We’ve had a couple of flattering comments on some obscure pages lately. ((Why would you comment on the Contact page? Beats me. Anyway, we’re disabling comments there.)) One asked:
Please, let me know, if your organisation supports our research work.
The first response is that we are not an organisation. Just a couple of guys discussing agricultural biodiversity. With occasional wonderful contributions from our friends. But, hey. Thanks.
The second, possibly much more important response is that no, we don’t support anyone’s research. We can barely support ourselves. We often get asked about support, and all we can do is sympathise with the difficulties researchers face, especially those outside the mainstream. There really isn’t much we can offer.
In the very traditional realm, IFAR has a small grants program that might be a source of funding.
Thinking a bit sideways, it could be worth trying to get something like Global Giving to take a project on board, although pure research is unlikely to make it. I discovered them through a campaign to educate girls, and it seems like they have some really interesting ideas.
Finally, a completely off the wall suggestion that first emerged in our posts about the Plant Genetic Resources Newsletter: Kickstarter. Sure, they say they’re mostly about creativity, but what could be more creative than finding new ways to use agrobiodiversity to solve problems of food and nutrition security?
If you are aware of other possible sources of small grants, why not add them to this post in a (totally legitimate use of a) comment?
I’ve just come across this by chance: http://www.seethedifference.org/charities/self-help-africa/helping-farmers-in-zambia