Evaluation of the Fodder Crops and Pasture Seeds Programs -Benefit/cost evaluations-Stage 2

This report presents detailed benefit-cost analysis evaluations of a sample of research clusters to illustrate the net benefits resulting from RIRDC’s investment in fodder crop and pasture seed R&D. The evaluations in this report cover four sets of research for fodder crops and four for pasture seeds, 17 projects in all. These projects addressed policy choices, development of new varieties, pest management systems, production systems and technology transfer and a new commercial input into production. The total cost of R&D evaluated in real discounted terms for fodder crops was $2.23 million, roughly 30 per cent of the expenditure of the program over the last decade. For pasture seeds the total investment in these projects was $1.55 million, around 15 per cent of the total program investment.