Authors:
Kathleen Flaherty and Charles Mazereku
Year:
2014
Publisher
International Food Policy Research Institute and Department of Agricultural Research.
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Overall, the number of researchers holding PhD degrees doubled in Botswana during 2000–2011, and the number of researchers qualified to the BSc-degree level tripled.
Agricultural R&D in Botswana is almost entirely funded by the government. Spending on operating and program costs increased significantly during 2005–2007, but contracted again from 2008, when government funding to many public-sector agencies was cut due to spiraling inflation.
Botswana invests a relatively high share of its agricultural GDP in agricultural research. Nevertheless, such a high intensity ratio is not uncommon in countries with small populations and relatively high per capita incomes. Small countries are not able to benefit from economies of scale to the degree that larger countries can, so basic research infrastructure and staffing constitute greater shares of investment.