Why agricultural research matters - the aid perspective

An argument for agricultural research

Extending agricultural productivity is an important catalyst of broader economic growth. The benefits of investment in agricultural research can be substantial, as demonstrated by growth in Australian agriculture over the past four decades. Multifactor productivity growth (growth in output relative to the combined contributions of inputs) in Australian agriculture between 1974–75 and 2003–04 averaged 2.8% a year.

Productivity growth has accounted for the entire increase in output by the agricultural sector over the last thirty years and has produced sizeable benefits–an estimated productivity dividend of just over $170 billion (page 115 of 'Trends in Agriculture' Productivity Commission Research Paper 2005).

Happy Seeder cuts smog, saves soil

New technologies to reduce pollution and increase soil fertility in rice-wheat crops are under the microscope in a new ACIAR Impact Assessment Series report.

The report, ‘Rice-wheat cropping systems in India and Australia, and the development of the Happy Seeder’, was published in April this year by ACIAR.

The Happy Seeder is an implement that attaches to the back of a tractor and allows the direct seeding of wheat into rice stubble. While direct seeders have existed for some time, the Happy Seeder allows the seed to be sown directly into combine-harvested rice stubble.

Measuring impacts: looking at livelihoods

“One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results” Milton Friedman.

When attempting to evaluate whether ACIAR policies or programs 'achieve results' we're looking at more than whether the innovation has made an impact on a smallholder farmer's income.

The latest publication in our Impact Assessment Series has introduced a livelihoods-oriented methodology that can be used to assess the multidimensional poverty-reducing impacts of investments. The report outlines a mixed-method approach using a suite of quantitative and qualitative tools.

ACIAR CEO, Dr Nick Austin, introduces the report: A methodology for assessing the poverty-reducing impacts of Australia's international research.

New poverty study

The latest report to be published in ACIAR’s Impact Assessment Series looks at the role that agricultural growth has played, and will play, in reducing poverty in China, India, Indonesia, South Africa and Vietnam.

The poverty status of each country was assessed in terms of monetary indicators as well as the Multidimensional Poverty Index (based on health, education and living standards) .  The report showed that, since the 1980s, all countries made substantial progress in reducing poverty, although to varying degrees. The poverty-reducing impact of agriculture depended on the types of agriculture, the relative size and growth rate of agriculture compared with non-agriculture sectors, the level of public and private investment in agriculture, and the level of government policy support.

               

 Given the high concentration of the world’s poor in developing countries and particularly in rural areas, further substantial reduction in poverty requires lifting the growth of the agriculture sector through increased agricultural productivity. Further investment in agricultural research and development across many countries will be necessary if the potential of agriculture to meet emerging food needs and to contribute to poverty reduction is to be realised.

The report can be downloaded for free, or purchased online, from http://aciar.gov.au/publication/IAS076. Complimentary copies may also be possible. For ACIAR’s distribution policy, see http://aciar.gov.au/publication/distributionPolicy.

               

Georgina Hickey, ACIAR Publications Manager