The world will need to feed a population of at least nine billion by 2050. The ability to do so hinges on the sustainability of the world’s natural capital and its food production systems. Knowledge sharing and innovation in agriculture, food, fisheries and forestry have never been so important. Governments across the world have declared their commitment to agricultural research.

What is the Co-operative Research Programme: Sustainable Agricultural and Food Systems (CRP)? 

The OECD's Co-operative Research Programme: Sustainable Agricultural and Food Systems (CRP) exists to strengthen scientific knowledge and provide relevant scientific information and advice that will inform future policy decisions related to the sustainable use of natural resources in the areas of agriculture, food, fisheries and forests.

The CRP:

• helps achieve globally agreed policy objectives by facilitating international co-operation among research scientists and institutions. In doing so, it strengthens scientific knowledge and innovation.
• places a policy emphasis on all the activities it funds. CRP findings provide valuable evidence and information to support policy makers in promoting the sustainable use of natural resources in food, agriculture, forestry and fisheries.
• focuses on global issues such as food security, climate change and the inter-connectedness of economies through trade and scientific co-operation. This enables CRP-funded research to generate benefits for people around the world, producing results that resonate within and beyond the programme’s member countries.

How does the CRP achieve its objectives?

Fellowships: CRP funds short-term research projects for individual scientists in other CRP member countries. These individual travel bursary awards strengthen the exchange of ideas and increase international mobility and co-operation. Some 76% of the fellowships result in long-term co-operation between the fellow and their host institutes, a major goal of the programme.

Conferences: The CRP sponsors international conferences and workshops to help keep policy makers, industry, and the academic world informed of innovative research, scientific developments and opportunities.

These activities:

• promote co-ordination among stakeholders to ensure that their objectives do not overlap or contradict each other
• provide objective evidence of the possible outcomes of approaches and options
• support the definition of measurable policy objectives (e.g. the incorporation of soil security into national law)
• highlight the links between agriculture and diverse policy areas (e.g. the role of education in ensuring food security and sustainability).

• Call for Applications
• Member Countries
• Annual Forum
• Biotechnologies newsletters
• OECD Food Chain Analysis Network

» Download the brochure in PDF format

Israel: a new member of the CRP!

After Lithuania, we are pleased to announce that Israel becomes the 28th member country of the CRP on 1st January 2023.

Call for applications for funding in 2024  - Individual Travel Fellowship Awards and International Conference Sponsorship 

Are you organising a conference or workshop on state-of-the-art research issues in agriculture, food, fisheries or forests in 2024? Or would you like to spend time working with researchers in another country to help your research project? If so, the OECD CRP (Co-operative Research Programme: Sustainable Agricultural and Food Systems) would welcome an application from you.

The next call for funding in 2024 will open in April 2023.

See the general information on our call for applications. You can also review previous conferences and fellowships for information on what we have sponsored in the past. 

Three key challenges facing agriculture and how to start solving them

Every day, the food we eat connects us to a vast global web of farmers, traders, food manufacturers, retailers and many other people involved in getting food from farm to fork. Most of us probably don’t pause to think about it while biting into a piece of fruit or a slice of bread, but this global food system is central to some of the biggest challenges facing humanity.

This publication highlights major progress in agricultural research outcomes and address the challenges that lie ahead.

» Read more