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Low Donor Priority to Science and Technology Impacts Agriculture Research in LDCs

Foreign aid to support agriculture research in Least Developed Countries -where 70 percent of the labor force works in agriculture- is at its lowest level in more than 35 years, according to a new UN report.  The trend reflects an overall low priority given by donors to science, technology and innovation (STI) as key factors in a country’s ability to meet its poverty reduction strategies.  Aid can play a major role in spurring technology transfer and in the development of the technological capabilities of domestic enterprises-both firms and farms-says the 2007 Least Developed Countries Index from the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Subtitled “Knowledge, Technological Learning and Innovation for Development,” the report cites two categories for which aid disbursements and commitments are identifiable — aid for research and aid for advanced STI skills.  From 2003-2005, annual disbursements for these two categories were $728 million, equivalent to only 3.6% of overall aid to LDCs.

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