oped countries, the lack of public investment in agricultural research is a significant threat if one considers the growing demand for knowledge to ensure the sustained growth of food production—something that can only be secured by innovation and increases in soil and water productivity. It should be noted that in many of these countries the availability of agricultural land per capita will tend to fall over the coming decades, making it likely that food production will not meet local demand. Not only will the balance of trade be affected; the population with the lowest income levels will have to pay more for food. Recent increases in international maize prices are indicative of this phenomenon.

           Even in the five countries in the region that can boast of relatively strong public research institutions, the decrease in government funding has significantly affected their productivity. By degrading the ratio between operational and