ICRISAT

ABOUT ICRISAT

As the sheer extent of human suffering caused by the poverty and hunger in developing countries became clear in the early 1970's, over 50 governments, foundations and international development banks formed a collaborative alliance to work for the alleviation of these afflictions through agricultural research for development. The informal network, established in 1972, became known as the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The CGIAR now includes 16 centers, most of which are located in the developing world.

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) was the

first center created under the umbrella of the CGIAR. ICRISAT's headquarters are located in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. The three regional hubs are located at Niamey (Niger), Nairobi (Kenya) and Bulawayo (Zimbabwe). The other locations are at Bamako (Mali), Kano (Nigeria), Lilongwe (Malawi) and Maputo (Mozambique). ICRISAT's vision is to improve the well-being of the poor who live in the semi-arid tropics.

Chicago (ILL) River North, " Illinois Institute of...

Gruter Institute Conference on Growth

Purple Rumped Sunbird Swinging down (ICRISAT)

To achieve this it engages in partnership-based scientific research tailored to real human needs - specifically food security while safeguarding the environment. They call this Science with a Human Face.

THE SEMI-ARID TROPICS

The agroecological region known collectively as the semi-arid tropics (SAT) spans five continents and almost 20 million square kilometers. It is home to one sixth of the world's population and over 300 million of the world's poorest people. The SAT is fragile eco-region characterized by unpredictable climate, low and erratic rainfall and limited soil fertility. Improving life in such a harsh farming environment - constantly vulnerable to drought and often threatened by land degradation - is a formidable challenge for the people who live there, most of whom are engaged in agriculture. These problems are exacerbated by poor infrastructure, increasing population pressure on already insufficient land and water resources, and irregular demand and...