Authors:
Léa Vicky Magne Domgho, Antonio Fortes, and Kathleen Flaherty
Year:
2017
Publisher
International Food Policy Research Institute and National Agricultural Research and Development Institute
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Declining spending
Agricultural research spending in Cabo Verde declined between 2012 and 2014 due to government budget cuts and the completion of a large research project cofinanced by the European Union. Although the country’s agricultural research spending as a share of AgGDP (at 0.95 percent in 2014) is well above the African average, considerable investment is needed for capacity building and laboratory equipment.
Limited capacity
Until 2012, INIDA was the only agency in Cabo Verde conducting agricultural research. As of 2014, the institute still accounted for 94 percent of the country’s total agricultural researchers (in FTEs). Nevertheless, INIDA only employs 21 FTE researchers of which only 2 are PhD-qualified. Hence, the institute lacks a critical mass of qualified agricultural researchers to effectively carry out its research mandate. Funding constraints impede the recruitment of new scientists. In addition, and of most concern, the institute’s pool of researchers are mostly in their 50s and 60s.
New education agency
Through a transfer of the Agricultural Formation Center from INIDA, the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences was established at the University of Cabo Verde at the end of 2011. As of 2014, however, the college employed less than 2 agricultural researchers (in FTEs). Nevertheless, a strong collaborative relationship has been established between INIDA and the College, both in terms of research and training. PhD-qualified faculty at the College focus on rural sociology and development.
Research funding
Donor funding to INIDA increased significantly in 2012 with the launch of the banana crop recovery project on Santiago island, cofinanced by the European Union. The two-year, 600,000 euro project funded research on new banana and pineapple varieties. Generally, donor funding is allocated to operating and program costs, and to capital investments. Salary-related expenses are supported by the government and hence are not affected by fluctuations in donor funding.