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| International Centre for Research in Agroforestry | |
|---|---|
| Name | International Centre for Research in Agroforestry |
| Formation | 1978 |
| Type | International research institute |
| Headquarters | Nairobi, Kenya |
| Leader title | Director General |
| Parent organization | Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research |
International Centre for Research in Agroforestry is an international research institute focused on agroforestry, tree science, and sustainable land use. Established in 1978, it operates within a network of global research institutions and multilateral agencies, hosting scientists and partners from across Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe. The centre engages with a broad array of organizations and programs to influence policy, practice, and capacity building in rural and forested landscapes.
The centre was founded in 1978 amid discussions involving Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations Development Programme, International Development Research Centre, and national research agencies, drawing on precedents set by institutions such as Wageningen University, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, and CIFOR. Early governance reflected affiliations with the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research and partnerships with regional bodies like African Union and Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Over decades the centre expanded programs in agroforestry, influenced by scholars linked to Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, University of Oxford, and University of Nairobi, and responded to global agendas articulated at forums such as the Rio Earth Summit and Paris Agreement.
The centre’s mission aligns with mandates promoted by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Convention on Biological Diversity, and Sustainable Development Goals, emphasizing integrated tree-based solutions for livelihoods, biodiversity, and climate resilience. Objectives include research on tree-crop systems informed by methodologies from International Food Policy Research Institute, capacity strengthening modeled after International Rice Research Institute, and evidence synthesis comparable to approaches at World Agroforestry Centre peers. Strategic aims reference collaborations with institutions like World Bank, African Development Bank, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to scale innovations.
Research programs cover agroforestry systems research, tree genetics and breeding, soil and water interactions, and socioeconomics of land use, drawing on comparative studies from CABI, CIAT, ICRISAT, ILRI, Bioversity International, IFPRI, and FAO guidelines. Projects integrate remote sensing and GIS techniques related to work at European Space Agency, NASA, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration partners, and apply conservation frameworks used by BirdLife International and World Wide Fund for Nature. Cross-disciplinary initiatives connect to public health studies at World Health Organization and nutrition research linked to University of California, Davis and Harvard University.
The centre maintains formal and informal partnerships with multilateral organizations like United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations Development Programme, and World Bank, regional entities such as African Union, Asian Development Bank, and Inter-American Development Bank, and academic partners including University of Cambridge, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, Copenhagen University, University of Queensland, Makerere University, and Jawaharlal Nehru University. Collaborative agreements exist with NGOs and private foundations such as Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, Rockefeller Foundation, and Ford Foundation.
The governance model mirrors structures used by Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research centers and other international research institutes including IFPRI and CIMMYT, with a board comprising representatives from donor governments, partner organizations like European Commission, and research councils such as National Science Foundation and UK Research and Innovation. Administrative offices coordinate regional hubs, country programs, and thematic units comparable to divisions at ICARDA and IRRI, with oversight from scientific advisory panels drawing membership from Royal Society, National Academy of Sciences, and leading universities.
Funding streams reflect diversified portfolios combining core support from entities such as World Bank, European Commission, and bilateral development agencies like United States Agency for International Development, Department for International Development (UK), German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, as well as competitive grants from Gates Foundation and project financing with Global Environment Facility. Major projects have involved landscape restoration initiatives aligned with Bonn Challenge, carbon sequestration pilots linked to REDD+, and smallholder livelihood programs paralleling efforts by Heifer International and OXFAM.
Contributions include development and dissemination of agroforestry practices influencing policy dialogues at United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, United Nations Forum on Forests, and regional platforms such as African Forestry Forum. Research outputs have informed national strategies in countries like Kenya, Ethiopia, India, Philippines, Brazil, and Peru, and supported climate mitigation reporting under Paris Agreement frameworks. Capacity building has produced trained professionals associated with institutions such as University of Nairobi, Makerere University, and International Livestock Research Institute alumni networks.
Headquartered in Nairobi, the centre operates research stations and regional offices across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, engaging field sites in countries including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, India, Nepal, Philippines, Brazil, and Colombia. Facilities include laboratories akin to those at Kew Gardens for tree germplasm, experimental plots modeled on CIMMYT and IRRI stations, and data centers interoperable with Group on Earth Observations and Global Biodiversity Information Facility networks. The centre’s global presence facilitates partnerships with national research institutes such as Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, India Council of Agricultural Research, and Embrapa.