Is the share of agricultural maintenance research rising in the United States?

John Adam Sparger, George Norton, Paul W. Heisey and Jeffrey Alwang

Food Policy, 2013, vol. 38, issue C, 126-135

Abstract: Public research is a major contributor to agricultural productivity growth, but if research investments are not maintained, agricultural productivity can decline over time. Maintenance research replaces deteriorated research knowledge to forestall a productivity decline. Knowledge of the magnitude of maintenance research can facilitate a more complete assessment of the value of agricultural research programs. Trends in maintenance research and sources of change in those trends are investigated. Results indicate that overall, about 40% of US agricultural research is devoted to maintenance, up from about a third 25years ago. A model is developed and estimated to explain maintenance research expenditures. Research funding, climatic conditions, insect and pathogen control, and agricultural production choices influence maintenance research expenditures. Increased reliance on out-of-state funding sources may skew agricultural research away from maintenance research, while climate change may increase the need for such research.

Keywords: Agricultural maintenance research; Expenditures; Productivity; Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:38:y:2013:i:c:p:126-135

DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2012.11.004

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