CIAT is an agricultural research institution. They focus on scientific solutions to hunger in the tropics. They believe eco-efficient agriculture—developing sustainable methods of food production—is the best way to eradicate hunger and improve livelihoods in the region.
CIAT is also about partnerships. By working together with likeminded organizations they ensure they have a far-reaching and long-lasting impact.
CIAT is a leading not-for-profit organization and they have been helping smallholders grow more food and earn more money for 40 years. Established in 1970, as one of the four original research centers in the Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), CIAT now works in more than 50 countries worldwide.
CIAT has its headquarters near Cali, Colombia, with regional offices in Nairobi, Kenya, and Hanoi, Vietnam. Center scientists work in Latin America and the Caribbean as well as 29 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and 5 in Southeast Asia. Their collaborative efforts in these regions have generated important research achievements with substantial development impact.
CIAT works in collaboration with hundreds of partners to help developing countries make farming more competitive, profitable, and resilient through smarter, more sustainable natural resource management. We help policymakers, scientists, and farmers respond to some of the most pressing challenges of our time, including food insecurity and malnutrition, climate change, and environmental degradation.
CIAT's global research contributes to several of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, and cuts across four key themes: big data, climate-smart agriculture, ecosystem action, and sustainable food systems.
Research Areas
CIAT has global responsibility for the improvement of two staple foods, cassava and common bean, together with tropical forages for livestock. In Latin America and the Caribbean, we conduct research on rice as well. Representing diverse food groups and a key component of the world’s agricultural biodiversity, those crops are vital for global food and nutrition security.
In its work on agrobiodiversity, the Center employs advanced biotechnology to accelerate crop improvement. Progress in our crop research also depends on unique collections of genetic resources – 65,000 crop samples in all – which we hold in trust for humanity.
Alongside its research on agrobiodiversity, CIAT works in two other areas – soils and decision and policy analysis – which cut across all tropical crops and production environments.
Center soil scientists conduct research across scales – from fields and farms to production systems and landscapes – to create new tools and knowledge that help reduce hunger through sustainable intensification of agricultural production, while restoring degraded land and making agriculture climate smart.
CIAT’s work on decision and policy analysis harnesses the power of information to influence decisions about issues such as climate change, linking farmers to markets, research impact assessment, and gender equity.
