A comparative study of organisational Interventions in Agricultural

Research

Namrta Sharma(06PPM12)
Introduction

Indian agricultural research is primarily funded by the public funds through one of
the world’s largest agricultural research systems,National Agricultural Research
System(NARS) comprising of Indian Council of Agricultural Reseach (ICAR) and the
State Agricultural universities(SAUs) under the umbrella of Department of
Agricultural Research and Education(DARE), Ministry of Agriculture.

The public sector research setup had shown exemplary results triggering the green
revolution in the Country in the early 1970s.However lately, the Indian Agriculture’s
stagnant growth and low productivity is creating a bottleneck for the overall
economic growth of the Country. The public sector is facing a number of challenges
in the changed scenario. The following changes in the context for agricultural
development heighten the need to examine the emergence of new organizations in
the agricultural research and development:

1. The government is increasingly becoming resource constraint.

2. The public research institutions are governed by financial and administrative
rules of the government, perhaps because of their dependence on
government funds. Although this system of governance has its own
advantages, transaction cost of bureaucratic regulations is critical in this
approach.
3. The market forces are the becoming predominantly regulating the farmers
decisions.Thus markets and not the production is increasingly driving the
agricultural development.
4. The rise of private initiative in the various segments of agriculture to cater to
this market driven influences as well as to fill the gap of Public and non profit
organization.
5. Exponential growth in information and communications technology has
transformed the ability to take advantage of knowledge developed in other
places or for other purposes.This has led to a change in the knowledge
structures.

This study does not challenge the importance of public organizations and investing
in building their capacity. Rather, it focuses on the additional insights and types of
interventions that can be derived from an oragnisational perspective and that can
influence the generation and use of science and technology for economic
development.

For instance, there are the areas of the research relating to commercialization of
technologies in certain sector which may attract the private oraganisations in such
areas. Private sector with their functional flexibility and customer orientation can
lead to more efficient institutions with reduced transaction costs, greater proximity
to the users and research focus is on development of usable technologies. However
the appropriation of research benefits largely govern the strategic response of
private organisations to changing market forces and the secrecy of technology.
On the other hand we have to look at the entry of not for profit organizations in
agricultural R & D ,which may be attributed to a perceived gap in the requirements
and the delivery of the publicly funded agricultural research system. Also a need
has been felt for programme coordination outside the agricultural research system
to avoid capture by research driven interests.

While the role of public sector can never be underestimated in the Indian
Agricultural R&D ,an analysis of the existing alternate organisations in agricultural
research can help in understanding the evolving practices for Institutional
learning ,for creating an effective public–private interface use of scarce resources
to enhance the productivity for increased economic growth .

Can new organizations or reorganization of present establishments ,as the

sources of agricultural innovation yield practical approaches to
agricultural development that may be more suited to this changing
context? That is the central question explored here.

Objectives

1.To study the various organizational models of participation in agriculture R&D

2.To analyse and compare the models

3. To recommend the best model for the Indian Context

4.To suggest the suitable policy intervention

Methodology

The following key tasks are to be undertaken to assess the various organizational
interventions and develop an operational framework:

1.Screening of the secondary data

2.Formulate the main 3-4 types of existing organizational interventions through the
study of existing literature

3.. Developing one case study in each type of organisation through interaction with
the company executives and the public sector officials

4. Analysis and Comparison

5. Using the results of the analysis, developing an intervention framework for

assessing the various organizations and for identifying potential policy
interventions

Expected Outcomes
1.Understanding the context for the emergence of organizations other than the
public sector in the agricultural research.

2. Assessing the role of such organizations in creating better outcomes for the
agricultural development.The Competitive research funds can be used to to free the
resources form certain sectors which can be used for other areas .

3. Institutional learnings for appropriate policy intervention(s) required to promote

effective R& D initiatives in the agriculture sector both through public and other
(private /non profit) sector where it can be sustainable for both owners and the
users.

Relevance for Policy

The value of participation of the organizations other than the public sector for
efficient outcomes in agriculture is now well recognized. But there is also a need for
a suitable public sector regulatory framework to ensure equitable distribution of
benefits from efficiency-related improvements. The government’s functions for
creating a more competitive environmental monitoring, auditing and regulation and
establishing the desired policy framework within which the all the sectors both profit
and non profit can function is desirable. This may require policy and organsational
changes that provide incentives (for example, taxes, subsidies, rights, ownership or
tenure of use) that incorporate principles of equity and provide a workable basis for
research.
The question of economic incentives and financial sustainability of investments is
particularly important for future expansion and intensification of existing alternate
initiatives which will help free resoucers for more efficient uses. Policy and
institutional adjustments will also be required for improved interaction between
the many sectors in agricultural research related to:

• Institutional change – new ways of working -- are needed that can support
stronger patterns of interaction between research and development
organisations

• Facilitating institutional learning could add significant value to capacity

development initiatives.

• Programme coordination outside the agricultural research system to avoid

capture by research driven interests.

VI. References

(1) ICAR-lndustry Interface in Agricultural Research: Mruthyunjaya Indian Council of

Agricultural Research, New Delhi-1 Suresh Pal National Centre for Agricultural
Economics and Policy Research, New Delhi-12

2. Agricultural Research and Development: The Need for Public-Private Sector

Partnerships :Issues in Agriculture 9 -CLIVE JAMES
3. India: The Funding and Organization of Agricultural R&D—Evolution and
Emerging Policy Issues
Suresh Pal and Derek Byerlee