Chapter Five: Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research
As part of Australia's aid program, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) assists Australian researchers, institutions and international research centres develop solutions to agricultural problems in developing countries. The mission of ACIAR is to achieve more productive and sustainable agricultural systems, for the benefit of developing countries and Australia, through international agricultural research partnerships. ACIAR contracts research institutions in Australia to collaborate with counterparts in developing countries to deliver projects and training on mutually agreed priorities.
Funding for ACIAR in 2002-03 is $46.3 million. This will support more than 180 bilateral research projects across the Asia-Pacific region, with a primary focus in South-East Asia. Under its multilateral program, ACIAR will support international agricultural research centres through grants that link them to Australia's agricultural research organisations. Approximately three-quarters of ACIAR's research and development budget is spent on bilateral programs and one quarter on the multilateral program. In 2002-03, ACIAR's impact assessment activities will continue to provide a systematic basis for establishing research priorities and determining the impact of research activities both in partner countries and in Australia.
Bilateral programs
ACIAR manages bilateral projects focusing on agricultural systems economics and management, agricultural development policy, crop sciences, animal sciences, post-harvest technologies, land and water resources, forestry and fisheries. The centre works with partner governments to identify agricultural and natural resource problems, and develop research and development projects addressing these priorities. Collaboration with partners to apply the results of research through extension and technology transfer is a critical part of ACIAR's efforts to build expertise in developing countries. Estimated expenditure on bilateral programs in 2002-03 is $27.8 million.
Diagram 13:
Estimated bilateral research expenditure
by region in 2002-03
The geographical focus of ACIAR's program reflects the objective of Australia's aid program and ACIAR's niche within it. It takes into account Australia's national interests, the relative needs of developing countries, the varying agricultural research capacities of those countries, and the particular fields in which Australia can offer world class agricultural research expertise.
The major bilateral partners of ACIAR are China, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, PNG, the Philippines and Thailand. ACIAR will further strengthen support for PNG and the Pacific Islands through an expanded portfolio of projects during 2002-03. ACIAR is collaborating with AusAID on agricultural research and development projects in PNG and Cambodia.
Examples of bilateral projects that will be supported by ACIAR in 2002-03 include:
- adaptation of low-chill temperate fruits to Thailand, Laos and Vietnam
- international food safety regulations and processed food exports from developing countries - investigating trade liberalisation benefits
- maximising economic benefits to Pacific Island nations through management of migratory tuna stocks
- development of an integrated production system for Bali cattle in the eastern islands of Indonesia.
Multilateral programs
Through its multilateral program ACIAR leverages Australian development assistance by supporting international agricultural research that aims to enhance rural livelihoods, develop sustainable agriculture and improve natural resource management. Funds are provided to international agricultural research centres for their core programs. Grants are also provided for particular projects that complement bilateral research and development activities. The focus of ACIAR's multilateral program remains on work that is relevant to Australia's geopolitical interests, the objectives of Australia's aid program and the benefits to Australia that are derived from the work of international agricultural research centres. Estimated expenditure on the multilateral program in 2002-03 is $10 million.
Examples of projects that will be funded under the multilateral program in 2002-03 include:
- poverty alleviation and food security through improving the sweet potato-pig systems in Indonesia and Vietnam
- growing more rice with less water: increasing water productivity in rice-based cropping systems
- developing strategies to reduce the level of fungal infection on peanut varieties and thus lower risks to humans from fungal toxins.
Training programs
ACIAR funds training and development activities to assist the progress and implementation of its research. Estimated total expenditure for this program in 2002-03 is $2.2 million. Expenditure is allocated primarily to a small program of about 40 postgraduate fellowships, linked to ACIAR research projects. This scholarships program provides support to a small number of developing country scientists involved in ACIAR projects for postgraduate study at Australian universities. In addition to the scholarships program, training delivered by Australian agricultural and scientific experts is integrated into most research projects.
Formal cross-program training includes a range of short courses on topics such as technical writing in English, research proposal preparation, management of research and extension programs, experimental design and statistical evaluation, research and development priority setting, and biotechnology and intellectual property management. Some of these activities are financed by the Crawford Fund, which will receive $0.65 million of government funding in 2002-03.
