International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas

Name

International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas

Legal name

International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)

Website

https://icarda.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Research Services

NAICS

Oilseed and Grain Farming (1111), Animal Production and Aquaculture (112), Other Crop Farming (1119)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Plant Breeding & Variety Development (Conventional) (AFAGAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biotechnology & Gene-Edited Trait Development (AFAGAIAG), Nucleus Herd/Flock Breeding & Multiplier Stock Supply (AFAEAJAF), Climate-Smart Farming & GHG Reduction (Emissions Accounting, Methane/N2O Reduction Practices) (AFAGAMAH), Cold Storage for Seed & Planting Material (AFAOADAI), Seed & Agricultural Genetics Frozen Storage (Germplasm) (TLALACAG)

Keywords

• Dryland agricultural research
• Climate-resilient crop breeding
• Genetic resource conservation
• Small ruminant breeding programs
• Water-smart irrigation technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Beirut

HQ country

Lebanon

HQ region

Middle East

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. CGIAR System Funding: As a CGIAR center, ICARDA receives core funding through the CGIAR Trust Fund and is part of the CGIAR System. Funding comes from governments, foundations, and development banks worldwide.
2. Donor Grants and Project Funding: ICARDA receives project-based funding from bilateral donors, foundations, and international development organizations. The organization works with 65+ strategic donor partners including governments, development banks, and private foundations.
3. International Public Goods Distribution: ICARDA's seeds and research outputs are distributed as International Public Goods accessible to crop breeders and researchers worldwide at no cost, maintaining a non-commercial mission focused on global food security.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ICARDA conducts agricultural research and develops climate-resilient crop varieties, livestock genetic improvements, and water-smart technologies for non-tropical dry areas. It conserves dryland genetic resources through a network of genebanks and distributes improved varieties, germplasm, and knowledge products as International Public Goods at no cost to national research systems, breeders, and smallholder farmers across Central and West Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ICARDA Genebanks: Genetic resource conservation network with facilities in Lebanon and Morocco containing over 152,000 plant accessions
• International Nurseries
• Community-Based Breeding Program
• Integrated Desert Farming Innovation Platform

Products and services

• ICARDA Genebanks (Genetic Resources Conservation Service) Conservation and distribution of dryland crop genetic resources with two genebanks in Lebanon and Morocco holding approximately 152,224 accessions of cereals, food legumes, forage, and rangeland species from the Fertile Crescent, Ethiopian highlands, and Nile Valley. Service beneficiaries include NARS, breeders, and researchers worldwide.
• International Nurseries System Global nursery trialing system distributing improved crop varieties and genetically diverse germplasm to partners worldwide. ICARDA distributes approximately 6,000 seed samples annually to researchers and breeders across 43 countries. Service is targeted at NARS, global crop breeding programs, and universities.
• Community-Based Breeding Programs (Small Ruminants) Farmer-centered genetic improvement programs for small ruminants (sheep and goats) that link genetic improvement with enhanced animal health and improved feeding practices. Direct engagement with livestock herder communities across Ethiopia, Mali, Mongolia, and India.
• African Breeding Accelerator Advanced research and training hub inaugurated in Morocco in 2025, equipped with cutting-edge tools to fast-track development of climate-resilient crops for the African continent. Housed at ICARDA's regional hub in Rabat.
• Integrated Desert Farming Innovation Platform Program testing viable agriculture in desert areas by combining traditional oasis farming wisdom with modern innovations in water, energy, crop, and livestock management for desert agriculture. Launched in 2022 in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority.
• ULE Drip Irrigation Technology Solar-powered drip irrigation technology that reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 64% compared to diesel-powered systems. Nominated for the World Water Prize. Deployed in dryland regions including Egypt through technology scaling partnerships.
• ICARDA Seed Request System Web-based platform (germplasm-prd.azurewebsites.net) allowing users to explore genebank collections and submit requests for genetic material. Tracks request progress and enables global distribution of 6,000+ samples annually.
• Farming with Alternative Pollinators (FAP) Economically self-sustaining approach to protect pollinators through marketable habitat enhancement plants and cross-sector policies. Targeted at farming communities and ecosystems in dryland regions.
• GeoAgro-Misr App GeoAgro-Misr App used by farmers in Egypt for precision agriculture decisions based on geospatial and field data, applying machine learning to climate modeling, geospatial data, and farming systems dynamics.

Quantifiable outcome

• ICARDA-developed improved cereal and legume varieties generate net benefits of approximately $850 million each year for farmers worldwide
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability8 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, regional and minor.

