ABOUT US

The Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR) Samaru was established in 1922 as the Research Division of the Northern Nigeria Ministry of Agriculture. Following the establishment of Ahmadu Bello University, the research division with its sub-stations and assets were transferred to the university under the collective title of Institute for Agricultural Research on the 4th of October 1962.

The national research mandate of the Institute includes:

• Genetic improvement of Cowpea, Cotton, Groundnut, Maize, Sorghum, Castor, Jatropha, Sunflower and Artemisia.
• Development and evaluation of improved crop varieties
• Adoption of introduced and new varieties
• Development and evaluation of appropriate agricultural mechanization technologies for pre-harvest and postharvest production of the IAR mandate crops, also support agricultural mechanization more especially in the North Western Agro Ecological Zone of Nigeria.
• Determining the nutritional and biological values of IAR mandate crops, assessing the suitability of some selected crops for processing and monitoring foods and feeds for toxic contaminants

Goal

The Institute is poised to serve as a centre of excellence for sustainable, affordable, efficient and easily adoptable technologies to enhance farm productivity and product utilization in Nigeria.

Values

To generate, disseminate and impart improved agricultural technologies for enhanced crop production and utilization to achieve national self-reliance in food and industrial raw materials and have surplus for export.

Research Programmes

1. Agricultural Mechanization Research Programme
2. Artemisia Research Programme
3. Biotechnology Research Programme
4. Cereals Research Programme
5. Cotton Research Programme
6. Farming Systems Research Programme
7. Irrigation Research Programme
8. Legumes and Oil seeds Research Programme
9. Product Development Research Programme

Collaborations

• International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
• International Crop Research for Semi –Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
• CentroInternacional de Mejoramiento de Maiz y Trigo (CIMMYT)
• Semi-Arid Grain Research and Development (SAFGRAD)
• International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)

• International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD)
• United States Agency for  International Development (USAID)
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands
• Other  National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs)

Projects

Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)

Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT)

Preparing for Extreme And Rare Events in CoastaL regions (PEARL)

Accelerated Varietal Improvement and Seed Delivery of Cereals and Legumes in Africa (AVISA)

Bt Cowpea (IAR/AATF)

Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria (TRIMING)

TUTELA (TELA Maize)

Harnessing Opportunity for Production Enhancement (HOPE)

West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF/WECARD)

East West Seeds

Collaborative Seed Programme (CSP)

Accountability

The Institute for Agricultural Research is one of the Research Institute’s in Ahmadu Bello University however, it is regulated by the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) under Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), as it has the mandate to coordinate, supervise and regulate agricultural research, training and extension in Nigeria.

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