Overview of Agricultural Research for Development 

in the Asia‐Pacific Region

R.B. Singh

Overview

1.

Present Realities• AP agricultural features

• Hunger and poverty

2. Emerging Trends and Challenges of A4D• Integrated on‐farm, off‐farm, and non‐farm employment and income security

3. Emerging Trends and Challenges of AR4D• Do we have a mega innovation to lead AR4D?

4. E‐consultation: Voices of the stakeholders

5. F2F: Evolving the ANRR agenda for reaching the unreached to take AP to 

new heights 

Asia Pacific – Vital Statistics

Of the World:• 58 % Population• 74% Agricultural population• 38 % Arable Land• 66 Irrigated• 91 % Rice Production• 45‐71 % of Cereals, Vegetables, Fruits, Oilseeds, 

Pulses and Meat• Over 90% of Fisher folk and Aquaculture • Over 80% of the small farmers

Poverty prevalence and absolute numbers (< $1.25 per  day, ca. 2005)

prevalence

absolute

Fig 3. Estimated regional distribution of hunger in 2009 (in mil.) and increase from 2008 levels (in %)

642(+10.5%)

265(+11.8%)

53(12.8%)

15(+15.4%)

42(+13.5%) Asia and the Pacific

Sub-Saharan Africa

Latin America and theCaribbeanNear East and NorthAfricaDeveloped Countries

For the first time > 1 billion people are undernourished

Source: FAO, 2009

Nutrition Problem Zone “under–two”

worst in Asia

Source: Shrimpton et al. 2001.Source: Shrimpton et al. 2001.

Weight for age by regionWeight for age by region

-2

-1.75

-1.5

-1.25

-1

-0.75

-0.5

-0.25

0

0.25

0.5

0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 51 54 57 60

Age (months)

Z-sc

ore

(NC

HS)

Africa Latin America and Caribbean Asia

Fig 4. The number of poor rose in South Asia

0

100

200

300

400

500

Sub-Saharan

Africa

South Asia East Asia &Pacific

Middle East& NorthAfrica

Europe &CentralAsia

LatinAmerica &Caribbean

Mill

ions

of p

eopl

e be

low

$1

-a-d

ay p

over

ty li

ne 19932002

Source: ASTI, 2008

Country Overallvulnerability index

Micro-vulnerability index

Macro- vulnerability index

Population(mil.)

Bangladesh 1.24 1.77 0.23 156.0Myanmar 1.16 0.53 2.45 48.4Cambodia 1.06 1.57 0.05 14.2Sri Lanka 0.97 0.73 1.48 19.9

Food price shocks: Some Asian countries are among the  most vulnerable

Source: Headey  and Fan 2008Source: Headey  and Fan 2008.

Fig 9. Yield growth rates by region, all cereals

0

1

2

3

4

East Asia South Asia SoutheastAsia

LatinAmerica

Developedcountries

WestAsia/North

Africa

Sub-Saharan

Africa

Perc

ent p

er y

ear

1967-821982-971997-2020

Source: ASTI, 2008

Asia-Pacific Fostered the Green Revolution

Agricultural productivity growth in developing countries

%East AsiaEast Asia 2.72.7South AsiaSouth Asia 1.01.0East AfricaEast Africa 0.40.4West AfricaWest Africa 1.61.6Southern AfricaSouthern Africa 1.31.3Latin AmericaLatin America 2.72.7North Africa & West AsiaNorth Africa & West Asia 1.41.4All regionsAll regions 2.12.1

Annual total factor productivity growth, 1992Annual total factor productivity growth, 1992‐‐20032003

Source: von Braun et al. 2008.Source: von Braun et al. 2008.

Agricultural growth has large poverty reduction  impact

Poverty reduction elasticities of agricultural growthPoverty reduction elasticities of agricultural growth

SSA -1.83South Asia -1.73East Asia and Pacific -1.44Eastern and Central Europe -1.57Latin America -1.11Middle East and North Africa -0.92All Low Income Countries -1.6Source: Christaensen et al (2005)

Low Income Countries

Agricultural potential and market access

Notes: Rainfed agriculture potential(crops, grazing, forest) is classified as high, medium or low   (H,M,L). Rainfed potential, closed forest, intensively irrigated, and protected areas are all classified  into high (H) and low (L) market access areas. Thus ML is medium rainfed agricultural potential areas with low market access.

E‐

Consultation Participation

• 300 responses from 50 countries– 93 voices scientists from NARS 

– 66 from NGOs 

– 47 from CGIAR 

– 35 from public sector and extension agents, 

– 17 from CSOs

and Farmers’

Organizations  

– 15 from private sector and industry

– 27 Unclassified 

Key Agricultural development Issues

• 16 main drivers and 53 specific challenges• Key Issues

– Fighting Stubbornly High Hunger and Poverty– Synergizing Productivity, Sustainability and Equity –

Towards Evergreen Revolution– Can Small Always be Beautiful – The Crisis of Entitlement– Research – The Engine of Growth and Development– Technology Transfer Gaps– Linking Farmers with markets with value addition– Policy Support – A Must for Science‐led Development– Human capital eroding   

Key Feedback

• Needs of the resource poor not well addressed• Inability to adopt high inputs cost and high risks technology not 

internalized in research agendas

• Underinvestment in Horticulture,

livestock and fisheries rain fed, socio‐

economic and NRM research, maintenance research and human capital 

formation

• Emerging challenges – climate change adaptation – water scarcity– declining soil fertility  – biodiversity erosion– gaps in institutional and human resources development– increasing biotic stresses – lack of biosecurity

• Main Research Uptake and Innovation• Investment Intensity and Management• Research Management• Research‐Extension‐Farmer Linkage Management• Feminization of Agriculture• Agricultural Education and Human Resource Management• Investing in the Poor• Improving Entitlement of the Poor• Enhancing Income of Farmers • Linking Farmers with Market and Value Chain

Key Research Challenges

Paradigm shifts

•Shift in research approach from a single  commodity based and monodisciplinary

to a 

farming system based and multidisciplinary. 

•A change from a top‐down (training and visit  system) extension approach to a participatory  (effective research‐extension‐farmer‐market 

interface) approach of technology assessment,  refinement and transfer. 

Paradigm shifts

•Integration of molecular biology, bio‐technology and  bio‐

information with conventional technology as well 

as with indigenous knowledge for speedy and more  precise gains.

•Greater congruence between productivity and  sustainability and creation of enabling mechanisms for 

adoption of new technologies. Cost‐effectiveness of  production, quality and safety in food and other 

products, and GMO biosafety

and biosecurity, are  important in the globalized and liberalized world.

Considering the ongoing ARDs, the priority‐setting  exercises, and the future challenges, the top 

priorities on Agricultural Research for  Development (AR4D) should include:

• Focus on the agricultural system of the poor• Forging coherence among productivity, sustainability, and 

biosecurity• Managing climate change• Balancing bioenergy

and food needs

• Volatile food prices and food security• Political economy and institutional reforms and  enabling 

environment

Flow of the Face to Face Consultation

Group Discussions on Sub-Regional Reports

Plenary Session on Group Discussions on Sub-Regional Reports

Group Discussions on Thematic and Cross CuttingIssues

Plenary Session on Thematic and Cross CuttingIssues

Consolidation

Thank You