At a symposium June 18-19 in Sacramento, agriculture professionals and policy-makers will get a first look at new research that shows the rate of growth of public funding for agricultural research and extension has declined and the rate of growth in agricultural productivity is also slowing.
A soon-to-be-released study by agricultural economists Julian Alston of UC Davis, Philip Pardey of the University of Minnesota and Jennifer James of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, shows that from 1949 to 2002, in inflation-adjusted terms, total U.S. public spending on agricultural research grew by 1.85 percent per year, but from 1991 to 2002, spending growth slowed to only 0.43 percent per year. Research and development spending in California's state agricultural experiment station also slowed dramatically in the 1990s.
These investment trends are mirrored in productivity trends. From 1949 to 2002, California agricultural productivity grew by 1.85 percent per year, but from 1991 to 2002, agricultural productivity grew by only 1.08 percent per year.
"This measured slowdown in productivity growth is economically very important," Alston said. "Applied to an industry with an economic value of about $34 billion per year, the difference between one percent and two percent growth in productivity compounding over time represents billions of dollars per year even after only a decade or two."
Cal Poly SLO's James will present results from the joint research and its implications at the Symposium on Agricultural Research and Extension, sponsored by the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the California Commodity Committee. Symposium organizers hope to raise awareness of the importance of agricultural research and extension in California. Presentations will prepare participants to assist in developing strategies for promoting and funding commodity research and extension work.
"The historical commitment of the United States to agricultural research and development has helped farmers provide Americans with a dependable, wholesome and reasonably priced food supply for many decades," Alston said. "A renewed commitment of public support for agricultural R&D could restore farm productivity growth and avert a continuing decline in California's international competitiveness."
Particularly through its productivity effects, agricultural research offers practical long-term solutions to address resource scarcity concerns, to provide relief from high and rising food prices, and to ameliorate the consequences of climate change and other adverse environmental factors, he said.
The issues are long term. "Successful agricultural research often takes years to affect productivity, but then the positive effect on productivity can persist for decades," Alston said. "Conversely, it may take 10 to 20 years before the negative effects of scaling back research spending become apparent."
The conference agenda includes the following presentations:
June 18
The Land Grant, Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Mandates
Gale Buchanan, USDA under secretary for research, education and economics
Agricultural productivity patterns and the payoffs to public from agricultural R&D
Jennifer James, associate professor of agribusiness, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
The legacy of the past century's investment (scientific development, agricultural advancements, global leadership, others). Case studies and review of the contribution these have made to society and our economy
Dan Sumner, director of the UC Agricultural Issues Center
Benefits to society at large
Timothy Paine, UC Riverside
Trends in public investment -- where does funding come from, where does it go; startup costs; how has it changed over time -- trends in FTEs; different kinds of extra-mural grants
Rick Standiford, associate vice president of UC ANR
Donald Cooksey, interim dean of the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, UC Riverside
June 19
Commodity research and the experiment station mission
Neal Van Alfen, dean of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, UC Davis
Financial considerations that constrain research -- overhead and other issues
Charles Louis, vice chancellor, UC Riverside
Importance of state, federal and voluntary commodity programs
George Gomes, undersecretary, California Department of Food and Agriculture
Council on Agricultural Research Extension and Teaching
Karen Ross, California Association of Winegrape Growers
What can be learned from other states or countries in terms of relationships and initiatives?
Panel
Cotton research and extension models in Australia
Daniel Munk, cotton production systems farm advisor, UC Cooperative Extension Fresno County
Citrus research and extension in Florida, Arizona and California -- a comparative analysis
Ted Batkin, executive director of Citrus Research Board
The combined viticulture and enology research grants program and the National Grape and Wine Initiative
Deborah Golino, Cooperative Extension specialist, UC Davis
The role of the CSU colleges of agriculture in commodity research in California
David Wehner, dean of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Response and opportunities for future collaborations. What are the next steps? What would be the components of an action plan?
Dan Dooley, vice president, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources
The symposium will be held at Marriot Courtyard Sacramento Cal Expo, 1782 Tribute Road in Sacramento.
Registration fee is $50, after June 3 it will be $75. To register go to http://forestry.berkeley.edu/ccc. For more information or to register by mail contact Sherry Cooper at (530) 224-4902 or slcooper@nature.berkeley.edu.
For lodging information, see http://forestry.berkeley.edu/ccc/lodging.php.
A proceedings documenting the presentations will be created after the symposium.