GFAR welcomes all constituencies active in agricultural innovation and research for development. These include farmers’ organizations, consumers’ associations, researchers, extension workers, educators, private sector enterprises - inputs and markets - and international organizations, all working together to improve agricultural research for development worldwide.
We bring to our task diverse capabilities, capacities, and perspectives, but with one goal in mind: research and innovation that changes lives for the better.
We focus on critical issues such as food security, nutrition, climate change, women, and youth in agriculture and agri-biodiversity. We develop our programmes through consultation, co-ordinating them through the GCARD Road Map (link to document).
Programmes are fostered, and sometimes co-financed, through GFAR’s Secretariat, but they are delivered by our constituent organizations, working together.
Public sector agricultural research
The CGIAR Consortium (LINK), with the CGIAR Fund (LINK), co-ordinate and integrate public international research for a food secure future, overseeing the work programs (LINK) of 15 International Agricultural Research Centers (IARCs) (LINK) across the globe. The Association of International Research and Development Centers for Agriculture (AIRCA) (LINK) is focused on promoting the benefits of landscape approaches among potential stakeholders in the agricultural and environmental sectors.
Private sector & public-private networks
Delivering on development outcomes requires inclusive and effective partnerships that go well beyond public sector science and research. GFAR constituents include PanAAC, (LINK) a platform of agribusiness and agro industry value chains and support services; Croplife International (LINK), representing the plant science industry; and the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) platform (LINK), of food companies and retailers working to support sustainable agriculture practices involving the different stakeholders of the food chain. Public-Private partnerships are represented by networks like The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (ATTF) (LINK) and Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) (LINK) .
Regional Fora
The national agricultural research and development systems of countries from the North and South are represented in GFAR by six Regional Fora. They bring together networks of research institutions and stakeholders to identify priorities for action and to exchange information and ideas.The Fora operate in Africa (LINKS TO WEBSITES HERE) (FARA), Near East and North Africa (AARINEA), Asia Pacific (APAARI), Central Asia and the Caucasus (CACAARI), Europe (EFARD), and the Americas (FORAGRO).
Higher education & training
The Global Confederation of Higher Education Associations for the Agricultural and Life Sciences, (GCHERA) represents more than 600 universities around the world. It is working to improve the quality and relevance of agricultural education to attract more young people into the sector and to better meet the needs of rural communities.
Rural Extension and Advisory Services
REAS from the public, private, and civil society sectors are represented in GFAR by the Global Forum on Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS). GFRAS works to strengthen rural extension and advisory services, to develop international links with providers, and to advocate for more effective advisory services.
Finance and investment institutions
GFAR is working to address the vast investment gaps in agricultural research for development and to link research investment to wider development commitments. Our partners include bi-lateral and multi-lateral donor agencies, development banks and philanthropic foundations.
Farmers and agricultural labor organizations
GFAR puts resource-poor smallholder farmers at the centre of innovation, while recognizing that they are also innovators themselves, with knowledge and experience to share. GFAR’s constituents include more than 250 farmer associations, representing 200 million farmers worldwide, as well as cooperatives and trade unions.
Non Government Organizations
Non government organisations (NGOs) have a vital role to play in translating research and innovation into direct benefits for farmers, through education and outreach programs. Their presence at the GFAR table ensures a civil society voice in research agenda. Constituents include GRET (LINK), The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction IIRR (LINK); CLOC (LINK), representing peasant workers throughout Latin America and the Caribbean; The Institute of Himalayan Environmental Research and Education (INHERE) (LINK); ETC (LINK) and SNV (LINK), both Netherlands-based development NGOs.
Youth
Special attention must be given to encouraging young people into careers in all aspects of agricultural research for development and to encouraging them to have their say on what changes are needed in agricultural education to make careers more attractive and valued. The Young Professionals Platform for Agricultural Research for Development (YPARD) has chapters in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe.
Women in Agriculture
Nearly half of all those working on smallholder farms are women. The Gender in Agriculture Partnership (GAP) (LINK) promotes and develops collective actions around the world, to strengthen the rights and roles of women in agriculture. GAP partners work primarily in the focus countries of the UN Program for Economic Empowerment of Rural Women (LINK), those of CGIAR research programs (LINK), and elsewhere in response to national demand.
Consumer organizations
Transforming national research and innovation systems not only benefits farmers but consumers too, who are also demanding more environmentally sustainable productivity growth, better nutrition and food security. GFAR constituents include Consumers International (CI) (LINK), the world federation of consumer groups.
GFAR Foundation Members
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (LINK) and The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) (LINK) have a special role as founding partners of GFAR and as facilitating agencies. FAO has an additional administrative responsibility, hosting the GFAR Secretariat at its headquarters in Rome and providing a legal identity for GFAR, through a joint Memorandum of Agreement with IFAD.