SAFAD was founded in 1969 after a project to Iran in 1968. Two postgraduates and two undergraduates of the Silsoe college arranged their own sponsorship from companies and organisations and travelled to Iran for five weeks. They stayed at the Karaj Agricultural Training Centre in Iran where they investigated the efficiency of agricultural irrigation systems and demonstrated machinery and soil conservation techniques to students.
The first of many projects in Africa took place in Kenya in 1972, and the first South American project was in Honduras in 1984.
Our projects at a glance:
| Year | Project destination | Year | Project destination |
| 1969 | Iran | 2000 | Cameroon, Peru |
| 1972 | Kenya | 2001 | Cameroon, Guatemala, Malawi, Peru |
| 1973 | Kenya | 2002 | Cameroon, Guatemala, Malawi, Peru |
| 1975 | Malawi | 2003 | Ethiopia, Tibet |
| 1976 | Tanzania | 2004 | Ethiopia, India, Tibet |
| 1978 | Nigeria | 2005 | Bolivia, Cameroon, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Malawi, Peru, Tibet, Zimbabwe |
| 1980 | Sri Lanka | 2006 | Bolivia, Cameroon, Guatemala, Kenya, Malawi, Peru, Zimbabwe |
| 1982 | Malaysia | 2007 | Bolivia, Cambodia, Chad, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Madagascar, Mexico, Thailand, Uganda |
| 1983 | Pakistan, Sudan | 2008 | Bolivia, Cambodia, Kenya, Myanmar, Zimbabwe |
| 1984 | Honduras, Nigeria, Uganda | 2009 | Ethiopia, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Lebanon |
| 1985 | Honduras, Mexico, Tanzania, Thailand | 2010 | Cambodia, China, Comoros, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Kenya, Thailand, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
| 1986 | Honduras, Kenya, St Lucia, Thailand | 2011 | Comoros, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya |
| 1987 | Burkina Faso, Bolivia, Kenya | 2012 | Ethiopia, Honduras, Kenya, Uganda |
| 1988 | Guatemala, India, Kenya | 2013 | Laos, Philippines |
| 1989 | Cameroon, Guatemala, India, Swaziland | 2014 | Guatemala, Honduras, India, Malawi, Uganda |
| 1990 | Cameroon, Guatemala, Swaziland, Thailand | 2015 | Cameroon, Honduras, India, Laos, Malawi, Uganda |
| 1991 | Cameroon, Guatemala, Swaziland, Thailand | 2016 | Laos, Uganda, Zimbabwe |
| 1992 | Belize, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guatemala, Philippines, Uganda, Zambia | 2017 | Haiti, Laos, Uganda |
| 1993 | Burkina Faso, Cameroon | 2018 | Haiti, Honduras |
| 1994 | Cameroon, Guatemala, India, Nicaragua, Thailand | 2019 | Mexico, Nigeria |
| 1995 | Cameroon, Guatemala, Uganda | 2023 | Peru |
| 1996 | Cameroon, Guatemala, Peru, Uganda | ||
| 1997 | Cameroon, Guatemala, Peru, Uganda | ||
| 1998 | Cameroon, Guatemala, Peru, Uganda | ||
| 1999 | Cameroon, Guatemala, Peru, Uganda |
Silsoe Aid For Appropriate Development Cranfield University, Bedfordshire.