Practical problems and possible corrections of agricultural research at tertiary education institutions

Abstract

Agricultural research at tertiary institutions is subjected to quite a few practical problems. The most important of these are time, assistance and money. Due to the relatively high lecture load of agricultural teaching staff, it is impossible for them to do any significant research without suitable assistance. The provision in this regard is however totally inadequate at the moment. Several problems arise around funding. The most important are that it is inadequate, that there is no continuity and that poor provision is being made for the creation and maintenance of a research infrastructure. Further problems highlighted are the limited availability of funds for so called “free” research and that several problems exist around all the existing financing agents.