Agricultural R&D & PovertyAgricultural R&D & Poverty

Huqu Zhai (President)

Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences

( CAAS)

Background(1)Background(1)

Since reform and opening-up ,Chinese government has taken

large scale actions to solve subsistence of the poor, invested

actively in public goods, like agricultural research, education,

road, communication and irrigation.

As a result, the population below poverty line in rural China

has declined remarkably from 250 million in 1978 to 20

millions now, and the incidence of rural poverty has declined

from 31% to 2.5% . China is one of the most successful

countries in reducing poverty in the world.

Background(2)Background(2)

Technology is the first productivity. During the past decades,

agricultural R&D has played an important role in China’s

agriculture growth, productivity improvement, which in turn

increasing the farmers’ income, reducing poverty, realizing

food security and society stabilization.

OutlineOutline

Ⅰ. Agricultural R&D is one source of agriculture growth

Ⅱ. The role of agricultural R&D in reducing poverty

Ⅲ. Challenge to agricultural R&D in China’s poverty alleviation

Ⅳ. Key actions for future poverty alleviation through agricultural R&D

ⅠⅠ. Agricultural R&D is one sour. Agricultural R&D is one source of agriculture growth ce of agriculture growth （（ 11 ））

Like many other developing countries, China’s

agricultural R&D contributes significantly to

agricultural growth. Since 1978, the annual average

growth rate of agricultural GDP is more than 4%, of

which, the share of productivity growth’s contribution

is about 71%.

ⅠⅠ. Agricultural R&D is one . Agricultural R&D is one source of agriculture source of agriculture growth(2)growth(2)

With the improving of China’s market mechanism,

the effects of institutional innovation to agriculture

growth is limited; arable land and agricultural labor

are fewer and fewer, thus, agriculture growth will

further depend on the development of agricultural

technology.

ⅡⅡ. The role of Agricultural . The role of Agricultural R&D in reducing R&D in reducing poverty(1)poverty(1)

Return to agricultural R&D investment is high

Some studies indicate that the average return rate of

agricultural R&D investment in developing countries is

40%-60%, in China it is 50%.

The channels of agricultural R&D on poverty alleviatio

n

First, agricultural R&D improves agricultural productivity, a

nd thus, agricultural R&D can directly increase farmers’ inco

me and help to create more employment opportunities in bo

th rural and urban areas for the poor.

ⅡⅡ. The role of Agricultural R&D i. The role of Agricultural R&D in reducing poverty(2)n reducing poverty(2)

ⅡⅡ. The role of Agricultural R&D in . The role of Agricultural R&D in alleviating poverty(2)alleviating poverty(2)

Second, agricultural R&D increase agricultural production

and lower the food price ,allowing the absolute poor people

to buy more food at lower price and live better .

The success of excellent researches benefit people across

the world

Nowadays the development of China’s agricultural

technology are closer to or reach the world frontier, many

excellent research results are shared worldwide.

ⅡⅡ. The role of Agricultural R&D in a. The role of Agricultural R&D in alleviating poverty(3)lleviating poverty(3)

ⅡⅡ. The role of Agricultural . The role of Agricultural R&D in alleviating R&D in alleviating poverty(3)poverty(3)

In some fields, such as new varieties selection and breeding of supper rice, high quality and high oil soybean , “Two-Low” rape and Transgenic Cotton, Animal Disease Control technology and bacteria research and development, Animal and plant nutrition metabolism, biology reactor, China’s research level is the first-class in the world and contribute a lot to the China and world’s agricultural research and people. The success of these research program produces not only economic benefits but more social benefits .

ⅡⅡ. The role of Agricultural . The role of Agricultural R&D in reducing poverty (3)R&D in reducing poverty (3)

For example, hybrid rice technology invented by Long

ping Yuan has been adopted by more than 30 countrie

s and regions , planting area are about 1.5 million hect

ares, the increased crop production provide enough fo

od for 70 million People .

Agricultural R&D investment has significant effect in

alleviating poverty.

In China, the effect of agricultural R&D in alleviating

poverty is most remarkable among all the kinds of public

investment and particularly significant in less-developed

poorly-endowed.

