Funding and managing agricultural research in a developing country

Purpose – To illustrate problems a developing country faces in generating and managing agricultural R&D funds and to portray some practical solutions to these problems. Design/methodology/approach – A case study of cocoa and coconut R&D in Papua New Guinea is used to illustrate the problems and solutions associated with funding and managing agricultural R&D in a developing country context. Findings – Several problems associated with donor funding, unreliability of funding and corruption are outlined. Solutions to these problems include fund diversification, commercial activity by the R&D provider to generate their own source of R&D funds, changes to national legislation to provide greater security of national funding for agricultural R&D and introduction of some performance‐based incentives for scientists. Research limitations/implications – Being a case study limits the ease of generalizing its findings. Practical implications – The issues of generating R&D funds and their governance are widespread problems in developing countries. This study shows some practical solutions to these problems. Originality/value – This paper offers some practical solutions and insights about improved management of agricultural R&D funds in a developing country. Its findings have possible relevance for many other developing countries.