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There is a pressing demand for institutional reform in Indian agricultural research and policy. This paper argues that a conceptual and analytical distinction between institutions and organisations is essential to determine the purpose and consistency of reforms. Institutional change involves transformation of the rules/norms that govern agricultural policy, research and extension organisations. This distinction is necessary for agricultural research to engage in institutional learning and identify the critical constraints on the process of agricultural innovation and development. Examples from the history of agricultural research and extension in India reveal a legacy of institutional problems in the national agricultural research and extension organisations. These organisations have been unable to involve stakeholder participation, promote partnerships and generate institutional learning capabilities. Agricultural policy must enable an introspection of the institutions of agricultural research. This is important to enhance the capability of agricultural innovation systems to build effective partnerships, learn from and respond to complex technological and social contexts, and evolve as a dynamic overarching framework for sustainable development.

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This paper examines the role of evaluation in promoting and sustaining professionalism in agricultural research organizations. The evaluation experience of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) reveals a series of attempts to review and institutionalize the essential features of professionalism: expertise, credentialism, and autonomy. The central thesis is that when evaluations inform or enable major changes in one or more of these features of professionalism, over a period of time, it is a sign of increasing professionalization of research. Following a brief introduction, the evaluation experiences of ICAR are examined in the context of the evolution of the profession of agricultural research. Specific evaluation experiences are then analyzed, with an emphasis on the role of evaluation in resolving the tension between bureaucratic and professional decision making. The paper concludes that unless stringent evaluations are introduced in ICAR, the professionalization of agricultural research in India will remain incomplete.