A UN report released September 18 calls for more public spending on agriculture research and technology.
The report, released by the UN’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network, says that this ag research investment must be paired with training of agricultural professionals in developing countries.
The private sector has been investing in agriculture research in recent years. But Achim Dobermann, deputy director-general of research at the International Rice Research Institute, said the private sector doesn’t generally cover essential areas such as environmental impact.
"All of these are 'bread and butter' areas, but, as they are not attractive to private sector, public funding must take the lead," Dobermann told SciDev.Net’s Jan Piotrowski.