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2023-06-30-accounts

THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION (UNITED KINGDOM)

Charity number 800663

Trustees Annual Report and Financial Review

for the year ended

30 June 2023

Odete, a refugee farmer now living in Uganda, has benefited from agricultural finance and is making her living as a vegetable grower

Photo credit: Kate Holt, taken in Uganda 2019. https://aretestories.com

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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION (UNITED KINGDOM) Reference and Administrative Information for the year ended 30 June 2023

Registration Charity No: 800663 Trustees Dr John Wibberley (Chair until 1st December 2022) Dr Paul Harding (Vice-Chair and Chair from 1[st] December 2022 Dr Elizabeth Jane Warham (General Secretary and Vice Chair from 1[st] December 2022) Mr Matt Sullivan (Membership Secretary until 31[st] January and Webmaster from 31[st] January)

Mr Jim Ellis-Jones (Treasurer)

Contact Address C/o Montpelier Professional (Galloway) Limited 1 Dashwood Square Newton Stewart DG8 6EQ Accountants Montpelier Professional (Galloway) Limited 1 Dashwood Square Newton Stewart DG8 6EQ Bankers Barclays Bank UK PLC Local Business Banking Leicester, LE87 2BB

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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURE ASSOCIATION 2023 Trustees report

Objectives, Mission, Governance, Trustees and Membership

The Tropical Agricultural Association (TAA) is a unique professional association of individuals, businesses and corporate bodies involved in sustainable agricultural development internationally.

In shaping our objectives for the year and planning our activities, the trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit, including the gusidance ‘public benefit: running a charity (PB2).

Mission. The Associations’s mission is “ To advance education, research and practice in agriculture for rural livelihoods and sustainable development .”

Governance. The charity is administered in accordance with its constitution, adopted on 1 December 1988 (registration no 800663).

Membership. At the end of June 2022, the Association had 350 members including 16 Institutional ones, 50 student and awardee members. Over 150 individuals contribute through donation but do not receive membership benefits.

Trustees and Executive Committee (ExCo) members. The Trustees are supported by TAA’s Executive Committee (ExCo), who meet quarterly. Trustees and ExCo members are elected or appointed at its Annual General Meetings. Although there is no formal induction programme or training, most Trustees have served the charity for considerable time either as a Trustee or a member of ExCo and serve on other Trusts. It is the duty of the Trustees as a body to manage the affairs of the charity. The Trustees and the Executive Committee are charged with the rigorous maintenance of the reputation of the Association and its TAAF awards. As such ExCo is careful to avoid partisanship in aligning with any controversial agricultural systems, policies or practices, while rigorously reporting and encouraging debate on such topics. At the same time ExCo ensures that TAA’s Privacy Policy is compliant with the General Data Protection Regulations of 2018.

The Trustees keep under review the major risks to which the Association may be exposed with future strategy and its financial implications taking this into account. A detailed risk assessment undertaken in 2020 is updated annually. Declining membership numbers and an associated fall in membership fees remain the major risk factors for the Association. For this reason a new 2023-2025 strategy, detailed in the Future Plans section of this report, was developed and approved at a Special General Meeting of members in May 2023. The strategy is curently being implemented to ensure that the Association’s activities remain relevant to both international and younger members and to encourage their support for the Association in the future. Importantly the name of the Association will change to Tropical Agriculture Association International from the first of July 2023.

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Activities and Achievements (July 2022 – June 2023)

Annual Lectures

Regional branches

The following talks, discussions and social events took place during the year.

London and the South East

Curry Club meetings provide not only interesting talks and discussions but also opportunity to update LSE members on broader TAAI developments and enjoying a curry lunch. Curry Club talks in 2022-23 included:

Plans for 2023-24 include a Curry Club talk on 6th September by Samir Khan of British International Investment, formerly known as the Commonwealth Development Corporation. Others are in the pipeline for later in the year.

Southwest

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Plans for 2023-24 include a Planning meeting on September 4th to agree a South Devon trip early in July and a Seminar in Octoberat RAU or FarmEd on Cotswolds.

