Investing in Science

R&D in agriculture has between 20-80% rate of return, and has about 5% of the global spending on R&D from the public sector and private companies. Three trends have developed in the last two decades, the first that private sector funding has increase, the second that middle-income countries now spend more than high-income countries on public R&D in the agricultural sector, and the third that low-income countries account for only 3% of global agricultural R&D spending. Dobermann suggests that low- and middle-income countries who still have a very large dependence on the agricultural sector should spend at least 10% of the national budget on agriculture as a whole, and research should double public funding for agriculture in the next ten years. A good measure is that countries should spend at least 1% of their agricultural GDP on R&D within their country. There will be a number of significant revolution in science and technology that affect the agriculture and food sector in the next 20 to 30 years, including genomics in synthetic biology to create new traits and crops using gene-editing, or example, or digital agriculture, which involves using information communications technology, remote sensing, mobile phone sensors, the Internet of Things, robotics, etc. in agriculture. The bioeconomy, or the creation of novel products from biomass is a successful new form of adding value to the production of agricultural systems that will be a more productive closed, green economy. There must be new frontiers research, for example, into making bioplastics, or into reengineering photosynthesis in C3 and C4 plants. R&D can take a long time to have an impact; we must find a way to accelerate this process and change the incentive for scientists to think in a more entrepreneurial manner and collaborate more with others and industry partners. Intellectual property systems will have to change because they can hinder innovation.

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