Data Updates for Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka
Data and analyses for Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka are now available on ASTI’s website. A new series of country briefs is also available, offering a detailed overview of these countries’ agricultural research systems.
Combined data for the government, higher education, and nonprofit sectors indicate that, overall, agricultural R&D spending grew in all three countries during the 2010–2016 period. The total researcher capacity also grew in Bangladesh and Nepal, but stagnated in Sri Lanka due to government-sector recruitment restrictions.
Despite these increases, all three countries were still deemed to be underinvesting in agricultural R&D based on benchmarks for countries with similar economic and agricultural characteristics, and similar potential to take advantage of technology spillovers.
See the following data pages and publications for further information:
- Bangladesh country page | Bangladesh country brief
- Nepal country page | Nepal country brief
- Sri Lanka country page | Sri Lanka country brief
Other online resources: South Asia benchmarking tool | data download tool | Agency directory
ASTI INDO-PACIFIC
The updates for Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka were released under ASTI Indo-Pacific, a partnership between IFPRI and the Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI), designed to strengthen ASTI’s data collection, analyses, and outreach in the region.
ASTI Indo-Pacific incorporates a number of other partners, including the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC), Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC), and Sri Lanka’s University of Peradeniya. These partners have adopted responsibility for coordinating their national data surveys and for promoting the use of ASTI evidence in national policy and decisionmaking processes.