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Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Crop Improvement

We partner with scientists and stakeholders around the globe to co-develop tools, technologies, and methods in crop improvement that address local concerns and focus on building equitable community impact. Our aim is to listen to national agricultural research institutes as they define their own goals and drive advancement to breed resilient crop varieties that stand up to pests, diseases and climate change. We believe that if national programs play a central role in designing innovations that prioritize and target their unique needs then these solutions will be more sustainable in the long-term.

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Featured news

Expanded USAID initiative fuels efforts to boost global crop resilience

The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Crop Improvement has been awarded a second five-year, $25 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to continue advancing its mission of improving global food security and agricultural resilience. This renewed funding will enable ILCI to strengthen its interdisciplinary efforts to support demand-driven, socially responsive crop improvement programs in key regions around the world.

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Our global network

Uganda

Host: East African Center of Innovation for Finger Millet and Sorghum (CIFMS) led by the National Semi arid Resources Research Institute (NaSARRI)

Haiti

Host: Central American and Caribbean Crop Improvement Alliance (CACCIA) co-led by Quisqueya University

Nepal

Quick Win: Breeding pulse crops towards protein biofortification with the Nepal Agricultural Research Institute

Senegal

Host: Crop Innovation in West Africa (CIWA) led by the Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA)

Costa Rica

Host: Central American and Caribbean Crop Improvement Alliance (CACCIA) co-led by the Instituto Nacional de Innovación y Transferencia en Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA)

Malawi

Host: Center of Innovation for Crop Improvement for East and Southern Africa (CICI-ESA) led by Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR)

Nigeria

Quick Win: Identification of QTL/genes associated with resistance to Taro Leaf Blight (TLB) and yield quality in Colocasia esculenta in biparental mapping population with the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI)

Tanzania

Partner country: Center of Innovation for Crop Improvement for East and Southern Africa (CICI-ESA) and the East African Center of Innovation for Finger Millet and Sorghum (CIFMS) in collaboration with the Tanzania Agriculture Research Institute (TARI)

Mozambique

Partner country: Center of Innovation for Crop Improvement for East and Southern Africa (CICI-ESA) in collaboration with the Instituto de Investigação Agrária de Moçambique (IIAM)

Burkina Faso

Partner country: Crop Innovation in West Africa (CIWA) in collaboration with the Institut de l’Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA)

Niger

Partner country: Crop Innovation in West Africa (CIWA) in collaboration with the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique du Niger (INRAN)

Kenya

Partner country: East African Center of Innovation for Finger Millet and Sorghum (CIFMS) in collaboration with the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization

Cornell University

ILCI headquarters and objective area partners: breeding informatics, cross-cutting themes, genomics, institutional capacity and priority setting

Cultural Practice, LLC

Objective area partner: Cross-cutting themes

RTI International

Monitoring, Learning and Evaluation

Colorado State University

Objective area partner: Trait discovery

Kansas State University

Objective area partner: Phenomics

Clemson University

Objective area partner: Phenomics

Centers of Innovation for Crop Improvement

Led by National Agricultural Research Institutes in each country, these centers act as regional hubs to drive tools, technologies and methods that target crops that are essential for food security

Uganda

East African Center of Innovation for finger millet and sorghum (CIFMS)

Malawi

Center of Innovation for Crop Improvement for East and Southern Africa (CICI-ESA)

Costa Rica & Haiti

Central American and Caribbean Crop Improvement Alliance (CACCIA)

Senegal

Crop Innovation in West Africa (CIWA)

Recent highlights

Researchers at a computerCICI-ESAGenomicsUncategorized
November 19, 2024

From data to crops: ILCI researchers advance cowpea breeding in East and Southern Africa

In the arid regions of East and Southern Africa, cowpea is a vital crop. Renowned for its resilience to poor soils and dry climates, cowpea serves as a stable food…
Hands harvesting coffeeAnnouncements
October 29, 2024

Cornell, World Coffee Research launch coffee improvement program

In a new partnership, Cornell University and World Coffee Research (WCR) are rolling out a pioneering program focused on improving the resilience and productivity of coffee smallholders worldwide. Backed by…
GrowthAnnouncements
October 29, 2024

Expanded USAID initiative fuels Cornell’s efforts to boost global crop resilience

The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Crop Improvement, led by Cornell University, has been awarded a second five-year, $25 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)…

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