The Crawford Fund’s purpose is to encourage investment in international agricultural research (IAR) by governments and the private sector, in the belief that it is an essential, high priority, international activity.
We believe that IAR holds the key to alleviating rural poverty in developing countries, and can thus open the door to economic progress. Good news is worth sharing, and the Fund’s Public Awareness Campaign increases understanding of the importance and potential of IAR, its achievements and needs.
The Fund also has a training program that fills a niche by offering practical, highly focused non-degree instruction to men and women engaged in agricultural research and management in developing countries.
Doing Well by Doing Good: Mobilising Australian Support for International Agricultural Research
The Crawford Fund was established in June 1987 by The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. It was named in honour of the late Sir John Crawford and commemorates his outstanding services to international agricultural research. The Crawford Fund is a non-profit, non-government organisation, dedicated to raising awareness of the benefits to developing countries and to Australia of International Agricultural Research. The Fund depends on grants and donations from governments, private companies, corporations, charitable trusts and individual Australians. It also welcomes partnerships with agencies and organisations in Australia and overseas.
The Fund promotes and supports international R&D activities in which Australian research organisations and companies are active participants. It supports the work of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and other international research centres.
The responsibility for Crawford Fund's policy formulation and planning is vested in the Board of Directors.
The Executive Director, the Director Master Classes and Training together with the Public Awareness Program Coordinator and the State and Territory Coordinators are responsible for the implementation of Crawford activities (contact us).
Information on thee Fund's national Public Awareness Activities can be found at Public Awareness, Media and Events
Seven committees generate training activities within the States and Territories. Click on the map to see what is happening in these States and Territories
Agricultural research designed to benefit developing countries (their farmers, their environment and their economies) and to foster mutual understanding can be defined as International Agricultural Research (IAR). Since the majority of people in less developed countries live in rural areas and are dependent on the land for employment and their food security, support for agricultural research is one of the most effective ways that Australia can assist in their development.
The Crawford Fund focuses on mobilising support for IAR, with the intention of sustaining funding for IAR into the future. The Fund does this in various ways. For example, we support Australian journalists to visit ACIAR and CGIAR agricultural research projects to talk with scientists and farmers, visit laboratories and get out in the field to gain an understanding of the research and its implications, and then report on what they find. Over the years destinations have included East Timor, Laos, Cambodia, Indonsia, Kenya, Solomon Islands, Vietnam, Thailand, Peru, Mexico and the Philippines. These “seeing is believing” reports provide first-hand accounts exemplifying approaches to the betterment of agriculture, fisheries and forestry in developing countries through IAR.
We also hold a range of innovative and provocative events at State and national levels on vital aspects of development, including an annual conference each year in Parliament House to address a key issue related to food security. We engage in a range of meetings to advise and update decision-makers on the latest impacts and benefits of IAR. A good example is the report from our Taskforce for a Food Secure World, which you can download here