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Moderated conference on impact assessment of agricultural research: May 2014

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Thu, 29 May 2014 18:59:04 +0200
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This is Mario Pareja, again. In this message I would like to describe the approach we followed, and some of the methods used, to evaluate something that has not been referred to, in this excellent exchange organized by FAO, nor clearly fully defined: the institutional impacts.

 

The reasons we undertook this perspective for impact analysis were basically two: 

(1) the assumption, later proved correct, that the potential economic, social and environmental impacts of 20 years of investment in agricultural research & development & innovation (R&D&I) could be explained by the type and level of development (legal and juridical framework, funding, organization, human and social capital, etc.) of the institution being evaluated, and 

(2) that R&D&I interventions, could have, per se, institutional impacts (new or improved farmers organizations, for example) that could add -catalyze- to the other dimensions of impact. I will comment on issues and a few results that I consider very relevant and illustrate some of the reasons for National Institute for Agricultural Research (INIA) success. In my experience, studies of multidimensional impact evaluations of agricultural R&D&I must also include the institutional impact analysis

 

1. GENERAL INSTITUTIONAL SCENARIO 



(A) The first issue studied was the history of the institution: how it came about, how was its development, who worked for it, resistance factors and incentives, etc. 

(B) The first issue evaluated was the juridical framework of the Institute. The innovation, back in 1989, was that INIA was created as a public institution but under the private juridical framework. This meant that INIA had the independence from government bureaucracy to recruit and fire personnel, to run its budget with state control but without all the bureaucratic limitations associated to the procedures of state institutions. The president of the board is a government designed individual, usually from the Ministry of Agriculture, but he/she shared decisions with 4 representatives of farmers' organizations. 

(C) Funding. Tax levy volunteered by farmers as a % of all agricultural transactions, internal and external (exports) which is more than sufficient for the Institute. 

(D) Clear mandate: agricultural R&D&I and knowledge management. No extension mandate but responsible for coordinating technological transfer with other organizations. 

 

2. UPDATING: PLANNING



Issues looked at were: 

(A) Strategic planning: frequency, rigour, innovation, resource allocation, etc. 

(B) Implementation of those plans in the actual research. 

(C) Alignment with public policies so they would not collide. 

(D) Coordination with other agricultural sector institutions in priorities and complementarity. 

(E) Demand-driven versus offer-driven research and the role of farmers in their definition (in coordination with the social impact dimension studies).

 

3. HUMAN CAPITAL



(A) Development of its professionals: training through short courses, seminars, workshops, etc. and postgraduate work (for example: evolution of the proportion of M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees along the 20 year time period. 

(B) Professional evaluation policies and procedures: a dual advancement system that would provide incentives for both hard science researchers as well as good "communicators" that could interact well with other technicians as well as with farmers. Also selection and incentives for good programme and research station managers. 

(C) Retiring and retaining: a retirement policy that plans for scientist replacements before the "old" scientist is gone, complemented by partial retainers of those scientists that could continue to have contributions to INIA even after retirement. 

 

4. SOCIAL CAPITAL 



(A) Nationally. Networks with other institutes, such as universities, farmers' organizations, Ministry of Agriculture, etc. 

(B) Internationally. Thematic networks as communities of practice to improve institutional learning and develop joint programs and projects with other INIAs as well as with international organizations (IICA, FAO, FONTAGRO, PROCISUR, FLAR, etc.). Agreements and memos of understanding with reputed universities worldwide. 

(C) Outreach: how INIA projects itself, nationally and internationally through scientific and technical events.  

 

5. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT



How the institution managed funds received: priorities, allocation, efficiency of use, etc.

 

6. FIELD LEVEL INSTITUTIONAL IMPACTS



Agricultural R&D&I institutions, through their diffusion of innovations, project themselves to other intermediate (extension) organizations as well as farmers. As a result of their interventions, often times they promote farmer's organizations (for example, to improve the genetic basis of certain species, or to improve commercialization). The sustainability of these new farmers organizations is often underestimated in impact studies although they are, by themselves, a real accomplishment that will contribute to the sustainability of the technology adopted. This was the case of INIA-UY at least in two cases: (a) a group of thin wool Marino growers that improved their genetic basis for production; and (b) a group of horticultural and fruit growers that switched from high levels of use of pesticides, some to a fully organic production and others to a "green production". The latter of the groups is still functional 10 years after completion of the INIA's project.

    

 Mario R. Pareja

Ingeniero Agrónomo, M.S., Ph.D.

independent consultant 

Paraje El Colorado, Canelones,

Uruguay 

Telephone: 598-2-3654394 or 598-98372634

e-mail: parejamr (at) gmail.com



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