The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) envisions reducing hunger and poverty and improving human nutrition in the tropics through research aimed at increasing the eco-efficiency of agriculture. CIAT’s staff includes about 200 scientists. Supported by a wide array of donors, the center collaborates with hundreds of partners to conduct high-quality research and translate the results into development impact.
CIAT was formally established in 1967 and began its research in 1969. While aware of the many constraints to farming in the tropics, CIAT’s founders saw this vast region as a world of promise, where agriculture, with the aid of modern science, might contribute substantially to reducing hunger and poverty. Since no single organization can address the whole of tropical agriculture, CIAT complements the efforts of others by focusing on selected crops and research areas.
CIAT develops technologies, methods and knowledge that better enable farmers, mainly smallholders, to enhance eco-efficiency in agriculture. This means that CIAT makes production more competitive and profitable as well as sustainable and resilient through economically and ecologically sound use of natural resources and purchased inputs.
CIAT is a member of the CGIAR System Organization, a global research partnership for a food-secure future.
