Our objectives

The Tropical Agricultural Association is a professional association of individuals and corporate bodies concerned with the role of agriculture for development throughout the world.

Its mission is:      

• to bring together individuals and organisations from both the developed and less developed countries to enable them to contribute to international policies aimed at reducing poverty and improving livelihoods;
• to encourage the efficient and sustainable use of local resources and by raising the productivity of both agriculture and related enterprises to increase family incomes in the rural sector

Particular emphasis is given to rural areas in the tropics and subtropics and to countries with less developed economies in temperate areas.

The Association sees agriculture both as a commercial business and as a way of life . . . in this context it promotes the sustainable use of inputs and technologies in order to raise outputs and to encourage evolution from poverty and subsistence farming towards wealth generating but sustainable commercial farming.

The Association recognises the need to conserve biodiversity and the need to arrest and reverse the degradation of the natural resource base on which agriculture depends . . . it also recognises the inter-related roles of farmers, scientists (agriculturalists, economists, sociologists etc) and other people in rural areas (stakeholders) in achieving a convergent approach to rural development including recognition of the importance of the role of women, the effect of AIDS and other social issues on the rural economy.

Any special conditions?

The TAA Award Fund makes grants of up to £2,000 to UK citizens and long-term residents under the age of 30 qualified in agriculture, forestry, agroforestry, environmental science, social sciences and related disciplines . . . the grants are designed to enable awardees to gain their first experience of international development work . . . money can be used for air fares, living costs and other expenses arising from the projects on which the awardees will work . . . normally TAA funds are used to supplement funds from other agencies or raised by the applicants themselves to finance their attachment to an overseas project which will give valuable work experience to qualified young people

Awardees should have a strong interest in development issues . . . they should normally identify their own projects but the Fund can sometimes provide guidance and contacts.

How to find out more

For a full picture of our Association and activities visit our website by clicking the website link in the box on the left. To contact us click the email link.