1. Previous ASTI Activities in Central America
• 1997/1998 survey round in 4 countries
• 2007/2008 survey round in all 7 countries
- Close collaboration with IICA and national partners
- Data up to 2006
• Outputs:
- ASTI-IICA Regional Report (2008)
- ASTI-IICA Summary Brief (2008)
- Country profiles, datasets on ASTI
website
2. Previous ASTI Activities in Caribbean
• 1997/1999 survey round in 28 Caribbean countries
- Close collaboration with CARDI and national partners
- Data up to 1996
- ISNAR Research Report (2001)
• 2007/2008 survey round in Domini-
can Republic
- Close collaboration with IDIAF
- Datasets, country profile on ASTI website
4. Agricultural R&D Capacity, 2006
903 FTE researchers
Spread over 63 public
agencies
Institutional diversity
across countries
Country FTEs
Belize 17
Costa Rica 283
El Salvador 77
Guatemala 102
Honduras 124
Nicaragua 133
Panama 167
0 20 40 60 80 100
Belize
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Nicaragua
Panama
percentage
government NGOs highereducation
5. Degree Qualifications of Researchers, 2006
Central American
agricultural researchers
among the least highly
qualified around the globe
Many countries lack
critical mass of PhD-
qualified scientists
0 20 40 60 80 100
Higher education (23)
NGOs (20)
Government (11)
El Salvador (4)
Guatemala (6)
Panama (5)
Honduras (11)
Costa Rica (13)
Nicaragua (8)
Belize (7)
BSc/Licenciado MSc PhD
6. Total Agricultural R&D Spending, 1996 and 2006
0 10 20 30 40
Belize
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Nicaragua
Panama
in million 2005 PPP dollars
2006
1996
In 2006, regional public
agricultural R&D spending
totaled $105 million (in 2005
PPP prices).
Costa Rica ($35 million) and
Nicaragua ($31 million) each
accounted for roughly one-
third of this total
Total spending nearly halved
in Guatemala and El Salvador
during 1996-2006
Marked increase in Costa
Rica and Belize
7. Agricultural R&D Intensity Ratios, 2006
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5
High-income countries
Middle-income countries
Low-income countries
LAC
Central America (7)
Panama
Nicaragua
Honduras
Guatemala
El Salvador
Costa Rica
Belize
percentage
--------2008------------------------2006----------------
Agricultural R&D spending as a % of AgGDP
8. 0 20 40 60 80 100
Honduras (4)
Belize (6)
Nicaragua(2)
Costa Rica (9)
Guatemala(3)
El Salvador (2)
Panama (3)
percentage
Government Donors
Producers/MarketingBoards Public/Private enterprises
Own income Other
37 percent of R&D was
financed by governments, 27
percent by donors, and 25
percent through internally
generated resources
El Salvador and Panama rely
almost exclusively on
government support.
Public agricultural R&D in
Nicaragua is extremely donor-
dependent.
Research in Costa Rica and
Honduras shows a relatively
higher reliance on internally
generated resources, which
can be explained by the
relatively large NGO/producer
organization sector in these
countries.
Agricultural R&D Funding Sources, 2006