International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is one of the world’s leading research partners in finding solutions for hunger, malnutrition, and poverty.

IITA is a non-profit international organization founded in 1967 and governed by a Board of Trustees.

Its award-winning agricultural research for development (R4D) addresses the needs of the poor and vulnerable in the tropics. It works with public and private sector partners to enhance crop quality and productivity, reduce risk to producers and consumers, and generate wealth from agriculture.

The Institute’s R4D covers the following themes: biotechnology and genetic improvement, natural resource management, plant production and plant health, and social science and agribusiness.

For the last 45 years, IITA’s agricultural R4D has delivered over 70 per cent of CGIAR impact in sub-Saharan Africa. It has achieved this impact by focusing on key tropical food crops, such as banana and plantain, maize, cassava, soybean, cowpea, tree crops, and yam.

With the mission to enhance food security and improve livelihoods through R4D, IITA tackles these challenges by pursuing these interrelated objectives: improving food security, increasing the profitability of foods and other agricultural products, reducing risks to producers and consumers, and helping national entities to expand agricultural growth.