Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators
Outputs of the ASTI initiative are widely and frequently cited in both national and international agricultural research policy documents and used to analyze a myriad of policy issues including financing of agricultural R&D, developments in biotechnology, setting agricultural R&D priorities, and research planning and impact studies.
Since 2001, the focus has been mainly on developing and maintaining its website; building a network of collaborators; initiate institutional survey rounds in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and the Middle East and North Africa region; and the development of a set of country briefs and regional synthesis reports that quantify, analyze, and discuss the major investment and institutional trends in these regions. During 2007, the ASTI team will focus on updating the existing dataset for Latin America and the Caribbean and the key indicators for sub-Saharan Africa. The ASTI initiative has produced numerous national, regional, and global overviews and policy analyses on agricultural R&D investment and institutional trends over the years. As such the ASTI project is generally recognized as the most authoritative source of information on the support for and structure of agricultural R&D worldwide.
During the period 2001-06, the ASTI initiative collaborated closely with more than 50 national, regional, and international agricultural research agencies and consultants, which worked with the ASTI team in data collection efforts and preparation of reports. During the same period, the ASTI initiative received funding from the CGIAR Finance Committee (2001-04), World Bank (2006), Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research—ACIAR (2001-02), the United States Agency of International Development—USAID (2001-04), and the European Commission—EC (2001, 2003). Additional financial and human resources were provided by many of our national and regional collaborators during the implementation of the ASTI survey rounds.
Contact: Nienke Beintema, head ASTI initiative
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
2033 K Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20006 U.S.A.
Fax +1 (202) 467-4439
email: asti@cgiar.org