METRICS FOR MEASURING S3A PROGRESS

Potential Contributions by ASTI

Science Agenda for Agriculture in Africa (S3A)Side event and launch | Celebrating FARA

Johannesburg | 25–28 November, 2014

Nienke BeintemaASTI Program Head

Summary of Agricultural R&D Challenges

• Insufficient and unstable funding, combined with high donor dependency in some countries

• Inadequate human resource capacity with high staff turnover and aging of senior scientists

• Poor research infrastructure

• Lack of appropriately supportive policies

• Overall quantity and quality of research outputs constrained in many countries

Capacity Levels and Trends: ASTI Evidence

Regional Trends, 2000–2011

• Total agricultural R&D spending increased by one-third and total researcher numbers by half.

• Growth was uneven over time and across countries.

Regional spending and researcher trends

Main drivers of spending growth Main drivers of researcher growth

Institutional Fragmentation

• Agricultural R&D systems in SSA are predominantly small and quite fragmented in terms of number of agencies.

• Government agencies continue to play a central role.

• Involvement of the higher education sector is on the rise.

• The role of the private sector remains small.

Distribution by institutional category, 1991–2011

Shifts in Researcher Qualifications

• The increase in the number of researchers mostly stemmed from the recruitment of junior BSc- and MSc-qualified scientists.

• Of a sample of 30 countries, 13 reported a decline in their absolute number of researchers with PhD degrees during 2009–2011.

Regional trends in researchers by qualification level, 2000–2011

Staff Turnover and Retirement

• Long-term recruitment restrictions have left many research agencies with aging pools of researchers.

• In 19 of a sample of 37 countries in 2011, at least half the PhD-qualified researchers were older than 50 years.

• The situation is comparatively more severe in West Africa.

Share of PhD-qualified researchers over 50 years of age, 2011

Low Female Participation

• The share of female agricultural researchers has grown over time, but women remain underrepresented, especially in francophone Africa, Eritrea, and Ethiopia.

• Growing shares of women in the younger age brackets indicate that the gender balance is improving over time.

Shares of female researchers, 2011

Widespread Underinvestment (1)

• Yearly growth, on average, was half the 5-percent target proposed by the United Nations for 2015–2025.

• Of a sample of 27 countries, only 13 recorded spending growth of more than 1 percent during 2000–2011.

Annual growth rates in spending, 2000-11

Widespread Underinvestment (2)

• In 2011, SSA invested 0.51 percent of agricultural output in agricultural R&D, far below the AUC’s target of 1 percent.

• Of a sample of 38 countries, 28 invested less than the 1-percent target.

Regional public research intensity ratios, 2000–2011

High Donor Dependency

• Agricultural R&D is highly dependent on donor and development bank funding

• Governments mostly fund salaries and operating costs.

Comparisons of public spending allocations and funding sources, 2011

High Funding Volatility

• Agricultural R&D in SSA is more than twice as volatile as funding in other developing regions.

• Research agencies that are highly dependent on funding from donor and development banks are more vulnerable to funding shocks.

Fluctuations in yearly public spending

Policy Implications

• Governments and research agencies are limited in their choice of options to address the many challenges they face because of funding constraints.

• Nevertheless, various successful policy changes already adopted in certain countries offer valuable lessons to other countries.

• Increased government commitment to agriculture and development, combined with the launch of 3SA, will hopefully lead to increased agricultural R&D funding and a lessening the current challenges.

Measuring 3SA Implementation

Measuring Progress: Metrics and Targets

• CAADP Results Framework: Indicators to measure overall sectoral improvements.

• ASTI indicators to measure changes in national-level financial, human resource, and institutional capacities (research outputs in future).

• Need for additional metrics:– Related sectors (for example, extension, education)– Technology provision and adaptation– Nonagricultural science for agriculture– Others?

• A more systematic approach, for example, as a component of the 3SA implementation plan?

ASTI Data and Methods

Current Datasets

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

Collection Methods• Focus on low- and middle-income countries• Institutional survey rounds (primary data)• Large network of national, regional, and international partners• Led by IFPRI

Planned Datasets

• Output indicators• Student population

New ASTI Outputs for Africa

Regional Synthesis Report

Country Benchmarking Tool (www.asti.cgiar.org/benchmarking/ssa)

Interactive Country Pages (www.asti.cgiar.org/countries)

Country Factsheets  

ASTI’s Data Download and Mapping Tool (forthcoming in January 2015)

Planned ASTI activities for Africa

2015: will provide benchmark of ASTI indicators at time of S3A implementation

2017/18: will give a first look on progress of S3A targets

Increased focus on uptake of the data/messages by policymakers/others

Need enhancing existing partnerships with FARA, AUC, SROs, NARIs, and others.

Benchmarking Countries

Interactive Country Pages

Thank You

www.asti.cgiar.org/ssa-outputs