turn of the Millennium, "a program coordinator at the Institute and one of the authors of the report says Stads Gert-Jan,."

The study analyses expenditure for agriculture R & D and human resource capacity in 32 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Found that the lion's share of the expenditure of only a handful of countries comes. Nigeria spent most: $ 404 million in 2008 to $ 110 million since 2001. seven other national spenders invested more that 50 million dollars each in 2008; South Africa US$ 272 million was among them, but his investments actually period of the study fell from $12 million.

The increase in expenditures is inspired by the recovery of R & D after political unrest and national commitments agriculture in General as a means to reduce poverty to develop agricultural systems and improve food security, the study says.

But the growth in 13 Nations that strongly weakened has left some research institutes. The decreases were mainly in French-speaking countries in West and Central Africa, such as Gabon.

The report calls for governments address research deficit ensure improved agricultural production. More support for basic science, as well as training and recruitment of future scientists of the continent, should be a priority. The study calls for Governments, donors and researchers in the region cooperate more closely, to achieve agreed objectives for agricultural R & D expenditure and reduction of poverty and hunger.

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Researchers also its funding sources, for example through the cooperation with the private sector should diversify. Private spending only 2% represented all agricultural resources in the year 2000, and was the most in South Africa.

Many countries are the study "extremely depending on unstable flows of donor funding and Development Bank loans", warns.

In some Nations, the completion of major donor-funded projects and the subsequent withdrawal of funds, has "precipitated serious financial crises, seriously undermine any progress made", he says.

Calestous Juma, an international development researchers at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, saying: "no country ever agricultural growth without consistent R & D support funding could."

"Africa's agricultural R & D has fundamental structural weaknesses, which need to be addressed." The main weakness is the low level of University participation in research, "he adds."

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