Download - Agricultural R&D & Poverty Huqu Zhai (President) Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences ( CAAS)
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!