CABI (organisation)
 |
|
| Founded | 1910 |
|---|---|
| Focus | Agriculture, Climate Change |
| Location |
|
|
Area served
|
Global |
|
Revenue
|
 GBP £32.2m (2014)[1] |
|
Employees
|
400+ Globally |
| Website | http://www.cabi.org/ |
The Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) is a not-for-profit inter-governmental development and information organisation based in the United Kingdom. It focuses primarily on agricultural and environmental issues in the developing world.
Contents
Overview
CABI, previously the "Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux", was established in 1910 as the Entomological Research Committee. Until 2006, the organisation had three main divisions, each undertaking different activities related to scientific research. More recently, the Publishing, Bioscience and Microbial groups have been bought under a single CABI brand.[2]
As of 2015[update] CABI employed over 400 staff working from more than 21 locations. Their head office is located in Wallingford. Projects are ongoing in more than 70 countries with centres in Brazil, China, Ghana, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Pakistan, Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago, the United Kingdom and the United States[3]
Funding
CABI states that only 3% of its revenue comes from core funding.[4]
Donors listed in the company's 2014 financial report include the UK's Department for International Development (£4,962k), the Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation (CHF 972k), the European Union (€3,242k) and The International Fund for Agricultural Development (US$570k). A not-insignificant portion of CABI's revenue is made up of member country contributions.[5]
Projects
CABI engages in a variety of projects that address agricultural and environmental issues worldwide. Typically these focus on commodity crops, invasive species, and scientific communication.
GODAN Secretariat
The Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN) secretariat is hosted by CABI at its headquarters in Wallingford, UK.[6] It is a rapidly growing partnership of 137 organizations from national governments, non-governmental, international and private sector organisations that have committed to moving forward with an open data agenda in agriculture and nutrition to help achieve global food security.[7]
Invasive Species
<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>
CABI hosts a large number of invasive species-related projects that it is currently planning to bring under one banner. Many of these projects don't focus on a particular area, but on specific species. Notable projects include research into invasive plants including Japanese Knotweed, Giant Hogweed and Himalayan Balsam.[8]
Plantwise
Plantwise is a global programme with the purpose of reducing crop losses and improving food security by collecting and sharing information about plant health.[9] Plantwise is supported by an alliance of international partners, who typically provide content or funding.
Microbial Services
CABI housed a collection of over 28,000 fungi samples from around the world to carry out microbial identification, preservations, patenting, training and consultancy from their offices and labs in Egham, England. In 2009, these were merged with the collection at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. This move was supported by a £250,000 grant from the UK government.[10]
Publishing Division
The publishing division of CABI helps to fund the scientific research and projects undertaken by the other two divisions. CABI publishes books, abstract databases (such as CAB Direct) and online resources. Subject areas include agriculture, plant sciences, veterinary sciences, environmental science, food, nutrition, and tourism. The publishing division of CABI operates primarily out of the head office in Wallingford, England.
CABI's database 'Global Health' is a specialist bibliographic, abstracting and indexing database dedicated to public health research and practice.[11] Publications from over 158 countries in 50 languages are abstracted and all relevant non-English-language papers are translated to give access to research not available through any other database. In 2010, CABI became an official supporting organisation of Healthcare Information For All by 2015 as part of its support to improve availability and use of healthcare information in low-income countries. [12]
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ UK fungi get protection strategy 12 January 2009, BBC News
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
