1992–2008 Crown research institute for arable crops, vegetables, crop systems and food research.
Crop & Food Research was one of the institutes formed in the 1992 government science reorganisation. It inherited crop and food-related scientific work from earlier government research units. Environmental, agricultural and climate-impact research required data describing where soils, crops, climate and land uses varied across New Zealand.
Its participation in the multi-institution CLIMPACTS research is recorded in the scientific-mapping chapter. Crop & Food Research merged with HortResearch on 1 December 2008, establishing Plant & Food Research. This historical profile separates the institute's original work from the later combined organisation.