Trends in Public Agricultural Research in Latin America and the Caribbean

Latin America and the Caribbean have invested $3.0 billion in agricultural research and development but only 70 percent was spent in three countries: Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. This was forwarded by the report Public Agricultural Research in Latin America and the Caribbean: Investment and Capacity Trends published by the International Food Policy Research Institute.

Authors Gert-Jan Stads and Nienke Beintema note that sustainable support for agricultural R&D is crucial in all countries of the region for both export and food crops and, more generally, development initiatives to alleviate rural poverty. "If the region is to achieve food security, reduce poverty, and compete in an increasingly competitive global market, strong political support for agricultural R&D is called for in addition to financial support, as is greater integration of agricultural R&D systems both within and among countries," they concluded.

See the full report at http://www.asti.cgiar.org/pdf/LAC_Syn_Report.pdf