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Equitable development through the provision of training, research and consultancy in international agricultural development.

CARIAD, the Centre for Advanced Research in International Agricultural Development (formerly CAZS Natural Resources) is part of the Welsh Institute for Natural Resources (WINR) of Bangor University's College of Natural Sciences. Our role is to address the major global challenge of Food Security - other units within WINR look at sustainability (SBBS) and bio-based materials (BC).

We carry out research on crops, focused on improving the livelihoods of poor farmers in marginal areas, especially in south Asia and in Africa, as well as providing continuing professional development (CPD) and consultancy for a range of clients worldwide. With our partners, we have developed and released crop varieties that have had a major impact on the food security of farmers and their families in such areas.

Our staff have long experience of agriculture and crop sciences in many developing countries, in particular in South Asia and in Africa, as well as in the UK and Europe. We are world leaders in the development of farmer-focused technologies such as client-oriented breeding and participatory variety selection, and are founder members of the Global Consortium on Food Security.

Since 1984, our staff have carried out applied environment and natural resource management projects in more than 40 countries. We have conducted participatory action programmes, research studies and training in global change, sustainable development, environmental socio-economics, rural resource management, desertification, soil degradation, water resource management, crop assessment, food security audit and emergency development in conflict zones. Almost 100 of these interventions have been carried out in or with India.

We also carry out work with a UK-focus - for example on naked barley, and we are delivering the Upland Farming Systems module for a new high-level training programme - the ATP-Pasture, delivered in cooperation with IBERS at Aberystwyth University and NIAB.

As well as our main offices in Bangor, we have full-time offices in Kathmandu, for south Asia, and in Nairobi, for east and north east Africa. Through these, and through our range of partner organisations in many countries, we provide access to an unsurpassed network of expertise and facilities within these regions.

Brief synopses of our recent research and capacity building activities, and of the impact of our research on people's livelihoods and food security, are available to download.