During the past 40 years, the returns to agricultural R&D have been on average in the range of 40-60% (Alston, et al 2000, Evenson 2001). Many agricultural economists see this high average as convincing evidence that there is significant underinvestment in public agricultural R&D (Ruttan 1980,...

In general, reported rates of return to agricultural R&D are high, but questions have been raised about upward biases in the evidence. Among the reasons for this bias, insufficient attention to attribution aspects-matching of research benefits and costs-is a pervasive problem, the magnitude of...

This brief summarizes the book, Agricultural R&D in the Developing World: Too Little, Too Late?, edited by Philip G. Pardey, Julian M. Alston, and Roley R. Piggott. The authors of the brief look at topics such as: International spillovers of public agricultural R&D; patterns of worldwide public...

"Por muchos años, los gobiernos y donantes han promovido la generación de conocimiento e innovaciones tecnológicas para mejorar la producción y los recursos fitogenéticos en los países en desarrollo. A causa de la naturaleza de la investigación agrícola como “bien público”, en los...

After 20 years of neglect by international donors, agriculture is now again in the headlines because high food prices are increasing food insecurity and poverty. In the coming years, it will be essential to increase food productivity and production in developing countries, especially in...

Suite à la période de stagnation qui a marqué les années 1990, une reprise des investissements et des effectifs consacrés à la recherche et développement (R&D) agricole en Afrique subsaharienne a entraîné un taux de croissance moyen supérieur à 20 % au cours des années 2001–2008....

After a decade of stagnation during the 1990s, investments and human resource capacity in public agricultural research and development (R&D) 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 (in...