1. The Role of S&T in increasing agricultural productivity in the LDCs Lisa Borgatti

2. Role of S&T in increasing agricultural productivity Importance of Agriculture How technology change occurs in LDCs Role of Spillovers Financing of Agricultural R&D - from Donors - from local Governments

3. How important is agriculture in LDCs Agriculture accounts for 1/3 of GDP Agricultural land accounts for 40% of land area 70% of population lives in rural areas A 1% increase in crop yield reduces the number of poor by over 6 million. (Thirtle et al., 2003)

4. Innovation in the LDCs What is 'innovation'? Innovation as source of economic growth and poverty alleviation Role of research

5. International Spillovers Spillovers come from: - developed countries - international research institutes, i.e. CGIAR - other developing countries

6. Finance R&D: Government - 1

7. Finance R&D: Government - 2 1.5% target Projections

8. Financing R&D: Donors - 1

9. Financing R&D: Donors - 2 Donors' interest in developing agricultural capabilities in the LDCs is falling Donors' priorities have switched towards ODCs Aid provided to upgrade agriculture in LDCs amounts to a tiny 0.03% of agricultural GDP

10. Conclusions Existing technology and research should be capitalized on Greater Government involvement and greater role for international research centers Aid allocation must be in line with LDC's domestic development needs For its pro-poor effect, agricultural research must become one of donors' priorities