Tropical Agronomic Center for Research and Teaching

CATIE´s origin dates back to October 7, 1942 when the Inter-American Institute for Agricultural Sciences (IICA) was founded. From its inception, the Institute’s mandate has centered on research and education in agriculture and natural resources in the American tropics. The Graduate School began its operations in 1946. In 1960, IICA’s General Directorate was moved from Turrialba to San José, Costa Rica; research and teaching activities continued in Turrialba. Agriculture, from the beginning, implied a broad spectrum of activities and disciplines including crop production, livestock management, renewable natural resources and the social and economic dimensions of these fields of endeavor. Eventually, the Turrialba base of the Institute was transformed into a Center for Education and Research (CEI). Over a nine-year period, beginning in 1960, significant changes led to a strengthening of training opportunities for Latin American professionals, thereby laying the 6 groundwork for agricultural development in the region. In 1970, the Center for Education and Research was named the Tropical Center for Education and Research (CTEI). The year 1973 was an important one for this institution. The Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) was definitively established as an autonomous entity dedicated to research, higher education and outreach activities. Eighteen years later, in 1991, the governing body of CATIE was constituted to create a wholly independent Board of Directors made up of well-renowned individuals from throughout the world who represent “no one but themselves”, thereby providing autonomy and stability to the institution. Additionally, the Superior Council, composed of Ministers from the Ministries of Agriculture or Environment of CATIE´s member countries, oversees the institution and ensures that the interests of their countries are represented in CATIE’s plans and activities.