ⅡⅡ. The role of Agricultural R&D i. The role of Agricultural R&D in reducing poverty(4)n reducing poverty(4)

ⅡⅡ. The role of . The role of Agricultural R&D in Agricultural R&D in alleviating poverty(4)alleviating poverty(4)

One additional unit of input in agricultural R&D can

increase near 10 units of agricultural output; every10

thousand Yuan of investment in agricultural R&D can

save 7 people out of poverty, while the same amount of

money can save more than 30 people out of poverty in

western area, the poorest area in China.

ⅢⅢ.Challenge to .Challenge to agricultural R&D in agricultural R&D in China’s poverty China’s poverty alleviation(1)alleviation(1)

First, there are some problems in China’s agricultural research

system, such as repeated research among institutes, weak linkage

between research and production .To some degree, these

problems restrain the research progress and efficiency.

ⅢⅢ.Challenge to agricultural .Challenge to agricultural R&D in China’s poverty R&D in China’s poverty alleviation(2)alleviation(2)

Second, the adoption rate of is as low as about 42% in

China, more than half of the research outcomes are not

used in production.

ⅢⅢ.Challenge to .Challenge to agricultural R&D in agricultural R&D in China’s poverty China’s poverty alleviation(3)alleviation(3)

Third, the amount of investment in China’s agricultural R&D

is less, for example, the governmental investment intensity of

China’s agricultural R&D in 2005 is only 0.53%. Generally

speaking, only one country’s investment intensity of

agricultural R&D reaches about 2%, it can provide

sustainable support for persistent and stable agriculture

growth.

ⅢⅢ.Challenge to .Challenge to agricultural R&D in agricultural R&D in China’s poverty China’s poverty alleviation(4)alleviation(4)

With the development of China’s economy, comparative

advantages of agriculture are declining, consequently,

agricultural resource, including land, water, energy and other

resources, are transferred to non-agricultural industries, which

dramatically restrains the agriculture development. Only

technology innovation can break out of the resource restraint

and promote agricultural development.

ⅣⅣ.The key of alleviating .The key of alleviating poverty through poverty through agricultural R&D (1)agricultural R&D (1)

First, building up a long-term mechanism of alleviating

poverty through agricultural technology. The government

must take some measures to enhance the linkages of research,

extension and adoption, increase agricultural R&D

investment, support the pro-poverty program of agricultural

research and extension .

Second, agricultural scientists should closely combine

research projects with poverty-stricken areas’ agricultural

production so that the research program can help the farmers

solve their problems in production and promote them out of

poverty.

ⅣⅣ.The key of alleviating .The key of alleviating poverty through poverty through agricultural R&D (2)agricultural R&D (2)

ⅣⅣ.The key of alleviating .The key of alleviating poverty through poverty through agricultural R&D (2)agricultural R&D (2)

Of the 592 national designated poorest counties in China,

80% are located in west-south Karst district, Qingzang P

lateau , Loess Plateau, drought or half drought area in Inne

r Mongolia grassland, mountainous and upland areas in ce

ntral China, salty and alkali land areas. 60% centralize in

western China, where ecology environments are very fragi

le, land degradation severe, lack of vegetation.

ⅣⅣ.The key of alleviating .The key of alleviating poverty through poverty through agricultural R&D (2)agricultural R&D (2)

Agricultural researchers should enter poverty-

stricken areas, develop new appropriate

agricultural technology, such as water saving

agriculture, drought resistant agriculture, and

develop special agricultural products, to help the

farmers out of poverty.

Third, the government should enhance to train farmers to help

them master new agricultural technology and improve their

capabilities. The science and technology departments of

government should impel the advanced and appropriate

research results to extend to poverty-stricken areas and

promote the development of these areas.

ⅣⅣ.The key of alleviating .The key of alleviating poverty through poverty through agricultural R&D (3)agricultural R&D (3)

ⅣⅣ.The key of alleviating .The key of alleviating poverty through poverty through agricultural R&D (4)agricultural R&D (4)

Anti-poverty practicers and agricultural researchers sh

ould work hard together to push the progress of povert

y alleviation so that the poverty-stricken areas can dev

elop rapidly and the poor people can live better.

Let’s Take Action for the World’s Poor and Hungry People!

Thank You!Thank You!