Grow Further projects will fall into three main goal areas:

1. Improving nutrition, including improving the nutrient levels in agricultural products or facilitating the production of nutritious agricultural products.  Increasing yield per acre or feed conversion ratios without attention to micro-nutrients fall within the broad category of improving nutrition but are not expected to be the primary focus of Grow Further.
2. Climate adaptation, which encompasses a broad range of research.  From a technical perspective, research on climate adaptation includes not only work on heat tolerance but also on almost all types of biotic (pests, diseases, weeds, etc.) and abiotic (heat, drought, salinity, submergence, cold, soil nutrient, etc.) stress.  From an economic perspective, climate adaptation research is more or less the same as research that aims to reduce the risk of farming or help producers on marginal land.
3. Farm income, particularly for low-income smallholders.  For most farmers, small increases in the yields of low-value commodities will have marginal effects on income.  As such, agricultural research projects that improve farm income are generally those that facilitate the production of high-value products or improve the quality of existing products, or in some cases lower the cost of production.

Grow Further will focus on research on species relevant to food and nutrition security, including:

• cereals 
• legumes 
• edible roots and tubers 
• fruits
• nuts 
• Vegetables
• edible mushrooms; 
• forage crops 
• animals raised for meat, milk, and/or eggs; and 
• species that support food production (cover crops, bees, draft animals, etc.) 

Grow Further will consider projects from a variety of disciplines, including:

• agronomy 
• crop science 
• plant protection 
• animal science 
• veterinary medicine 
• soil science 
• agricultural engineering 
• information technology in agriculture 

We are most interested in projects that can show results relatively quickly (< 3-5 years).  Generally speaking, the development of software can be done most quickly, and testing devices and techniques is faster than developing them, with breeding crops and livestock taking the longest.  

• timber 
• biofuels 
• fiber crops  
• fiber-producing livestock; crops grown for recreational substances; ornamental plants; or herbs, flavorings, or other items unless there is a clear connection to food security.
• pro or anti-GMO advocacy

We prioritize projects that promote environmental sustainability, including increasing organic matter levels in soil, saving water, reducing chemical use, preserving genetic diversity, or even in some contexts increasing yields to reduce the need for cultivated land.  We have to date not funded any GMO or agrochemical projects and most research we are considering (like most public-sector agricultural research in general) is relevant to both organic and conventional farmers.  Members have a simple option to restrict their investment to organic research only.

Grow Further will de-prioritize work on the four major grains:

• rice 
• maize
• wheat
• soybeans 

as there is already much activity in this space.

Initial projects will be in a 5-digit annual budget range each.  Later projects will be a bit larger, but not huge because agricultural science has lower budgets than other types of science and funding small projects that might have been overlooked is where Grow Further can add the most value to society.

Grow Further will generally support applied field-based research, including on-farm trials, rather than basic laboratory research.

For scaling up technologies we will leverage private-sector commercialization, government agricultural extension services, or Grow Further-affiliated impact investment funds rather than philanthropic capital.

Selection will be guided by three factors:

1. Relevance.  Grow Further’s work is most relevant in contexts with low-income smallholder farmers who have reasonably secure land titles.
2. Enabling environment.  This includes the number and training of agricultural scientists, the ability of partner institutions to assist with monitoring and evaluation and take results to scale, the ability of farmers to effectively use results (e.g., transportation, credit, access to smartphones, etc. as applicable), relevant regulations, and the overall business and security environment.
3. Member interest and connection. Many of our members may have friends or family in the regions appropriate for Grow Further investment and can thus bring unique local knowledge and cultural awareness.  Grow Further will also consider the likelihood of establishing local chapters in the future.