Key Trends from the 2004 country brief

• Total investments in Botswana’s agricultural research have almost doubled since the early 1990s, largely as the result of increased government contributions.
• The primary agricultural research agency in Botswana is the Department of Agricultural Research (DAR) under the Ministry of Agriculture is. In 2001 DAR accounted for about two-thirds of the country’s total agricultural research spending and 42 percent of all agricultural researchers. DAR’s main constraint, nevertheless, is the lack of well-qualified researchers because of the relatively low salary levels offered within the government sector.
• Agricultural research is mainly funded by the government. Donor funding played a major role during the 1980s but has since been very limited.
• Private-sector involvement in agricultural research is minimal.

Botswana