Why IAR?

In international terms, Australia’s development assistance budget is small. To have the most impact, we must focus its programs, linking the needs of developing countries with Australian strengths and needs. Because the majority of people in less developed countries live in rural areas and are dependent on the land for food and employment, support for agricultural research is one of the most effective ways that Australia can assist in their development.

Our development assistance budget supports IAR through Australia’s Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and the range of Centres around the world that form the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). Given the range of social and economic returns on the less than 2 per cent of the aid budget invested in IAR, it is the best single investment in growth, stability and prosperity that Australia can make.

The case for IAR

The Green Revolution of the 1960s averted a threatening world food shortage. The Revolution highlighted the urgency for an ongoing effort to undertake research in agriculture and natural resource management, in order to feed the ever-growing world population. This on-going effort now aims to reduce poverty and minimise environmental degradation.

The Good News is that today higher yields per hectare have enabled increased food supplies from about the same area of land that was under cultivation 30 years ago. This is partly due to increased use of irrigation, but agricultural research can take much of the credit.

The Bad News is that an overall solution to world poverty and food security still eludes us. Natural resources in many countries continue to deteriorate, and there is a growing appreciation of the potential for world conflicts over access to resources such as water and arable land. It is no surprise that hungry people are more likely to become embroiled in conflict.

The Crawford Fund strongly encourages an increased commitment by Australia and its partners to international agricultural research, with its vital role in finding answers to these problems.

Mobilising support

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, one way is by supporting Australian journalists to visit ACIAR and CGIAR agricultural research projects to talk with scientists and others, visit laboratories and get out in the field to gain an understanding of the research and its implications, then report on what they find. Destinations have included East Timor, Laos, Cambodia and China. These “seeing is believing” reports provide first hand accounts exemplifying approaches to the betterment of agriculture, fisheries and forestry in developing countries through IAR

Issues in Food Security

Improvements to agriculture, secure food supplies and access to natural resources like water play key roles in development for poor nations and the avoidance of conflict. Australia can be proud of its tremendous contributions through international agricultural research to improve food security, drive economic growth, and ultimately maintain peace. Developing countries need access to improved crops and simple, effective technologies that will ensure their farmers can produce enough food to feed their nation and, in the process, provide the work and livelihoods needed to keep their society functioning properly.

Australian organisations such as Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) have undertaken excellent work to help nations regain stability through agricultural research and development. The following excerpts of papers originally published in Issues magazine highlight some of the issues faced in advancing the cause of food security in developing nations:

1. Food, Water and War
2. Policy Settings for Food Security
3. Crops and Food Security
4. Water and Food Security-Is there a Crisis?
5. Tropical Forests: A Lifeline for Millions
6. Climate Change and Agriculture
7. LandCare for Development
8. Fish, Aquaculture and Food Security: Sustaining Fish as a Food Supply
9. Racing against Time to Save our ‘Green Gold’
10. The Role of Livestock in Food Security

Australia’s support for IAR

The Crawford Fund encourages greater recognition of international agricultural research and development in agriculture, fisheries, forestry and natural resource management by Australians, and increased support by Australian governmental and non-governmental organisations for this research.

This research is conducted by Australian research organizations and national research organization in developing countries, supported by our own Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, and the research centres of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), also supports the development component of the research.

The Crawford Fund through its Training Program also supports international agricultural research and development

The ATSE Crawford Fund
1 Leonard Street
Parkville 3052
Victoria Australia
T: (03) 9347 8328
F: (03) 9347 3224
E: crawford@mira.net
W: www.crawfordfund.org