The United States is at risk of losing its edge in agricultural innovation to China without an uptick in research and development investments, a new report finds.
The U.S. share of global public agricultural R&D spending has fallen from more than 20% in 1960 to 11.5% in 2011, the analysis from the Food Security Leadership Council says.
“China’s spending is double that of the United States,” the report reads. U.S. patent filings are falling as China’s grow every year, the researchers add. China is also producing more peer-reviewed scientific papers in the ag space.
“Innovation can position the United States to help feed the world as the population grows by another 1.5 billion over the next 25 years,” the report reads.
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The researchers argue the U.S. should pursue a new national strategy to spur R&D, with a goal to reach productivity growth of 2% by 2040. In addition to boosting exports, such an approach would help keep food costs in check, protect against biological threats and drive growth in rural America.
During a Farm Foundation Forum on Tuesday, Keith Fuglie, chief economist of the council, added that U.S. agricultural R&D funding fell by one-third between 2002 and 2021, whereas China now “far exceeds” U.S. investment.
Globally, middle-income countries such as China, Brazil, and India now outspend high-income nations on public agricultural R&D, Fuglie said.
