Agricultural Research

For more than a century, U.S. agricultural research, education, and extension activities have been major catalysts in creating a vigorous agricultural economy and a plentiful, low-cost supply of food and fiber. Although each has its own purpose--research, to discover solutions to food and agriculture problems; education, to formally teach future farmers and others in the food and agricultural sector; and extension, to disseminate the results of agricultural research and other information to the public--the functions are closely linked. The Agriculture Department (USDA) spent more than $2 billion in fiscal year 1994 to support its agricultural research, education, and extension system. This report (1) provides an overview of the system, (2) provides the views of users of agricultural research on the extent to which USDA and the land grant universities are meeting their research needs and on the effectiveness with which research results are being disseminated, and (3) assesses USDA processes for planning and establishing research priorities.

GAO found that: (1) the U.S. agricultural research, education, and extension system is diverse and decentralized and has both governmental and private components; (2) USDA is a key player in that it conducts in-house research and funds in partnership with states activities at 74 land-grant universities and other institutions; (3) the private sector also conducts and funds research, usually for proprietary purposes; (4) in fiscal year (FY) 1992, agricultural research expenditures totaled about $6.3 billion with the private sector contributing 60 percent, the federal government 25 percent, and states 15 percent; (5) in FY 1994, the federal government spent $419 million on extension activities while states and counties spent almost $1 billion; (6) most agricultural research users believe that USDA and land grant universities' research and information dissemination is effective in meeting their needs, but many also believe that the research's level of public funding and dissemination are inadequate; (7) users, USDA, and universities have formed partnerships and collaborative efforts to stretch limited research resources; (8) USDA lacks a departmentwide research agenda, adequate priority-setting and accountability processes, adequate information systems, and the ability to shift resources among priorities to plan and implement research priorities; and (9) USDA is developing actions to address these problems, but it is too soon to determine their effectiveness.