Comments on: Gates Foundation on agriculture funding: where are the facts? http://blog.givewell.org/2009/10/29/gates-foundation-on-agriculture-funding-where-are-the-facts/ Exploring how to get real change for your dollar. Thu, 17 May 2012 07:16:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.7 by: Holden http://blog.givewell.org/2009/10/29/gates-foundation-on-agriculture-funding-where-are-the-facts/#comment-86283 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:30:12 +0000 http://blog.givewell.org/2009/10/29/gates-foundation-on-agriculture-funding-where-are-the-facts/#comment-86283 Geoff, thanks for the info, particularly re: commitments vs. disbursements. If the commitment data is a better representation of what was actually disbursed, then it appears to be consistent with (though, as you say, not providing particular <em>support</em> to) the Gates Foundation's claim. Re: food aid, it doesn't seem like the point you're making has much bearing on the meaning of the "Agriculture aid" figure. Geoff, thanks for the info, particularly re: commitments vs. disbursements. If the commitment data is a better representation of what was actually disbursed, then it appears to be consistent with (though, as you say, not providing particular support to) the Gates Foundation’s claim.

Re: food aid, it doesn’t seem like the point you’re making has much bearing on the meaning of the “Agriculture aid” figure.

]]> by: Geoff Murphy http://blog.givewell.org/2009/10/29/gates-foundation-on-agriculture-funding-where-are-the-facts/#comment-86212 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:20:34 +0000 http://blog.givewell.org/2009/10/29/gates-foundation-on-agriculture-funding-where-are-the-facts/#comment-86212 Gates is probably relying on the same OECD dataset, but looking at the "commitments" rather than "disbursements" data. Using the commitments data, the agriculture percentage is in the high teens for most of the '70s and '80s, falls sharply during the '90s, and is at or below 5% from 2000 onward. The following analyses show similar downward trends, both as percentages and as absolute dollar amounts, though only the last one breaks out sub-Saharan Africa. http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/40/43/2094403.pdf http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/40/33/40556614.pdf http://www.isgmard.org.vn/Information%20Service/Report/General/oda%20in%20agriculture-DFID.pdf http://rmportal.net/library/content/frame/donor-aid-to-african-agriculture.pdf/ It would be interesting to know why all of these favor the commitments rather than the disbursement data. (Looking at the spreadsheet underlying your chart, I'd guess it’s because donors didn't consistently report much disbursement data to the OECD until the 90's.) However, even assuming the commitments data more accurately reflects actual spending, I agree this doesn’t justify that implication that agriculture in SSA has low productivity because donors cut funding. It’s just as probably that donors cut funding because of the disappointing results from their agricultural investments. And none of this sheds much light on whether current approaches and/or the current context are different enough from the past that additional investment is now likely to yield better results. On the food aid question, much of what the US labels food aid might show up under other categories (including agriculture) in the OECD data. At least a couple of the major US food aid programs work as follows: the US gives Charity X $10 million worth of food, which Charity X then transports to and sells on the open market in, e.g., Uganda. Charity X then uses the proceeds from that sale to fund its programs (whether health, education, microfinance, agricultural etc.) in Uganda. I think this type of food aid gets counted as funding to the sector in which the proceeds are spent. Gates is probably relying on the same OECD dataset, but looking at the “commitments” rather than “disbursements” data. Using the commitments data, the agriculture percentage is in the high teens for most of the ’70s and ’80s, falls sharply during the ’90s, and is at or below 5% from 2000 onward.

The following analyses show similar downward trends, both as percentages and as absolute dollar amounts, though only the last one breaks out sub-Saharan Africa.

http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/40/43/2094403.pdf

http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/40/33/40556614.pdf

http://www.isgmard.org.vn/Information%20Service/Report/General/oda%20in%20agriculture-DFID.pdf

http://rmportal.net/library/content/frame/donor-aid-to-african-agriculture.pdf/

It would be interesting to know why all of these favor the commitments rather than the disbursement data. (Looking at the spreadsheet underlying your chart, I’d guess it’s because donors didn’t consistently report much disbursement data to the OECD until the 90’s.)

