Authors:
Sandra Perez, Omar Alfaro, and Kathleen Flaherty
Year:
2015
Publisher
International Food Policy Research Institute and Agricultural Research Institute of Panama.
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Agricultural R&D in Panama is primarily funded by the government. In 2012, for example, the country’s main agricultural R&D agency, IDIAP, was 94 percent government funded.
Investment in agricultural R&D in Panama increased somewhat during 2006–2012, despite some fluctuations, but growth in spending as a share of AgGDP actually reflected a decline in AgGDP levels.
The number of agricultural researchers in Panama decreased slighltly during 2006–2012, and as of 2012 more than half of all researchers were only qualified to the BSc-degree level. The number of PhD-qualified researchers changed little over time and remained low (10 FTEs as of 2012). MSc and PhD training for junior researchers will be an important priority in building the institute’s research capacity to meet emerging national challenges.