• CGIAR SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024ICARDA is a core CGIAR center part of the CGIAR System, which coordinates global agricultural research. ICARDA serves as CGIAR Regional Director of CWANA and leads the CGIAR Initiative on Fragility to Resilience in Central and West Asia and North Africa.
• International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on community-based breeding programs for small ruminants, linking genetic improvement with enhanced animal health and improved feeding practices. Joint work in Ethiopia, Mali, Mongolia, and India.
• International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-leading the Global Strategy for Resilient Drylands launched at COP16 in 2024, together with 12 CGIAR sister centers to support 2.7 billion people in dry regions.
• International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint projects on conservation agriculture combined with livestock production, expanded through CIMMYT to Bolivia and Mexico. Collaboration on wheat improvement programs.
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on plant genetic resources, agricultural research, and food security. ICARDA coordinates CGIAR participation in FAO initiatives and international treaty frameworks.
• Global Crop Diversity TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for genebank operations and seed vault deposits. ICARDA's genebanks are embedded within the CGIAR genebank system supported by the Crop Trust. ICARDA deposited seeds to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.
• Arabian Peninsula Regional ProgramsregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional research programs for Arabian Peninsula countries focused on date palm cultivation, desert agriculture, and water management.
• Highland Regional ProgramsregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional programs for highland agricultural systems, expanding ICARDA's reach from North Africa to Central Asia.
• Nile Valley Regional ProgramsregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional cooperation across Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Yemen, and Eritrea for wheat-based food security, faba bean productivity, and agricultural research coordination.
• Moroccan National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA Morocco)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research on durum wheat, faba bean breeding, and agricultural innovation. ICARDA Board member Dr. Lamiae Ghaouti serves as Director of INRA Morocco.
• Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on food legume research with ICARDA's Food Legume Research Platform (FLRP) near Bhopal, and South Asia regional coordination.
• Integrated Desert Farming Innovation PlatformmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerICARDA leads this platform launched in 2022, combining traditional oasis farming wisdom with modern innovations in water, energy, crop, and livestock management for desert agriculture.
• Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for date palm research and desert agriculture innovation in the UAE.
• Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural InnovationregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership recognizing innovations in date palm cultivation and agricultural development.
• United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical and scientific cooperation on agricultural research and development.
• CIRAD (France)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench agricultural research cooperation including geographer Irene Carpentier placement at ICARDA.
• Cornell UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for agricultural research and capacity building.
• Texas A&M UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Vinay Nangia serves as adjunct faculty at Texas A&M University (USA), facilitating research exchange.
• Tottori University (Japan)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Vinay Nangia serves as visiting professor, and students from Tottori University participate in ICARDA training programs.
• Future Harvest ConsortiummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium led by ICARDA with sister CGIAR centers to rebuild Afghanistan's agriculture after war through seed distribution, research station revival, and training programs.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Broad incumbents

• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO): FAO is a broader UN intergovernmental organization that works on global food security and agricultural policy. It is a major ICARDA partner but operates at much greater scale and scope across all agricultural and food systems, not just dryland crops.

Emerging players

• International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI): IFPRI is a CGIAR center focused on food policy research rather than crop breeding. It is a partial peer via its shared CGIAR membership and overlapping dryland food security policy work, but its core output is policy analysis rather than genetic resources.

Direct peers

• International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT): CIMMYT is a sister CGIAR center focused on maize and wheat improvement. It is one of ICARDA's closest collaborators, jointly leading conservation agriculture and crop-livestock integration work, making it the most direct comparable peer in mission and operating model.
• International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI): ILRI is a CGIAR center focused on livestock research in developing countries. ICARDA and ILRI collaborate on community-based breeding programs for small ruminants across Ethiopia, Mali, Mongolia, and India, making them direct peers in the livestock-genetics research space.
• Crop Trust: The Global Crop Diversity Trust supports CGIAR genebanks, including ICARDA's. It is a direct counterpart in genetic resource conservation and was a core partner in ICARDA's historic Svalbard vault withdrawal and redeposit operation.
• International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT): ICRISAT is a CGIAR center focused on dryland crops in the semi-arid tropics. It co-leads the Global Strategy for Resilient Drylands with ICARDA and shares the dryland agricultural research mandate across similar geographies and crops.
• International Rice Research Institute (IRRI): IRRI is a foundational CGIAR center focused on rice research. It shares the CGIAR operational model, global genebank system, and crop-improvement mandate that make it a structural and operational peer to ICARDA.
• World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF): ICRAF is a CGIAR center focused on agroforestry research. It shares the CGIAR operating model, donor base, and research-for-development mandate with ICARDA, with overlap in integrated crop-livestock-tree systems relevant to dryland agriculture.
• International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT): CIAT is a CGIAR center focused on tropical agriculture, particularly in Latin America and Africa. As a sister CGIAR center within the same system, it shares the research-for-development model, donor base structure, and global genebank integration that ICARDA operates within.

Others

• International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD): IFAD is a UN financial institution that funds agricultural development in rural areas of developing countries. It is a major ICARDA financial partner for community-based breeding and conservation agriculture projects, but operates as a development financier rather than a research implementer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ICARDA_CGIAR
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCwzPIJDIXyBNQuEL-YdzRpQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/icarda
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/icarda
• Instagraminstagram.com/icarda_cgiar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas