Public agricultural R&D in high-income countries: Old and new roles in a new funding environment

In recent years, public agricultural R&D investment in high-income countries has grown considerably more slowly than public agricultural R&D in developing countries, private R&D for agricultural inputs, or private food R&D. Funding trends in these countries have resulted in part from structural changes in the economy, changes in general agricultural policy, and an expanded research agenda. Shifts in agricultural research policy have had a mixed record of success in meeting objectives and have had limited impact in expanding the real resources devoted to agricultural research. However, public agricultural R&D in these countries continues to produce high quality scientific output and measurable impacts on productivity. These research systems continue to be an integral part of the global agricultural research effort.