Key Trends from the 2006 country brief

• During 1991–2003 total agricultural researcher numbers in Vietnam showed a steady increase. Public agricultural R&D expenditures, in constant prices, nearly tripled during 1996–2002.
• The 28 agencies with an agricultural R&D mandate under MARD accounted for more than 70 percent of Vietnam’s agricultural research staff in 2003 and nearly 60 percent of total R&D investments in 2002.
• Despite rapid developments in average qualifications of agricultural research staff, degree levels in Vietnam are still among the lowest in Asia.
• The large number of agricultural research agencies under MARD—often with overlapping mandates—prompted a series of mergers in September 2005, with a second round of mergers scheduled for 2008. Agricultural R&D remains geographically centralized, preventing R&D from being closely connected with Vietnam’s rural development programs.
• The involvement of the private sector in Vietnam’s agricultural R&D is minimal.

Vietnam