The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (known as CIAT from its

Spanish-language Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...

name ) is an international research and development organization dedicated to reducing poverty and hunger while protecting natural resources in developing countries. It is based in Palmira, Colombia, where it employs over 300 scientists. CIAT is one of the 14 agricultural research centers of the

CGIAR CGIAR (formerly the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) is a global partnership that unites international organizations engaged in research about food security. CGIAR research aims to reduce rural poverty, increase food ...

. In 2019, CIAT joined with Bioversity International (as the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT) to "deliver research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people’s lives".

Future Seeds Gene bank

CIAT has one of the 11

gene bank A gene bank is a type of biorepository that is used across the world to store the genetic material of animals, plants, and other organisms. It preserves their genetic information in the form of reproductive material like seeds, sperm, eggs, emb ...

s of the

, with a collection of more than 65,000 accessions of three crops: beans (37,000); tropical

forages Foraging is searching for wild food resources. It affects an animal's Fitness (biology), fitness because it plays an important role in an animal's ability to survive and reproduce. Optimal foraging theory, Foraging theory is a branch of behaviora ...

(23,000) and

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...

(6,000), from more than 100 countries. With funding from the United Kingdom, the Colombian government and others, in 2022 inaugurated a new facility to host those accessions called 'Future seeds' in which not only expanded its capacity to up tp 250,000 accessions, but creating an architectural landmark and environmentally sustainable infrastructure, and a hub for research and learningWorld’s largest bean and cassava collection gets a striking new home
/ref> The research conducted at this center includes, as of 2013, a research on developing better varieties of grain legumes. The goals are tolerances to drought, low phosphorus soils, and heat; in addition to improved nitrogen fixation. CIAT coordinated the activities of the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) in 29 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. This effort was supported by the

Canadian International Development Agency The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA; in French: ''Agence canadienne de développement international''; ''ACDI'') was a federal Canadian organization that administered foreign aid programs in developing countries. The agency was me ...

(CIDA)

References

{{Authority control International research institutes Research institutes in Colombia Agricultural research institutes Agricultural organisations based in Colombia Organizations with year of establishment missing

Future Seeds Gene bank

See also

References