Authors:
Kathleen Flaherty, Rosana do Carmo Nascimento Guiducci, Danielle Alencar Parente Torres, Graciela Luzia Vedovoto, Antônio Flávio Dias Ávila, and Sandra Perez
Year:
2016
Publisher
International Food Policy Research Institute and Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation.
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Brazil’s agricultural research system is by far the region’s largest, in terms of both research capacity and spending. Almost half of all agricultural researchers are employed by the main federal government agency, Embrapa, and a further quarter are employed by the state agricultural research organizations (OEPAS).
During 2006–2013, agricultural R&D spending rose by 46 percent due to growth at Embrapa and in the higher education sector, particularly among federal universities. At 1.82 percent, spending as a share of AgGDP is the highest in Latin America.
Brazil employs the largest number of PhD-qualified agricultural researchers in the region, and its share of researchers with PhD degrees, at 73 percent, is the highest by far.