Authors:
Nienke Beintema, Katrina Shiningavamwe, Sheehamandje Ipinge, and Sandra Perez
Year:
2016
Publisher
International Food Policy Research Institute
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Volatile spending growth
Namibia’s agricultural research spending was volatile during 2001–2014, mostly due to fluctuations in the government’s contributions to DARD, the country’s main agricultural research agency. In 2014, Namibia invested about 3 percent of its AgGDP in agricultural research, which is not uncommon for arid countries with small populations. After a short period of decline in the early 2000s, the country’s total number of agricultural researchers rose steadily, mostly in response to growth at the Fisheries Department and at UNAM-FANR.
Restructuring stalled
In 2009, the government approved plans to restructure DARD as a semiautonomous research institute as a means of affording it greater flexibility in recruiting staff offering competitive salary packages. This new status is a strong first step toward addressing DARD’s current operating constraints. As of 2016, however, this restructuring is still pending and it is uncertain if it will happen in the near future.
Funding diversity lacking
DARD is entirely funded by the government through a process that often impedes its long-term planning and can interfere with the critical timing of research activities. DARD generates some income through the sale of goods and services, but these funds must be channeled back to the national treasury. Plans to transform DARD into a semiautonomous entity would give it the flexibility to develop this revenue stream, retain any resulting income, and directly source other funding sources, such as research grants.
Serious capacity constraints
Of the few PhD-qualified researchers employed at Namibian agricultural research agencies, many are nearing retirement. A lack of local PhD programs at the University of Namibia, and the fact that salary levels are uncompetitive and promotional opportunities limited—particularly at DARD— exacerbate this situation. The planned restructuring of DARD will give it the necessary flexibility to set competitive salary levels, thereby going a long way to removing the impediment to attracting and retaining well-qualified staff.