Research Organizations of the World: Asia-Pacific, Central–South America, and Africa–Middle East

Abstract

This article describes the activities of some of the major research institutes active in grain science in regions other than North America and Europe. These countries vary significantly in their state of development and correspondingly in the development of their grains research capacity and in the level of involvement of the private sector in research. Some countries, such as Australia, have had a strong emphasis on grains research for many years, while over the last decade, China, India, and Brazil have emerged to have globally leading roles. The national agricultural research systems (NARS) of the latter three countries are now among the largest institutions internationally. On the other hand, capacity for grains research (and agricultural research in general) has fallen in several African and some Latin American and former Soviet countries. The grains research of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) international agricultural research centers and their crosscutting programs are also reviewed. While attempts are made to review organizations that carry out grains research worldwide, there is a deliberate bias toward provision of more detailed information on institutions in English-speaking countries. Further, comprehensive information on the NARS of developing countries is available at the ASTI website (www.asti.cgiar.org).