TAA’s Journal - Agriculture for Development

Journals produced this year were:

Those planned for the future include

TAA’s Award Fund

TAA’s Tropical Agriculture Award Fund (TAAF) is funded by donations by TAA as well as individual members and non-members. We would like to acknowledge and thank the Wye Agricola Fund, Bill Reed family as well as others who wish to remain anonymous for their generous support of TAAF. Awards in the form of small grants enable young professionals to gain overseas work experience in international development and in the case of MSc students to conduct their dissertation projects in developing countries. At the same time, the TAAF committee provides a valuable mentoring service for awardees.

In the 2022-2023 academic year awards were opened up to include overseas students studying in the UK. Four MSc awards were made totalling £5,000 to students to travel and conduct research in Brazil, Nigeria, Pakistan and Uganda. In addition, two post-graduates were supported in conducting longer term assignments and research in Tanzania on performance payments for carnivore conservation

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and in Vietnam on the environmental and economic trade-offs of coffee agroforestry. A summary of the latter see: https://www.naturebasedsolutionsinitiative.org/news/agroforestry-coffee-shading.

Future Plans: TAAF awards will be broadened to (initially) include travel awards for TAA members who are students or young scientists in developing countries. The grant will enable those who have had a paper or poster accepted at a conference and need support with travel. The conference could be either in their home country or involve international travel. The scope of the awards will be broadened further in time.

Honours and awards

TAA’s website (www.taa.org.uk ).

This continues to provide a focus for communication with members, with “email alerts” on latest news, topical issues, publications, job vacancies and events. While much of the website is open access, it includes sections containing information restricted to members. It is presently undergoing an important upgrade with the membership data base being fully integrated with the website for greater security and automated actions, as well as being fully GDPR-compliant.

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TAA International Future Strategy (2023-2025)

Introduction

The Association traces its roots to the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture (ICTA), Trinidad. Alumni of the college formed the ICTA Association in the mid-1970s, and in 1979, the Association was renamed the Tropical Agriculture Association and constituted in the UK.

It has produced a quarterly ‘Newsletter’ for its members since 1981, which by 2008 had evolved into a 4- monthly peer-reviewed journal Agriculture for Development . In 2023, the journal became a six-monthly, peer-reviewed, open access publication, distributed to thousands of readers worldwide.

Over the years the membership has broadened to include all those interested in the various aspects of sustainable agricultural development worldwide, and in developing countries in particular. In recognition of this, in 2023, the Association was renamed, refocussed and rejuvenated.

A renamed, refocussed, rejuvenated TAA International

Our Name is now the Tropical Agriculture Association International (TAA International, or simply TAAI), which better reflects our global focus. Similarly, our domain name, which is the name of our website and is in our email addresses, will change to taa-international.org. This domain name has been purchased by the Association.

Our Vision for the new TAA International is that it is a dynamic, relevant, global network of active professionals and practitioners who recognise the central role of environmentally, socially and economically sustainable agriculture and agrifood systems to economies and livelihoods in developing countries. Sustainable agriculture and agrifood systems provide food, fibre and ecosystem services, whilst conserving the natural resources on which agriculture ultimately depends. We interpret agriculture in its broadest sense, to include policy, research, production, processing and marketing of crops, livestock, forestry/agroforestry, horticulture, aquaculture and artisanal fisheries, and the conservation and improvement of natural resources including soils, water and genetic materials. Our focus is to address the issues underlying the productivity and sustainability of agriculture, locally in developing countries (UN definition) and globally, by sharing worldwide knowledge about practices and products that contribute to diverse landscapes, markets and economies in support of local communities.

Our Strapline is ‘Supporting sustainable agriculture for development.’

Our Mission: TAA International recognises that agriculture currently has a high global environmental cost. In the tropics and sub-tropics, it often fails to feed, or generate sufficient income, to raise local populations out of poverty. We therefore advance knowledge, understanding and practice in all aspects of sustainable agriculture world-wide, with a particular focus on developing countries. We recognise the need to curb and reverse deforestation and land degradation, and to promote biodiversity. We also recognise the reality that those involved in agriculture often have diversified livelihoods and multiple sources of income that need to be understood better, and promoted, to ensure sustainability.