However, even assuming the commitments data more accurately reflects actual spending, I agree this doesn’t justify that implication that agriculture in SSA has low productivity because donors cut funding. It’s just as probably that donors cut funding because of the disappointing results from their agricultural investments. And none of this sheds much light on whether current approaches and/or the current context are different enough from the past that additional investment is now likely to yield better results.

On the food aid question, much of what the US labels food aid might show up under other categories (including agriculture) in the OECD data. At least a couple of the major US food aid programs work as follows: the US gives Charity X $10 million worth of food, which Charity X then transports to and sells on the open market in, e.g., Uganda. Charity X then uses the proceeds from that sale to fund its programs (whether health, education, microfinance, agricultural etc.) in Uganda. I think this type of food aid gets counted as funding to the sector in which the proceeds are spent.

]]> by: Holden http://blog.givewell.org/2009/10/29/gates-foundation-on-agriculture-funding-where-are-the-facts/#comment-84283 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:39:31 +0000 http://blog.givewell.org/2009/10/29/gates-foundation-on-agriculture-funding-where-are-the-facts/#comment-84283 To be clear, I am not at all saying that the chart above *debunks* the Gates Foundation's claim. My only point in showing it is that it isn't clear what the Gates Foundation is referring to (the most obvious source of data doesn't appear to be it). To be clear, I am not at all saying that the chart above *debunks* the Gates Foundation’s claim. My only point in showing it is that it isn’t clear what the Gates Foundation is referring to (the most obvious source of data doesn’t appear to be it).

]]> by: Holden http://blog.givewell.org/2009/10/29/gates-foundation-on-agriculture-funding-where-are-the-facts/#comment-84130 Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:34:18 +0000 http://blog.givewell.org/2009/10/29/gates-foundation-on-agriculture-funding-where-are-the-facts/#comment-84130 It doesn't appear so. "Dev. Food Aid/Food Security Ass." is a separate category from "Agriculture." The subcategories of "Agriculture" are as follows (I don't have info beyond the labels, but they seem fairly aligned with the kinds of things the Gates Foundation is now investing in). AGRARIAN REFORM AGRICULTURAL ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT AGRICULTURAL CO-OPERATIVES AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION/TRAINING AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AGRICULTURAL FINANCIAL SERVICES AGRICULTURAL INPUTS AGRICULTURAL LAND RESOURCES AGRICULTURAL POLICY & ADMIN. MGMT AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AGRICULTURAL SERVICES AGRICULTURAL WATER RESOURCES FOOD CROP PRODUCTION INDUSTRIAL CROPS/EXPORT CROPS LIVESTOCK LIVESTOCK/VETERINARY SERVICES PLANT/POST-HARVEST PROT. & PEST CTRL It doesn’t appear so. “Dev. Food Aid/Food Security Ass.” is a separate category from “Agriculture.” The subcategories of “Agriculture” are as follows (I don’t have info beyond the labels, but they seem fairly aligned with the kinds of things the Gates Foundation is now investing in).

AGRARIAN REFORM
AGRICULTURAL ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT
AGRICULTURAL CO-OPERATIVES
AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION/TRAINING
AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION
AGRICULTURAL FINANCIAL SERVICES
AGRICULTURAL INPUTS
AGRICULTURAL LAND RESOURCES
AGRICULTURAL POLICY & ADMIN. MGMT
AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH
AGRICULTURAL SERVICES
AGRICULTURAL WATER RESOURCES
FOOD CROP PRODUCTION
INDUSTRIAL CROPS/EXPORT CROPS
LIVESTOCK
LIVESTOCK/VETERINARY SERVICES
PLANT/POST-HARVEST PROT. & PEST CTRL

]]> by: Ian Turner http://blog.givewell.org/2009/10/29/gates-foundation-on-agriculture-funding-where-are-the-facts/#comment-83917 Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:33:19 +0000 http://blog.givewell.org/2009/10/29/gates-foundation-on-agriculture-funding-where-are-the-facts/#comment-83917 Does the "agriculture" sector include food aid? Does the “agriculture” sector include food aid?

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