The Political Economy of Funding Agricultural R&D in Papua New Guinea: A Case Study

Adequate and reliable funding of agricultural R&D is critical for sustaining research activities. A breakdown in funding arrangements can be detrimental to the long-term existence of R&D organisation/systems. This paper first, reviews the trends in funding arrangements for agricultural R&D in Papua New Guinea (PNG) in recent years. Second, the paper explores the extent to which political influence affects funding arrangements for agricultural R&D in PNG in terms of a case study. Third, with insights from the case study, which are alleged to reflect the general nature of the way agricultural R&D has been funded in PNG, implications are assessed and suggestions are made about the need to diversify funding sources away from avenues that are dependent directly on political influence. The paper concludes with a brief summary.