TAA International promotes various forms of sustainable and remunerative agriculture, in a diverse range of landscapes and societies, in order to maximise their social, economic and environmental benefits. These include permaculture, conservation agriculture, organic agriculture, eco-agriculture, agroecology, agroforestry, climate smart agriculture, carbon farming, evergreen agriculture, regenerative agriculture, restorative agriculture and others.

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Our members include farmers, managers, agri-entrepreneurs, natural scientists, environmental scientists, social scientists, economists, policy makers, advisers, consultants, academics, and students from countries worldwide.

To achieve our mission our Objective is to bring together those seeking knowledge, advice, services and products relating to sustainable agricultural development with those able to provide them.

In working towards our objective, TAA International is guided by a set of Core Values :

Members, Partners and Communications

Members

Our members’ database has been cleaned and updated with the most recent contact details, to facilitate regular communication. The Executive Committee (ExCo) will communicate with members after every ExCo meeting and at other relevant moments; and Branch Convenors will be in touch with their constituencies regularly too. News, updates, forthcoming events, obituaries, etc will be shared with members via the website and regular email alerts. TAA International-specific news will be shared via a regular newsletter for members. Members are encouraged to form interest groups using Facebook, WhatsApp, Zoom or similar platforms.

Partner Organisations

Partner Organisations support and promote the objective and core values of TAA International. We promote them on our website, with a link to their website, and they do the same for us. They also promote our journal and distribute it among their staff and networks. Partner Organisations pay no membership fees. We hope to have many Partner Organisations, ranging from very large international organisations to small charities, NGOs and entrepreneurs. We hope to attract many of their staff as individual members of TAA International.

Our Institutional Members will automatically become Partner Organisations.

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Universities and colleges

We invite relevant universities and colleges worldwide to become Partner Organisations. We will promote them our website and provide links to their websites, and they will do the same for us. Individual members from universities and colleges will be able to promote their courses, worldwide, using our FESP scheme. A learning and teaching resource will be developed for members, providing notes, articles, lectures, webinars, podcasts and videos on issues relating to sustainable agriculture.

The TAA International website

A bequest from former Web Manager Keith Virgo has been used to redesign and improve the TAA international website, including many new facilities and services for members. The new website is mobile phone friendly.

TAA International and policy

TAA international will continue to strive to influence governments, and national, regional and international organisations’ policies, in line with our objective and core values. We will interact directly with governments and organisations as opportunities arise, but most policy influences will occur via individual members, Partner Organisations and our journal.

Benefits for Members

The Journal

Our journal, Agriculture for Development , is now a peer-reviewed, open-access publication. It is available on our website and distributed to each individual member via a hyperlink in an email from the Chairman and Editor-in-Chief. It is also distributed through multiple networks and institutions to researchers, academics, students, agri-entrepreneurs, farmers, young professionals, policy makers, development organisations, and others interested in sustainable agriculture world-wide. It has thus been transformed from a hard copy journal reaching several hundred readers, to a soft copy journal reaching tens of thousands of readers.

The editors of Agriculture for Development aim for a rapid turn-around time, from receipt of final draft contribution to publication, of less than six months. Furthermore, unlike many open-access journals, we do not charge authors to publish. Articles containing practical results are particularly welcome, as are articles on progress with agricultural development and research projects, policy discussions, and state-ofthe-art review articles. Shorter contributions on policy and international development news, ideas and opinions, book reviews, and letters are also welcome. Special issues of the journal focus on important current themes, often coordinated by internationally-respected guest editors.

TAA International Accreditation

The TAA International Accreditation Scheme, based on educational qualifications and/or years of experience, awards paid-up members with ‘Member of TAA International’ (MTAAI) or ‘Fellow of TAA International’ (FTAAI) status.

Extended TAAF scheme

The Tropical Agriculture Award Fund (TAAF) has broadened the scope of its awards. In addition to the TAAF awards for students to travel overseas to conduct research, awards for conference attendance are now available to members. Other possible options for awards are also under consideration.

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Mentoring scheme

A TAA International Mentoring Scheme has been established, whereby members are able to register as a mentor or a mentee.

