Authors:
Kathleen Flaherty, Nienke Beintema, and Neo Sharon Bodilenyane
Year:
2018
Publisher
International Food Policy Research Institute and Department of Research
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BACKGROUND AND KEY TRENDS
Authors:
Nienke Beintema, Neo Sharon Bodilenyane, and Sandra Perez
Year:
2016
Publisher
International Food Policy Research Institute and Department of Agricultural Research
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Declining spending levels
Botswana’s ongoing economic depression and spiraling inflation have had a severe, adverse impact on the country’s agricultural research spending since 2006. Expenditure levels dropped by 30 percent during 2006–2014, although they rebounded slightly in 2013–2014. The total number of researchers has risen over time, intially due to growth in the number of BSc-qualified researchers but more recently due to the recruitment of researchers qualified to the MSc- and PhD-degree level.
Lack of funding diversity
Authors:
Kathleen Flaherty and Charles Mazereku
Year:
2014
Publisher
International Food Policy Research Institute and Department of Agricultural Research.
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Overall, the number of researchers holding PhD degrees doubled in Botswana during 2000–2011, and the number of researchers qualified to the BSc-degree level tripled.
Agricultural R&D in Botswana is almost entirely funded by the government. Spending on operating and program costs increased significantly during 2005–2007, but contracted again from 2008, when government funding to many public-sector agencies was cut due to spiraling inflation.