This breakout session discussed the importance of tracking public investments into agricultural research and development. Measurement and assessment will allow for further support of the initiatives by providing indicators for success. For further information check out the GCARD2 website: http://www.egfar.org/gcard-2012 Este período de sesiones de breakout había discutido la importancia del seguimiento de las inversiones públicas en investigación agrícola y el desarrollo. Medición y evaluación permitirá mayor apoyo de las iniciativas, proporcionando indicadores de éxito. Para más información visite el sitio Web de GCARD2: http://www.egfar.org/gcard-2012

1. Breakout Session C1.1. Public Investments - Session Brief
Nienke Beintema (IFPRI/ASTI)
Context – the problems being addressed
 According to the GCARD Roadmap, the transformation of global systems of AR4D could only
be achieved with greatly increased levels of institutional, human and financial resources. In
addition, a regularized, relevant, and reliable process of tracking and monitoring the status of such
resources on behalf of all stakeholders is required. However, each of the current existing
monitoring systems on AR4D investments only provides part of the overall picture.
 The stakeholder workshop organized by GFAR with support from EIARD and GDPRD (Berlin,
January 2012) on tracking investments in the AR4RD recognized the range of on-going activities
initiated by international financial partners worldwide and made a series of recommendations that
were discussed at the AFSI-MfDR meeting in Washington, DC (February 2012).
 GFAR stakeholders and investors in agricultural research and programs targeting food security
consider that it is also extremely important to determine the returns of investments (i.e., the
evidence on the value of the investments) as well as the financial inputs and capacities.
 Compiling accurate, up-to-date information on AR4D investments and their impacts is extremely
challenging, time consuming and is contingent on available human and financial resources.
 The initiative is geared not only to assess investments but also to address how to identify
indicators for approaching returns on public investments (and private investments as much as we
can) with a longer time horizon.
 An up-to-date database of accessible and usable information on donor funding to AR4D is
incomplete and this has been identified as a major obstacle to improvement in the alignment and
harmonization of substantial donor resources. It has been difficult to get a complete picture of
donor ODA going to AR4D from the OECD/DAC database because donors have not always been
consistent in the way they report AR4D funding using different codes.
 Furthermore, monitoring systems on investments in extension and advisory services as well as
agricultural higher education are lacking completely.
Current activities presented and discussed in the session
 Tracking donor commitments to agriculture and food security: Since 2009, representatives of the
governments and organizations that endorsed the L’Aquila Food Security Initiative (AFSI) have
been meeting biannually to track progress in fulfilling the US$22 billion in funding pledged by
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2. donors (see G8 Accountability Report) and to discuss ways to doing agricultural development
differently.
 Tracking donor funding for AR4D: In 2012, AFSI members were asked to report on AR4D
spending by country for a DAC CRS codes. Based on the results of the AFSI survey,
OECD/DAC and AFSI members are currently reflecting on how to better track funding
commitments and results from AR4D spending. One improvement that has been identified is
adapting or clarifying the various purpose codes related to funding for agricultural research. This
would require a consensus among OECD/DAC members. While improvements in OECD/DAC
reporting would be a useful contribution to better tracking of AR4D spending globally,
information on AR4D investments by non-traditional donors, foundations, and other non-state
actors is still lacking. Taking into account the limitations of existing donor data, the EIARD study
found that donor funding for AR4D in Africa are mostly directed to the CGIAR and regional
organizations as national governments received only a small portion of total donor funds.
 Tracking national-level AR4D investments: IFPRI’s Agricultural Science and Technology
Indicators (ASTI) initiative collects primary data for low- and middle-income countries through
national institutional surveys. In recent years, it has collected detailed quantitative data on a large
number of South Asian and sub-Saharan African countries. In efforts to fill some of the
geographical gaps for other regions, ASTI has been commissioned by GFAR, to collaborate with
APAARI, FORAGRO, AARINENA, and CACAARI to collect additional data for the
development of an accurate assessment of public agricultural R&D spending at the global level.
 International investments in AR4D: The total CGIAR budget for 2011 was US$725 million and
has grown at around seven percent annually for the past few years. But greater investment in the
CGIAR is needed to address the priorities on global agricultural research for addressing food
security. To achieve the levels of productivity required to meet food security targets by 2025 an
annual investment in international AR4D (largely CGIAR) of US$1.6 billion is needed by 2025,
hence the target to reach a one billion dollar CGIAR by 2013.
 Private sector investment in AR4D: Data on private sector investment in AR4D is not readily
available.
 Returns on national and international AR4D investments:
Intended outcomes
General
 Fill the current information gaps on what is not measured at all or only partly at present and what
actions are needed to bring existing and to-be-developed databases together.
 Prepare a financing plan for collective gathering of data on investments and returns in AR4D,
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3. bringing together and building on from the range of initiatives that are now collaborating here and
requiring data integration from diverse sources. This could also expand to data on advisory &
private sector impacts if not direct investments.
 Transform from ongoing dialogues to implementation.
Database specific
 OECD/DAC donors will adapt and improve tracking on AR4D funding, particularly through
improving the quality of reporting on purpose codes for AR4D. This will include the
development of a set of guidelines. OECD/DAC will continue to support members of the AFSI
Working Group on AR4D to build a consensus around new indicators that might be needed to
monitor AR4D funding.
 Further international support for tracking and monitoring national-levels investments in AR4D,
allowing the ASTI program to expand its data collection efforts to other regions than Sub-Saharan
Africa and South Asia as well initiate tracking the results of AR4D investments. The ultimate
outcome is an updated global assessment on AR4D investment trends to the year 2012 to be
presented at GCARD-2014.
Commitments to collective actions in 2012-2014 (national, regional or international)
i. With existing resources
 Monitoring AR4D investments at national levels in Africa, South Asia and the Middle East.
ii. With additional support
 Monitoring AR4D investments at national levels globally and providing a global assessment of
AR4D investment levels for the year 2012 at GCARD-2014.
iii. With specific large-scale program investment
 Monitoring AR4D investments and the results of these investments globally.
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