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FAO unveils new data domain tracking agricultural research IdmaIstanbul2026_EN_21x29,7_+3_ilan.pdf 1 30.09.2025 10:59
and development trends

Publicly-oriented agricultural research and develop- cian José Rosero Moncayo.
ment (R&D) systems have been growing at an average
annual rate of 1.8 percent in the past two decades, reach- The data can be accessed here and here , while an ac-
ing $50.4 billion in 2023, while the number of agricultural companying analytical brief presents global, regional and
researchers has grown even faster, new data presented by country-level trends in public agricultural R&D from 2004
to 2023. Data is present for more than 120 FAO Member
the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Na- states, with more to be added later in the year.
tions (FAO).
The brief also highlights changes over time in both re-
The figures encompass a relative surge since 2009 after
sluggish expansion in the first decade of the millennium. search capacity and expenditure, as well as persistent
disparities in the scale and intensity of investment across
The findings come from a new data domain available to national agricultural research systems.
all on FAO’s FAOSTAT portal, the world’s most comprehen-
sive data base for agricultural themes. The new service Key findings
represents the development, expansion of coverage and Globally in 2023, the equivalent of 316 000 full-time ex-
frequency, and technical improvements of a service that perts were engaged in public agricultural R&D systems,
began in 1981 as a joint venture between the International up from 204 000 in 2004.
Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the former In-
ternational Service for National Agricultural Research Measured in constant 2015 purchasing power parities,
(ISNAR) to collect agricultural research data. It is now global public expenditure in this sector amounted to
brought back to FAO in an effort to institutionalize it with $50.4 billion, up from $35.9 billion in 2004.
our Member countries, thanks to a grant from the Gates Asia accounts for the largest share, home to 45 percent of
Foundation. the world’s agricultural researchers in 2023, followed by
Europe at 24 percent, Americas at 14 percent, Africa at 13
Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI),
such as those contained in FAOSTAT’s new domain, are percent and Oceania with 3 percent.
in demand to assess research performance and impact, Trends in this sector vary sharply, the highest growth C
and to set policy and investment priorities to increase rate over the period was in Central Asia reporting with
agricultural growth and productivity. Agricultural R&D is the largest decline in Southern Africa . M
associated with lowering food prices and high economic Spending on public agricultural R&D shows a broadly Y
returns, and it is increasingly central to improving the ef- similar pattern, with Asia accounting for 48 percent of the CM
ficiency of resource utilization, lowering carbon footprints global total, followed by Americas at 22 percent, Europe at
and producing more output with fewer inputs such as MY
land, labour and chemicals, and enabling key food crops 20 percent, Africa at 8 percent and Oceania at 3 percent. CY
to adapt to changing environmental conditions. The fastest growth in expenditures over the period was
in Central Asia, followed by East and South Asia; while CMY
“This new domain will strengthen evidence-based pol- Southern Europe recorded the largest decline. K
icymaking and advocacy for more effective agricultural
research systems. It addresses a longstanding gap by The ratio of agricultural researchers per 100 000 agri-
providing, for the first time, a regular, globally agreed cultural workers varies considerably around the world,
framework to monitor agricultural R&D. This represents ranging from 5 to 1 692, while countries spent on aver-
an important milestone, enabling countries to set and age around 1.3 percent of the value-added generated in
track commitments on investment and research capac- their agricultural sectors on agricultural research, with a
ity through a harmonized measure of national efforts that median of 0.6 percent. Countries with the highest values
generate benefits for all, recognizing science and tech- included Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, Republic of Ko-
nology as global public goods.” said FAO Chief Statisti- rea, and Slovenia.

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2 Vol. 42 No. 4