Abstract: This paper investigates the dynamics of public investment in agricultural R&D and scientific manpower, assesses their productivity outcomes across the BRICS countries, and explores opportunities for collaboration. There are significant inter-country disparities in R&D capacity, with China leading in both investment and manpower, followed by India. Notably, China’s research expenditure exceeds that of the US, and India is steadily narrowing the gap with the US. However, R&D spending as a proportion of agricultural GDP in China and India remains less than that in Brazil, South Africa, and developed countries. In other BRICS countries, this ratio is comparatively lower. Nevertheless, R&D capacity has expanded in most BRICS countries, albeit at variable rates. The productivity outcomes of R&D differ significantly across the BRICS countries. In general, total factor productivity (TFP) has increased, although the patterns are diverse across countries. However, TFP growth has decelerated in both Brazil and South Africa. It remained relatively robust in China, India, and Russia. Furthermore, there are significant differences in research priorities across countries, guided by relative factor endowments. In land-scarce, smallholder-dominated countries such as China and India, TFP is more strongly associated with R&D spending per hectare, indicating a greater emphasis on land-augmenting technological change. In contrast, in land-abundant, laborscarce countries, such as Brazil and Russia, productivity gains are more closely associated with R&D spending per agricultural worker, reflecting priorities for labor-saving and scale-oriented technological changes. These findings suggest that this heterogeneity in R&D capacity and innovation pathways across the BRICS countries can be transformed into shared gains through effective collaboration, aligning with the BRICS Action Plan 2025-2028.