FESP scheme

A Find an Expert, Service or Product (FESP) Scheme has been established to provide a global marketplace for members with expertise, services, or products (including training) for sale, or to provide pro bono services (to charities for example). Only members can upload expertise, services or products for sale, but anyone can access the scheme as a buyer. The FESP Scheme makes the introductions, but all transactions take place off-line. The FESP Scheme is central to our objective of bringing together those seeking knowledge, advice, services and products contributing to sustainable agricultural development with those able to provide them.

TAA International annual membership grants

A fund has been established to provide grants for annual membership of TAA International to citizens of developing countries who cannot afford our membership fees. It will be managed in collaboration with YPARD (Young Professionals for Agricultural Development) and other Partner Organisations.

Other Benefits

Other benefits for members include targeted Job Vacancies; international news feeds on sustainable agriculture; TAA International Annual Honours; two annual lectures by internationally-respected experts; and conferences, seminars, lectures and field visits organised by our local Branches.

Growing our Membership

Like any organisation, to survive and thrive, TAA International must attract new active members. Our improved ‘offer’ to new members, and our new low membership fee for students, young professionals and citizens of developing countries, is promoted on the inside rear cover of every issue of the journal. A new brochure will also be prepared for this purpose.

Whilst we will continue to engage with relevant UK universities to attract new members, our focus will now be on active young professionals and practitioners globally. We will continue to recruit UK-based professionals, including from the agri-tech entrepreneurial community, but our focus will broaden to include mid-career and senior professionals in international organisations such as FAO, IFAD, and CGIAR, as well as practitioners, those involved in business, agri-entrepreneurs, and academics globally.

TAA International membership fees

The annual individual membership fee of £60 has been complemented by a concessionary rate of £10 for students, young professionals under 40 years of age, and all citizens of developing countries (UN definition).

The TAA International ‘offer’ to members

The benefits of TAA International membership have been greatly enhanced to include the following:

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In addition to these direct benefits, members may also gain valuable experience by volunteering to contribute to the management of a global association of professionals and practitioners; or as an editor of a peer-reviewed, open-access technical journal.

Paul Harding Chairman, TAA International June 2023

Acknowledegments: The Trustees express their thanks for the support provided by ExCo, the TAAF Commttee, Convenors of the UK Regional Branches and Specialist Groups and the organisers of our International Branches. In addition, the Trustees also thank the many TAA members who have contributed ideas, supported the Ag4Dev Journal and participated in the Association’s activities.

Executive Committee members

President : Andrew Bennett Chair : Paul Harding Vice Chair and General Secretary : Elizabeth Warham Treasurer: Jim Ellis-Jones Membership Secretary : Matt Sullivan Editor-in-Chief : Karim Hussein Award Fund Chair : Jane Wilkinson Institutional Members : Nicola Yates

Website Manager : Matt Sullivan Honours Chair : David Radcliffe East Anglia : Vacant London and South-East : David Radcliffe North of England : vacant Scotland: vacant South-West : Tim Roberts Land Husbandry Group : Amir Kassam Environmental Conservation : Vacant

Student membership : Paul Baranowski International convenors India: Girish Bharadwaj Caribbean: Bruce Lauckner SE Asia : Wyn Ellis South Pacific : Ravi Joshi Zambia : Chris Kapembwa

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Financial Review

The charity had a deficit of receipts over payments for the year of £5,275 (in 2022 surplus £7,684).

Reserves Policy

It is the trustee’s policy to hold reserves of approximately twelve months expenses so that in the event of a significant drop in income the charity can maintain its current level of activities for a reasonable period until replacement funding is obtained. At the year end the charity held unrestricted cash fund of £25,048, which represents more than twelve months unrestricted expenses, before considering further inflows of funds.

The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees report above.

Signed on behalf of the Charity’s Trustees, after approval at the Association’s Annual General Meeting on 4[th] December 2023

Paul Harding

…………………………………………………..

