Global Agricultural Industries: Research Spending Trends & Changing Market Structures

Growth in the productivity of the global food and agricultural system will be largely determined by today’s investments in research and development (R&D). In recent decades, the private sector has become a major player in developing innovations for food and agriculture. Factors spurring private companies to invest in food and agricultural research include the emergence of biotechnology and other new scientific developments, the strengthening of intellectual property rights (IPR) over agricultural innovations, new regulatory requirements, the expansion of markets for improved agricultural inputs and food products, and rising consumer demand for more diverse foods. This book evaluates investment trends by for-profit companies in food manufacturing, biofuel, and agricultural input R&D and explores how these trends are affected by changes in market demand and industry structure.