Why We Support International Agricultural Research
Find out more about International Agricultural Research and
the Challenge of Food Security
News & Events
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The Crawford Fund’s 2011 annual development conference was once again a well attended and nationally reported event. Speakers’ presentations are available in PDF format on the Conference Program and Presentations page, as is a Conference Summary. Full proceedings will be published by the end of the year. ...read more
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Read about emerging developments in food security and agricultural research, a summary of our 2011 Conference: the supermarket revolution and our public awareness and training activities. We also give you an update on our "a wider canvass for international agricultural research" project. ...more
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Proceedings 2010 - Biodiversity and World Food SecurityNourishing the Planet and Its People
Full Proceedings of the 2010 Conference on Biodiversity and Food Security: Nourishing the Planet and its People can now be downloaded here ...more
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Download the Crawford Fund's Annual Report for 2010-11, with reports on public awareness, training and other activities. ...more
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In anticipation of the Crawford Fund's 25th anniversary in 2011, preparations for a book about its founder Professor Derek Tribe and the Fund are being undertaken by ATSE Fellow Professor Lindsay Falvey. If you have details, anecdotes, perspectives or any other information that may be useful to Prof. Falvey's research, please contact him directly at lindsay.falvey@gmail.com, or P.O. Box 510, Kilmore 3764, Australia. ...more
Feature story
Gates supports agricultural research
African farmer, Christina Mwinjipe, mentioned in Bill Gates' annual letter
In his annual letter, Bill Gates has again drawn attention to the need to support international agricultural research. "Given the central role that food plays in human welfare and national stability, it is shocking-not to mention short-sighted and potentially dangerous-how little money is spent on agricultural research. In total, only $3 billion per year is spent on researching the seven most important crops. This includes $1.5 billion spent by countries, $1.2 billion by private companies, and $300 million by an agency called the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). Even though the CGIAR money is only 10 percent of the spending, it is critical because it focuses on the needs of poor countries." His full letter can be found here.
IAR in the News
Tim Fischer on crop conservation body
The Hon Tim Fischer, former chair of the Crawford Fund and recently returned Ambassador to the Holy See, has been appointed to the board of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, the international conservation group responsible for the creation of the arctic ‘doomsday’ seed vault. His appointment was raised in a range of media interviews and during his National Press Club address on 1 February. Read the full story here.
Australian seed shipment arrives in Svalbard
Training for Food Security
Improving stats skills for Laos researchers
Class in CF Biometrics course - Laos
Such was the interest in a recent training course on enhancing statistics/biometrics skills of local livestock and fisheries research staff in PDR Lao, an initial group of 15 swelled to 28. The course, conducted in Thai, involved representatives from all key national research institutions, including three regional universities. More info here.