Dr Paul Harding (Chair)

Jim Ellis-Jones

………………………………………………….. Jim Ellis-Jones (Treasurer)

Date : 4[th] December 2023

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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION (UNITED KINGDOM)

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity for the year ended 30 June 2022, which are set out on pages 10 to 13.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

  1. accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act; or

  2. the accounts do not accord with those records.

I have no concerns and have come across no matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

John Simpson

John Simpson FCA Chartered Accountants Ireland Montpelier Professional (Galloway) Limited 1 Dashwood Square Newton Stewart DG8 6EQ

Date: 12[th] December 2023

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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION (UNITED KINGDOM)

Receipts and payments account for the year ended 30 June 2023

Receipts
Membership Subscriptions
Award Fund Donations
Other donations
Functions - Conference & AGM
Bank Interest
Inland Revenue (Gift Aid)
Miscellaneous
Total Receipts
Payments
Charitable Activities
Governance Costs
Total Expenditure
Excess/(Deficit) of Receipts over Payments
Bank balance brought forward
Transfers (Jnl honorarium to TAAI grants)
Bank balance carried forward		 Notes
2
3		 Restricted
-
4,000
-
-
-
-
-
4,000
7,872
-
7,872
-3,872
38,878
1,000
35,006		 Unrestricted
17,928
-
507
1,148
304
2,021
188
22,096
21,099
2,400
23,499
-1,403
27,450
-1,000
25,047		 2023
17,928
4,000
507
1,148
304
2,021
188
26,096
28,971
2,400
31,371
-5,275
66,328
-
61,053		 2022
19,987
3,400
10,000
1,111
9
2,352
-
36,859
27,910
1,265
29,175
7,684
58,644
-
66,328

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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION (UNITED KINGDOM)

Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at 30 June 2023

Bank Balance
Opening Balance - Current Account
- Deposit Account
- Movement in Year
Closing Balance - Current Account
- Deposit Account
Other Assets
Liabilities
(
Total Funds
£		 2023
2,206
64,122
-5,275
61,053
888
60,165
61,053
400
) (
60,653
£		 2022
897
57,747
7,684
66,328
2,206
64,122
66,328
300
)
66,028

The accounts were approved by the trustees on

4[th] December 2023

For and on behalf of the trustees

Paul Harding

Dr Paul Harding ……………………………………………………. Chair

Jim Ellis-Jones

Mr J Ellis-Jones ……………………………………………………. Treasurer

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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION (UNITED KINGDOM) Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 30 June 2023

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1 Basis of Preparation

The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis. They consist of a summary of all monies received and paid via the bank and in cash by the charity during the financial year, along with a statement of assets and liabilities. No adjustments have been made for any income due but not received, or any expenses incurred but not yet paid at the year end.

2 Charitable Activities

Journal
Shows, Exhibitions, Functions & Conferences
Regional Subventions
Award Fund Grants & Expenses
LendwithCARE
Biology Society
UK Forum for All Parliamentary Group
Internet/web costs
£
Governance Costs
Insurance
Accountancy Fees
ExCo/Meeting
Administration
£		 2023
9,297
4,671
40
7,872
0
0
0
7,091
28,971
£
2023
580
528
1,184
108
2,400
£		 2022
12,822
2,286
0
11,071
0
0
0
1,731
27,910
2022
575
348
342
-
1,265

3 Governance Costs

4 Trustee Payment

No remuneration was paid to any Trustee or ExCo member. Expenses of £990 were reimbursed to Trustees and ExCo members during the year.

The charity has Trustee Indemnity Insurance in place.

5 Restricted Funds

TAA Award Fund
TAA International Fund		 Opening
Balance
38,878
-
38,878		 Receipts
4,000
(
-
4,000
(		 Payments
7,872
)
-
7,872
)		 Transfers
-
1,000
1,000		 Closing
Balance
35,006
1,000
36,006

The purpose of the TAA Award Fund is to make small grants available to young professionals to gain international development experience.

The purpose of the TAA International Fund is to make small grants for young professionals from developing workshops.

The transfer is a result of the journal editor waiving his honorarium to establish this fund.

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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION (UNITED KINGDOM)

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 30 June 2023

6 Related Party Transactions

There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year, nor the previous year.

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