Agricultural research in Nigeria started formally with the establishment of a botanical garden in Lagos during the late 19th century. This garden was part of a network of gardens established under British rule, focusing on the introduction of new crops. In 1903 the Forestry and Botanical Department (renamed Agricultural Department) for southern Nigeria was created. In 1912 this was divided into two regional departments resulting in the establishment of a Department of Agriculture for northern Nigeria. Then in 1914, with Nigeria’s unification, the two departments were merged to form a new Department of Agriculture.

Progress was made in terms of infrastructure and human resources resulting in new research stations, more research personnel, and a more technical research program that included plant breeding and plant pathology. Research continued to focus, however, on export crops like oil palm, rubber, cotton and cocoa.

The PIC presented its first quarter report to Mr. President in November 2006 with the key recommendation being the immediate take-off of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria as the global best practice institutional arrangement for coordination and supervision of agricultural research. Based on this, an Executive Secretary was appointed for ARCN in November 2006 and thus the Council took off.