CABI is a not-for-profit science-based development and information organization.
CABI provides scientific expertise and information on agriculture and the environment.
CABI is the trading name of CAB International.
CABI stands for the Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International. In the past (until 1986) it was known as Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux (CAB) and, later, CAB International. It adopted its current brand in 2006.
CABI can trace its origins back to 1910. It began as an entomological committee, then deveoped into a Commonwealth organization, before becoming a truly international service in agricultural information, pest identification and biological control in the mid 1980s.
At any one time CABI is working in more than 70 countries.
To improve people’s lives worldwide by providing information and applying scientific expertise to solve problems in agriculture and the environment.
CABI is a not-for-profit organization. We receive revenue from our publishing activities, as well as contributions from numerous funding bodies and our member countries. Our annual turnover is approximately £20 million.
CABI has approximately 400 staff working around the globe.
CABI works for and with universities, national research and extension institutions, development agencies, the private sector, governments, charities and foundations, farmers and non-governmental organizations.
CABI has centres in:
China
India
Kenya
Malaysia
Pakistan
Switzerland
Trinidad & Tobago
United Kingdom
United States of America
The membership of CABI was established by a United Nations treaty-level agreement between 40 countries to:
"promote the advancement of agriculture and allied sciences through the provision of information and scientific and related services on a world-wide basis."
These member countries have a say in CABI's governance, policies and strategic direction.
CABI member countries
CABI helps address the challenges of food security by helping farmers grow more and lose less.
We do this by:
alleviating poverty by increasing crop productivity
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advising on good agricultural practice and market access
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training farmers
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tackling pests and disease
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providing access to knowledge and information
safeguarding the environment
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combating invasive plants, diseases and insects
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advising on trade and quarantine issues
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finding natural alternatives to pesticides
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managing and screening the UK's fungal genetic resource collection
improving access to agricultural and environmental scientific knowledge
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producing abstract databases, including the world-renowned CAB Abstracts
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producing books, e-books and multimedia tools
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providing information and communication strategies that support farmers, extension workers and governments
CABI has three areas of operation: 1) publishing, 2) development projects and research, 3) microbial services.
1) publishing
We produce key scientific information, including CAB Abstracts - the world-leading bibliographic database covering agriculture and the environment. We also publish multimedia compendia, books, e-books and full text electronic resources aiming to further science and its application to real life.
2) development projects and research
Our staff research, and find solutions to, agricultural and environmental problems. We use science, information and communication tools to solve the issues which affect people's lives. We focus our work on four key themes:
i) commodities: we work to enable smallholder commodity farmers to compete in global markets. We diagnose and control plant pests and diseases, and help farmers get a better price for their crops. We work on crops such as coffee, cocoa, wheat, rice and cotton.
ii) invasive species: we are helping to reduce the spread and impact of invasive species throughout the world. For example, Japanese knotweed, water hyacinth and insects such as coffee berry borer and cocoa pod borer. Our scope includes environmental, agricultural and forestry invasive species. We also advise countries at a policy level about agriculture, trade and the environment.
iii) knowledge for development: we work with farmers, extension workers, researchers and governments to deliver agricultural knowledge and develop communication strategies and systems. We provide information and support for community-style telecentres and run global plant clinics to help farmers identify pests and diseases affecting their crops.
iv) knowledge management: we use information and communication technologies to provide farmers, researchers and policy makers with the information they need to make informed decisions and to lift people out of poverty. We produce interactive databases and encyclopedic compendia that give access to detailed and easy-to-search information on subjects like crop protection and animal health.
3) microbial services
We manage one of the world’s largest genetic resource collections, the UK’s National Collection of Fungus Cultures. We conduct microbiological identifications, provide cultures for sale, and offer preservation and consultancy services. We also screen our collection, looking for natural products such as antibiotics, vitamins and enzymes.