Asia. Nowadays, Africa is especially dependent on food imports. rica is geographically large, its share in R&D spending is only
Food production in this region is lagging behind due to limited 13%. Latin America accounts for 33% (with Brazil being respon-
research investments and the problems for farmers to use the sible for 48% of the region’s spending).
appropriate inputs in their production process.
Productivity has risen in many developing countries, mainly as
RESEARCH INVESTMENTS a result of investment in agricultural R&D combined with im-
proved human capital and rural infrastructure. In East Asia, land
The world regions are sharply divided in terms of their capacity productivity increased from US$1,485/ha in 1992 to US$2,129/
to use science in promoting agricultural productivity in order ha in 2006, while labour productivity rose from US$510 to
to achieve food security and reduce poverty and hunger. For ev- US$822/worker. In Africa, the levels of productivity are much
ery US$100 of agricultural output, developed countries spend lower and their growth has also been slower. In 1992, land pro-
US$2.16 on public agricultural research and development ductivity in Sub-Saharan Africa was only 79% of that in East Asia;
(R&D), whereas developing countries spend only US$0.55 (IF- by 2006 this gap of 21% had increased to 59% (IFPRI, 2008).
PRI, 2008). Total agricultural R&D spending in developing
countries increased from US$3.7 billion (1991) to US$4.4 bil- RESOURCES FOR FERTILIZER USE
lion (2000), or by 1.6% annually (IFPRI, 2008). This spending
was largely driven by Asia, where annual spending increased by One of the major options for significantly raising crop pro-
3.3 percent. Today, Asia accounts for 42% of total agricultural duction is increasing the use of mineral fertilizers. The Africa
R&D spending in developing countries (with China and India Fertilizer Summit 2006 concluded that the use of fertilizers
accounting for 18 and 10%, respectively). In Africa, agricultural should be increased to a level of at least 50 kg/ha by 2015.
R&D expenditure declined slightly, by 0.4%/year. Although Af- The present use of fertilizers in Sub-Saharan Africa is only
Figure 30: An increasing number of countries are leasing land abroad to sustain and secure their food production.
Data are preliminary only. (Source: GRAIN, 2008; Mongabay 2008).
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