Links Most research on subsistence food crops in developing countries must be funded publicly for many decades to come, since there is no feasible way of asking users of the research results to pay for them. This web page reviews briefly the issues related to levy funding and discusses the options for managing levy-funded research. The payment is typically proportional to volume, which may be expressed in terms of hectares planted or the quantity of production or exports.
Legal forms vary greatly.
Most research levies are mandatory commodity taxes earmarked for research. Some governments have passed laws that allow industry associations or industry-dominated statutory bodies to determine the existence and level of the levies. Such levies are voluntary for the industries, but not necessarily for individual operators. In some countries, levies are not in practice used for research or any other service, although this may have been the original intent. Such levies are really general commodity taxes, not voluntary industry contributions.