Science and Technology Mailing List Archive

[GEORGE ROTHSCHILD <<address removed>>]

Dear Colleagues

 We are now into week two of the E-forum on new directions for agriculture in 
reducing poverty ? that among other objectives aims to assist DFID in 
developing its new strategy. We have been able to launch the Science and 
Technology theme of the forum with two good contributions - from Marcel 
Nwalozie of CORAF/WECARD and Dana Dalrymple of USAID. These are briefly 
commented on below. This is a good start, but we are now anxious to hear from 
others who have registered for this consultation, and any of their colleagues 
as well. Please do join in the debate. We have three weeks more to go. Any 
comments that you wish to make will be most welcome ? brief or long, 
provocative or otherwise. It is a great opportunity for you to influence DFID?s 
future policy on agricultural science and technology (AST), as well as 
broadening the debate on this theme among all those involved in the developed 
and developing world.  

 Turning to our contributions to date, a few of the points made are summarised 
below:

Using CORAF, one of three sub-regional organisations in Sub-Saharan Africa, as 
an example, Marcel Nwalozie has highlighted the important contributions that 
sub-regional organisations are making in the developing world, by promoting 
research cooperation between several countries on a longer-term strategic 
basis. In addition to the synergies created, the spillover process is enhanced 
through the inclusion of international partners such as the CGIAR.  Marcel 
considers that such approaches may provide a vasluable operational model for 
DFID to consider.  

Dana Dalrymple discusses issues raised in the AST theme, but leads off in his 
contribution to the debate with more general comments on the introductory 
papers by Michael Lipton and Simon Maxwell. He agrees with Michael Lipton?s 
view that the emphasis of research should be on food staples, given the 
potential to reduce prices significantly, and thus benefit poor consumers, but 
also points out that this can impact adversely on those poor producers who are 
late in accessing the new technologies. This has led some analysts, such as 
Simon Maxwell, to suggest that high value commodities may have greater 
potential, but Dana feels that their production  may often be beyond the means 
of poor producers. 

In addition to his more generic comments on poverty reduction and economic 
growth, Dana also provides some preliminary responses to the more specific 
issues raised in the introductory paper on AST. In terms of the generation of 
new knowledge, he feels that there is a need to distinguish between 
productivity-maintaining research and productivity-enhancing research; both are 
needed but the balance between the two will vary with commodity. 

Dana feels that, given the low level of private sector investment in AST in the 
developing world, the main support will continue to have to come from the 
public sector. In this regard, he believes that DFID should continue to play a 
major role in supporting the generation of new knowledge, and use the CGIAR and 
other international AST organisations as a major, but not sole, avenue for 
achieving this.

In terms of good institutional structures and mechanisms for generating and 
utilising AST, Dana considers that no donors have yet come up with good 
solutions. The main problem is that AST requires long-term support based on a 
strategic vision, whereas most mainstream development highlights economic 
assistance designed to achieve highly visible outcomes as rapidly as possible ? 
thus favouring short-term activities. The latter is often associated with 
frequent organisational restructuring. Dana considers that it is essential for 
research to be endorsed at the highest level in development agencies, but 
recognises that this is a rare occurrence. Both centrally managed and 
field-based activities are required, and the central office should have a well 
qualified AST team, who are not regularly shifted around, as in the case of 
those in foreign service 

In terms of programmes, Dana notes that central offices in USAID have tended to 
fund work on international public goods, while regional/country missions have 
supported that on public goods of more local relevance. CGIAR regional/national 
programmes have placed greater emphasis on the utilisation of research 
outcomes, capacity building and institutional strengthening. Private sector 
involvement in AST for the developing world has been limited so far, and 
largely confined to biotechnology.

Turning to the issue of programme budgetary support, Dana feels that this is 
not incompatible with effective technical assistance, but that an appropriate 
balance is needed. He notes that USAID has, like other donor agencies, found 
that the only effective way of generating and delivering research outcomes is 
for this to be demand-led. In this regard, the regional/country missions have 
increasingly been the major source of funding for programmes where technical 
assistance is integrated into a larger mainstream development activity.

Clearly, both Dana and Marcel have provided plenty of food for thought in 
kicking-off this E-debate on AST, so, as noted earlier, please let us have your 
thoughts on any issues related to this theme.

Thank you.

George Rothschild

Moderator AST Theme.        24 April 2004