INVESTMENT IN AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND IMPACT ON FOOD AND NUTRITIONAL SECURITY IN NIGERIA. Paper Presented at the 2014 National Agricultural Show Seminar, By Prof. B. Y. Abubakar, OFR Executive Secretary, ARCN.

INTRODUCTION: 

 

Sustainable agricultural growth requires greater emphasis on productivity growth in view of declining cultivable areas:

Application of innovative techniques for agricultural production is a fundamental and crucial step in improving livelihoods in most societies. There is generally a strong correlation between increased agricultural research investment and agricultural productivity.  Our priority - Ensure that research makes the greatest possible contribution to raising human welfare using the limited available resources while attracting more investments.

This presentation examines investments in agricultural research and its impact on food security in Nigeria. 

                     WHY INVEST IN AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH?

Poor funding of research leads to inability to deliver improved agricultural technologies, achieve increased productivity and other related benefits. There is a high rate of return to society on investments in agricultural research. For example, for every US dollar spent on agricultural research in 2010 in Brazil, US$9.35 accrued to the society.

             SOURCES OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH FUNDING IN NIGERIA

Primary source of funding is the Federal Government as Private sector investments are negligible , Capital Budget releases are usually incomplete (about 50% of approved ) and often out of tune with research work plans . 

                    AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SPENDING TREND IN NIGERIA

Investment in agricultural research doubled between 2000 & 2008 owing to high personnel cost and increased capital allocation. However, allocations demonstrated a high level of fluctuation and instability (Figure 1) 

Figure 1: Nominal Capital budgetary allocation to NARIs (2000-2014)

Note: 2009 figure includes ₦1B released under CARGS, while 2012, 2013 and 2014 includes R&D allocations of ₦2.25B, ₦2.71B and 0.70B, under the ATA in Ministry’s.

         AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SPENDING TREND IN NIGERIA                                     

Figure 2: Distribution of 2014 budgetary allocations to agricultural research in Nigeria 

Source: Abubakar (2014)

      AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SPENDING TREND IN NIGERIA

The national expenditure in major imports by far outweighs agricultural research investments in Nigeria. For example, 1 week rice import = 2010 Capital allocation to NARIs (₦6.9 Billion)

Figure 3: Comparison between Research and Infrastructural allocations by NARIs (2005-2009)

Source: Malomo (2013)

                

PERFORMANCE OF NIGERIA IN FOOD SECURITY

Nigeria has made significant progress in food security status (Figures 4-6) and that explains why the country achieved MDG 1 about 2 years ahead of the target date.

                                        Figure 4: Trend of Global Hunger Index for Nigeria

   

                 PERFORMANCE OF NIGERIA IN FOOD SECURITY

Figure 5: Prevalence of food inadequacy in Nigeria (1990 – 2012) 

 Prevalence of food inadequacy reduced by about 67% between 1990 and 2010 

                 PERFORMANCE OF NIGERIA IN FOOD SECURITY

Figure 6: Number of undernourished people in Nigeria

Table 1: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INVESTMENT IN AGRICULTURAL 

RESEARCH AND FOOD SECURITY INDICATORS IN NIGERIA.

Class of food security indicator	Food security indicator	Correlation
Food availability	Average dietary energy supply adequacy	HP
	Share of dietary energy supply derived from cereals and roots	HP
	Average supply of protein (gr/cap/day)	HP
	Average supply of protein of animal origin	HP
	Average value of food production	LP
Food accessibility	Depth of food deficit	HN
	Prevalence of food inadequacy	HN
	Prevalence of undernourishment	HN
Food stability	Domestic food price volatility index	HN
	Cereal import dependency ratio	LN
	Per capita food supply variability	MN

Note: HP = High +; LP = Low +; MP = Medium +;

Improved investment in agricultural research will lead to better availability and access to food as well as reducing vulnerability to food insecurity in Nigeria.  

AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH TECHNOLOGIES AND IMPACT ON FOOD SECURITY.

A study commissioned by ARCN showed that over 170 agricultural technologies were developed by the NARIs from 1997 – 2008 (ARCN, 2010).

Over 50 technologies have been developed by NARIs, universities and other stakeholders under CARGS in the course of implementation of the scheme.  In 2008 – 2009, ARCN also commissioned a series of impact assessment studies of technologies developed by the NARIs to measure benefits to end-users. The studies revealed that agricultural technologies in Nigeria had positive social and economic impacts on adopters and other end-users.

Annual mean monetary gain to society ranged from low for early bearing cocoa variety to high for six rice varieties studied (Table 2).

Adopters of many of the technologies were found to be more food secured than non-adopters. Both expenditure and income-base poverty gap indices indicated worsening poverty towards non-adopters. Other social gains abound.

NARI	Commodity	Technology	Year of Release	Monetary gain to society
CRIN	Cocoa	Early bearing variety (precocity)	2004	Low
NRCRI*	Cassava	TMS 30572 NR 8082	1990 1998	Moderate
NCRI**	Rice	FARO 44, 46 & 52 FARO 48 & 51 FARO 55	1992 2001 2003	High
IAR***	Maize	SAMAZ-11	2000	Moderate
LCRI	Millet	LCIC-MV-1	2000	Moderate
NAPRI	Chicken	ShikaBrown Layer	2000	High

Note: *Developed by IITA, Ibadan and NRCRI, Umudike; **Developed by IITA, IRRI, AfricaRice and adapted by NCRI; ***Developed by IAR, Zaria and IITA, Ibadan

Source:  Phillips et al. (2009, 2010) 

                                  WAY FORWARD

*Massive and sustained public and private investments in R&D are required in order for agriculture to benefit from developed technologies.

*Need to target technologies that enhance improving efficiency of farmers’ use of agricultural inputs.

*Need to separate research funds from capital budget to ensure timely releases and increased research outputs.

*Need for greater focus on adding value to outputs from primary production through processing.

*Improve research-extension linkages towards enhancing the social benefits derivable from agricultural research investments. 

                                                    CONCLUSION

*Improving agricultural research investment would result in better food security status in Nigeria.

*Owing to the time lag between investment and research output, there is need for sustainable improved resources mobilization for agricultural research operations in Nigeria.

*Hence, the justification to reform and restructure the research system to be more responsive to the needs of end-users.