Taking Stock of Agricultural R&D Capacity and Investment in Nepal

Regional Workshop on Agricultural Transformation:

Challenges and Opportunities in South Asia

Kathmandu, 13-14 February 2015

Gert-Jan StadsSenior Program ManagerInternational Food Policy Research Institute

Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators

Why monitor the allocation of agricultural R&D resources?

Challenges:- Climate change

- Low agricultural productivity

- High levels of poverty and malnutrition

- Rising agricultural imports

Agricultural R&D is a major contributor to productivity growth, food security, and poverty reduction.

Quantitative data are essential for stakeholders to be able to analyze trends in agricultural R&D capacity, investments, and outputs; identify gaps; set future investment priorities; and better coordinate agricultural R&D across institutes, regions, and commodities.

The ASTI program

Collects institutional, investment, and human resource

capacity data from agricultural R&D agencies in developing

countries worldwide.

Led by IFPRI.

Large network of national, regional, and international

partners.

ASTI provides:

Trends over time at country / regional levels

Comparisons within and across countries / regions

ASTI products

• Country factsheets

• Regional and global reports

• Downloadable datasets

• Analytical assessments

• Outreach activities

• ASTI website (www.asti.cgiar.org)

ASTI indicators

• Institutional arrangements• R&D spending by cost category• Funding sources of R&D• R&D staff by degree, gender, and age• R&D focus by commodity and theme• R&D outputs

ASTI outputs

Surveyed 7 agencies involved in agricultural R&D:

• NARC

• NAST

• Department of Forestry Research

• IAAS and IOF

• FORWARD and LI-BIRD

Private sector was excluded

Conducted in-depth assessment of NARC, including staff motivation survey

Dr. Hari Shrestha coordinated the work in Nepal

NARC / ASTI survey in Nepal

Total public agricultural R&D spending

Includes salaries, operating costs, and capital investments

Includes research on crops, livestock, fisheries, forestry, postharvest, socio-economics, etc.

Includes NARC and all other government, higher education, and nongovernmental agencies

1.3 billion rupees(current prices)

2013

12.5 million US$(current prices)

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

Mill

ion

Nep

ales

e ru

pee

s (i

nfl

atio

n-

adju

ste

d; b

ase

year

= 2

01

1)

Volatile spending over time

2002: Completion of World Bank-funded AREP

2006: Return of peace

2011: Increased government and donor commitment

What is the money spent on?

Higher capital investments needed

Underinvestment is critical

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

Agr

icu

ltu

ral R

&D

sp

end

ing

as %

of

AgG

DP

0.28%

Nepal: Human Resource Indicators

Insufficient agricultural researchers:both in quantity and quality

Share of researchers with PhD degrees

0

20

40

60

80

100

Nepal (2012) Pakistan (2009) Sri Lanka (2009) Bangladesh (2012) India/ICAR (2009)

15%

Researchers per 100,000 farmers

0.0

4.0

8.0

12.0

16.0

Nepal (2012) India (2009) Bangladesh (2012) Pakistan (2009) Sri Lanka (2009)

3.6

Exodus of PhD-qualified researchers at NARC

CHALLENGE: Close to 90 percent of NARC’s PhD-qualified researchers are in their 50s, approaching the mandatory retirement age of 60.

Training the next generation of researchers

What motivates NARC researchers?

Tuition reimbursement

Loan facilities

Schedule flexibility

Per diems

Housing allowance

Obtaining donor funding

Performance-based bonuses

Scientific achievements

Salary / hourly wage

Benefits

Journal articles

Promotion Opportunities 80% of NARC researchers

are unhappy with the

incentives being offered

to them

Promotion opportunities

are ranked as number 1

motivator by researchers

Many researchers

demand performance-

based evaluation

Policy Implications

Nepal needs a long-term agricultural research policy with

scientists working towards well-defined goals.

More autonomy is needed for NARC, not only in defining its

research activities, but also in deciding what positions are

needed to effectively fulfill its mandate and setting researcher

salaries.

A system of regular, vacancy-based recruitment needs to be

established through the Public Service Commission.

Large-scale training for young researchers is urgently needed.

Raising the retirement age from 60 to 63 years (in line with

universities), or even higher, would allow more time for senior

researchers to train and mentor their younger colleagues.

Policy Implications

Address the inequitable system of staff promotions and introduce performance-based incentives to attract, motivate, and retain scientists over time.

Rehabilitation of research infrastructure is crucial; quality of research suffers because of substandard infrastructure.

The government should simplify the highly complex and bureaucratic procurement procedures associated with building construction and the purchase of capital goods.

Creative mechanisms needed to increase agricultural R&D funding, including competitive funds, internally generated resources, and private sector funding.

Incentives needed to publish in international journals.

धन्यवादThank you

www.asti.cgiar.org/nepal