This document summarizes key findings from an ASTI survey of agricultural research and development (R&D) capacity and investment in Nepal. It finds that Nepal's total public agricultural R&D spending is low at 0.28% of agricultural GDP, and it has faced volatile spending over time. Human resource indicators also show insufficient agricultural researchers in Nepal compared to other countries, with only 15% having PhDs. The survey identifies several policy implications to strengthen Nepal's agricultural R&D system including increasing autonomy, funding, recruitment, training, incentives, and infrastructure.

1. Taking Stock of Agricultural R&D
Capacity and Investment in Nepal
Regional Workshop on Agricultural Transformation:
Challenges and Opportunities in South Asia
Kathmandu, 13-14 February 2015
Gert-Jan Stads
Senior Program Manager
International Food Policy Research Institute
AgriculturalScienceandTechnologyIndicators

2. Whymonitortheallocationofagricultural
R&Dresources?
 Challenges:
- Climate change
- Low agricultural productivity
- High levels of poverty and malnutrition
- Rising agricultural imports
 Agricultural R&D is a major contributor to productivity
growth, food security, and poverty reduction.
 Quantitative data are essential for stakeholders to be able
to analyze trends in agricultural R&D capacity, investments,
and outputs; identify gaps; set future investment priorities;
and better coordinate agricultural R&D across institutes,
regions, and commodities.

3. TheASTIprogram
 Collects institutional, investment, and human resource
capacity data from agricultural R&D agencies in developing
countries worldwide.
 Led by IFPRI.
 Large network of national, regional, and international
partners.
 ASTI provides:
 Trends over time at country / regional levels
 Comparisons within and across countries / regions

4. ASTI products
• Country factsheets
• Regional and global reports
• Downloadable datasets
• Analytical assessments
• Outreach activities
• ASTI website (www.asti.cgiar.org)
ASTI indicators
• Institutional arrangements
• R&D spending by cost category
• Funding sources of R&D
• R&D staff by degree, gender, and age
• R&D focus by commodity and theme
• R&D outputs
ASTIoutputs

5.  Surveyed 7 agencies involved in
agricultural R&D:
• NARC
• NAST
• Department of Forestry Research
• IAAS and IOF
• FORWARD and LI-BIRD
 Private sector was excluded
 Conducted in-depth assessment
of NARC, including staff
motivation survey
 Dr. Hari Shrestha coordinated
the work in Nepal
NARC / ASTI survey in Nepal

6. TotalpublicagriculturalR&Dspending
 Includes salaries, operating costs, and capital
investments
 Includes research on crops, livestock, fisheries,
forestry, postharvest, socio-economics, etc.
 Includes NARC and all other government, higher
education, and nongovernmental agencies
1.3 billion rupees
(current prices)
2013
12.5 million US$
(current prices)

7. 0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
1,600
MillionNepaleserupees(inflation-
adjusted;baseyear=2011)
Volatilespendingovertime
2002: Completion of World
Bank-funded AREP
2006: Return of peace
2011: Increased
government and donor
commitment

8. Whatisthemoneyspenton?
Higher capital
investments needed

9. Underinvestmentiscritical
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
AgriculturalR&Dspending
as%ofAgGDP
0.28%

10. Nepal:HumanResourceIndicators

11. Insufficientagriculturalresearchers:
bothinquantityandquality
Share of
researchers
with PhD degrees
0
20
40
60
80
100
Nepal (2012) Pakistan (2009) Sri Lanka (2009) Bangladesh (2012) India/ICAR (2009)
15%
Researchers per
100,000 farmers
0.0
4.0
8.0
12.0
16.0
Nepal (2012) India (2009) Bangladesh (2012) Pakistan (2009) Sri Lanka (2009)
3.6

12. ExodusofPhD-qualifiedresearchersatNARC
CHALLENGE: Close to 90 percent of NARC’s PhD-
qualified researchers are in their 50s, approaching
the mandatory retirement age of 60.

13. Trainingthenextgenerationofresearchers

14. WhatmotivatesNARCresearchers?
Tuition reimbursement
Loan facilities
Schedule flexibility
Per diems
Housing allowance
Obtaining donor funding
Performance-based bonuses
Scientific achievements
Salary / hourly wage
Benefits
Journal articles
Promotion Opportunities 80% of NARC researchers
are unhappy with the
incentives being offered
to them
 Promotion opportunities
are ranked as number 1
motivator by researchers
 Many researchers
demand performance-
based evaluation

15. PolicyImplications
 Nepal needs a long-term agricultural research policy with
scientists working towards well-defined goals.
 More autonomy is needed for NARC, not only in defining its
research activities, but also in deciding what positions are
needed to effectively fulfill its mandate and setting researcher
salaries.
 A system of regular, vacancy-based recruitment needs to be
established through the Public Service Commission.
 Large-scale training for young researchers is urgently needed.
 Raising the retirement age from 60 to 63 years (in line with
universities), or even higher, would allow more time for senior
researchers to train and mentor their younger colleagues.

16. PolicyImplications
 Address the inequitable system of staff promotions and
introduce performance-based incentives to attract,
motivate, and retain scientists over time.
 Rehabilitation of research infrastructure is crucial; quality of
research suffers because of substandard infrastructure.
 The government should simplify the highly complex and
bureaucratic procurement procedures associated with
building construction and the purchase of capital goods.
 Creative mechanisms needed to increase agricultural R&D
funding, including competitive funds, internally generated
resources, and private sector funding.
 Incentives needed to publish in international journals.

17. धन्यवाद
Thank you
www.asti.cgiar.org/nepal