We are now entering our fifth decade. Over the years we have grown into a remarkable association of Research Centers across the globe, successfully improving crops, farming and policies, and generating knowledge and information to improve the lives of millions of people in rural areas.
Growing and consolidating
As challenges became more complex in the years since the CGIAR was set up in 1971, we founded or adopted new Centers in order to tackle them. In the 1990s the number of Centers expanded to 19 to deal with all of the world’s major food crops, livestock, fish, health and nutrition, climate change, soils, water, forests, and biodiversity. Some subsequently merged and there are now 15 Centers.
Countries around the world host our Centers. Farmers, scientists, technicians, partners, and staff work tirelessly together in a remarkable international endeavor.
| Center | Founded | Joined CGIAR | Merged | Headquarters |
| Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) | 1993 | 1993 | Bogor, Indonesia | |
| WorldFish Center previously International Center for Living Aquatic resources (ICLARM) | 1977 | 1992 | Manila, Philippines | |
| International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain (INIBAP) | 1984 | 1992 | 1994 with IPGRI | Montpellier, France |
| World Agroforestry Centre (previously ICRAF) | 1977 | 1991 | Nairobi, Kenya | |
| International Water Management Institute (IWMI) | 1984 | 1991 | Colombo, Sri Lanka | |
| International Service for National Agricultural Research (ISNAR) | 1980 | 1980 | 2004 into IFPRI | The Hague, Netherlands |
| International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) | 1974 | 1979 | Washington, DC, United States of America | |
| Africa Rice Center previously the West Africa Rice Development Association (WARDA) | 1970 | 1975 | Bouake, Cote d’Ivoire | |
| International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) | 1975 | 1975 | Aleppo, Syria | |
| International Livestock Center for Africa (ILCA) | 1974 | 1974 | 1994 with ILRAD and became ILRI | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
| Bioversity International previously International Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute (IPGRI) | 1974 | 1974 | Rome, Italy | |
| Centro Internacional de la Papa (CIP) | 1970 | 1973 | Lima, Peru | |
| International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases (ILRAD) | 1973 | 1973 | 1994 with ILCA and became ILRI | Nairobi, Kenya |
| International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) | 1972 | 1972 | Hyderabad, India | |
| International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) | 1960 | 1971 | Los Baños, Phillippines | |
| Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maiz y Trigo (CIMMYT) | 1966 | 1971 | Mexico City, Mexico | |
| Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) | 1967 | 1971 | Cali, Colombia | |
| International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) | 1967 | 1971 | Ibadan, Nigeria |
Streamlining
Our new dual structure, the CGIAR Consortium and CGIAR Fund, streamlines our work. It melds us into a coherent whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.