CRA-W

About

The Walloon Agricultural Research Centre (CRA-W) is a public administrative unit (UAP) funded by the Walloon Region of Belgium. It combines scientific research, service provision, and support activities to serve Walloon farmers, livestock breeders, horticulturists, foresters, and stakeholders in the agri-food sector.

CRA-W’s research units possess extensive and complementary expertise, covering all areas of agronomy. The centre continuously conducts around 130 scientific research projects, addressing beneficiaries’ needs in collaboration with partners from Wallonia, Belgium, Europe, and beyond. CRA-W has significant experience participating in EU-funded projects, including several in animal science, such as Autoprot, ClieNFarms, GplusE, Happymoo, Holicow, Optimir, PPILOW, Protecow, and SmartCow.

In addition to its research activities, CRA-W provides a wide range of services and advisory support for professionals, public authorities, and the general public.

Vision

CRA-W’s research focuses on addressing the scientific, technical, economic and social challenges of the agricultural, livestock, and agri-food sectors. Its key objectives include:

• Reducing the use of synthetic inputs and mitigating agriculture’s impact on climate change.
• Producing high-quality products more sustainably while safeguarding farmers’ quality of life, promoting animal welfare, and protecting the environment and biodiversity.
• Enhancing production profitability to ensure Walloon farmers receive a fair income.
• Supporting the valorisation of agricultural products across diverse supply chains, including conventional, local, organic, and non-organic systems.

CRA-W in the Animal Task Force

CRA-W represents the knowledge institutes of Belgium’s southern regions (Wallonia and Brussels) within the Animal Task Force (ATF). Acting as an intermediary, CRA-W connects animal production and health researchers in southern Belgium. Its mission is to unite stakeholders involved in research to discuss the pressing issues and challenges facing animal production in the region.