Peru: Agricultural R&D indicators factsheet

After years of stagnant budgets, inadequate infrastructure, a constantly shifting policy environment, and high rates of staff turnover, the National Agricultural Innovation Program (PNIA) gave an important impulse to Peru’s agricultural research system. Running from 2015 until 2021, PNIA strengthened the system through a combination of institutional reforms, staff training, and competitive research and innovation grants. Peru’s agricultural research spending doubled with the launch of PNIA. As a percentage of AgGDP, agricultural research spending rose from just 0.32 percent in 2014 to around 0.6 percent during 2015–2017. In more recent years, however, this research intensity ratio has slipped again towards 0.4 levels. It is important that the advances made during the PNIA years are not eroded in the absence of viable mechanism to sustain agricultural R&D and innovation on the long run. Most of Peru’s PhD-qualified agricultural researchers are over 60 years old, posing a significant problem for the future conduct and continuity of agricultural research. The country will need to recruit and train scientists without delay, and provide the necessary remuneration, working conditions, and incentives to maintain their commitment over time. A necessary first step is to reduce the salary gap between researchers employed at INIA and those at universities.