ARD

is research which addresses the agricultural challenges and issues faced by developing countries, emerging countries and countries in transition. Agriculture is used in its broad sense and includes crops, livestock, forestry, fisheries, environment and natural resources management. ARD includes capacity-building and research into agricultural production, productivity, storage, processing and marketing; dissemination, up-scaling, uptake and distribution of the research products; as well as policy, institutional and societal issues.

ERA-ARD

is an FP6 Project of the European Commission’s ERA-NET Scheme.
The objective of the ERA-NET scheme is to step up the cooperation and coordination of research activities carried out at national or regional level in the Member States and Associated States.

Agricultural Research for Development: a vital contribution to facing the challenges of the planet

Agricultural Research for Development (ARD) plays a critical role in fighting poverty and hunger and in supporting more rapid and sustainable development in the poorest countries of the world. Most developing countries rely on agriculture as the engine for their economic growth, and more than 70% of the poor live in rural areas. In Europe, agriculture and food chains are increasingly confronted with challenges such as food safety, animal health and welfare, agro-biodiversity which clearly have a global dimension.

Collaboration agricultural research for the World's poor

Promote collaboration in European agricultural research for the World's poor

ARD in Europe

For historical, socio-economic and cultural reasons, European Member States have developed a unique field-based scientific expertise in ARD, and support ARD directly or indirectly through their bilateral and multilateral programmes. With the European Commission, the Member States also contribute to the funding of the international agricultural research centres of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), providing more than 140 million euros per year. The European Commission also supports ARD through its development assistance programmes, and under the international dimension of the RTD Framework Programmes. In Member States, the responsibility for ARD programme planning and funding is often dispersed and shared between different ministries, public institutions and/or foundations. This means that there are substantial potential efficiency gains from enhanced cooperation and coordination.