ASTI Activities in Central America

1. Previous ASTI Activities in Central America
• 1997/1998 survey round in 4 countries
• 2007/2008 survey round in all 7 countries
- Close collaboration with IICA and national partners
- Data up to 2006
• Outputs:
- ASTI-IICA Regional Report (2008)
- ASTI-IICA Summary Brief (2008)
- Country profiles, datasets on ASTI
website

2. Previous ASTI Activities in Caribbean
• 1997/1999 survey round in 28 Caribbean countries
- Close collaboration with CARDI and national partners
- Data up to 1996
- ISNAR Research Report (2001)
• 2007/2008 survey round in Domini-
can Republic
- Close collaboration with IDIAF
- Datasets, country profile on ASTI website

3. Key Findings from
2007/08 ASTI-IICA survey in
Central America

4. Agricultural R&D Capacity, 2006
 903 FTE researchers
 Spread over 63 public
agencies
 Institutional diversity
across countries
Country FTEs
Belize 17
Costa Rica 283
El Salvador 77
Guatemala 102
Honduras 124
Nicaragua 133
Panama 167
0 20 40 60 80 100
Belize
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Nicaragua
Panama
percentage
government NGOs highereducation

5. Degree Qualifications of Researchers, 2006
 Central American
agricultural researchers
among the least highly
qualified around the globe
 Many countries lack
critical mass of PhD-
qualified scientists
0 20 40 60 80 100
Higher education (23)
NGOs (20)
Government (11)
El Salvador (4)
Guatemala (6)
Panama (5)
Honduras (11)
Costa Rica (13)
Nicaragua (8)
Belize (7)
BSc/Licenciado MSc PhD

6. Total Agricultural R&D Spending, 1996 and 2006
0 10 20 30 40
Belize
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Nicaragua
Panama
in million 2005 PPP dollars
2006
1996
 In 2006, regional public
agricultural R&D spending
totaled $105 million (in 2005
PPP prices).
 Costa Rica ($35 million) and
Nicaragua ($31 million) each
accounted for roughly one-
third of this total
 Total spending nearly halved
in Guatemala and El Salvador
during 1996-2006
 Marked increase in Costa
Rica and Belize

7. Agricultural R&D Intensity Ratios, 2006
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5
High-income countries
Middle-income countries
Low-income countries
LAC
Central America (7)
Panama
Nicaragua
Honduras
Guatemala
El Salvador
Costa Rica
Belize
percentage
--------2008------------------------2006----------------
Agricultural R&D spending as a % of AgGDP

8. 0 20 40 60 80 100
Honduras (4)
Belize (6)
Nicaragua(2)
Costa Rica (9)
Guatemala(3)
El Salvador (2)
Panama (3)
percentage
Government Donors
Producers/MarketingBoards Public/Private enterprises
Own income Other
 37 percent of R&D was
financed by governments, 27
percent by donors, and 25
percent through internally
generated resources
 El Salvador and Panama rely
almost exclusively on
government support.
 Public agricultural R&D in
Nicaragua is extremely donor-
dependent.
 Research in Costa Rica and
Honduras shows a relatively
higher reliance on internally
generated resources, which
can be explained by the
relatively large NGO/producer
organization sector in these
countries.
Agricultural R&D Funding Sources, 2006