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 Beintema ASTI 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,

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 (  Interactive Country Pages (  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

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