|
The Crops Research Institute (CRI) is one of the 13 Institutes of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) of Ghana. The genesis of CRI dates back to the Gold Coast where it evolved from the Specialists' branch of the Gold Coast Department of Agriculture. In 1959 the Specialists' branch and the Soil and Land Use Survey Department were merged to form the Scientific Services Division of the then Ministry of Agriculture.
The Scientific Services Division was transferred to the National Research Council in 1962 and then to the Ghana Academy of Sciences in 1963 and renamed the Agricultural Research Institute (ARI). In October 1963 the Ghana Academy of Sciences re-organised the ARI into two units – Crops Research Unit (CRU) and Soil Research Unit. In 1964 the CRU became a full-fledged Institute and was re-named the Crops Research Institute (CRI). When the Academy of Sciences was re-organised in 1968 into the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences and the CSIR, CRI became one of the Institutes of the CSIR. Vision CRI is committed to becoming a Centre of Excellence in Africa for Crops Research and Development . Mission CRI's Mission is to ensure high and sustainable crop productivity and food security through development and dissemination of environmentally sound technologies. Mandate CRI has a broad research mandate covering all food and industrial crops. These include maize, rice, Cowpea, soybean and groundnut. Others are Cassava, Yam, Cocoyam, Sweetpotato, Vegetables, Fruit crops, plantain and bananas. Objectives The objectives of CRI are to: • develop improved crop varieties that are high yielding and resistant/tolerant to important biotic and abiotic stresses and have good quality characteristics.
• Develop improved production technologies for sustainable production
• assist in achieving food security and self sufficiency in industrial raw material production
• play a leading role in the diversification of agricultural production in Ghana Management CRI is governed by a Management Board that oversees the Institute's Research and Administrative activities as well as financial transactions. The day-to-day administration of the Institute is however headed by a Director, assisted by a Deputy Director and the heads of the Institute's administrative divisions. The Director, the Heads of Divisions and identifiable groups form the Internal Management Committee (IMC) that meets at least four times a year. |