The CSIR - Crops Research Institute (CSIR-CRI) is one of the 13 specialized research institutes under Ghana's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Tracing its roots back to the Gold Coast Department of Agriculture’s specialist branch, the institute was officially established in its modern configuration in 1964. It functions as a core engine for national food security, agricultural innovation, and rural economic transformation.

Core Research Mandates & Focus Areas CSIR-CRI holds a comprehensive national mandate covering major food, horticultural, and industrial crops:

• Cereals & Legumes: Breeding high-yielding, climate-resilient varieties of maize, rice, cowpeas, soybeans, groundnuts, and Bambara groundnuts.

• Roots, Tubers & Plantains: Developing disease-resistant cultivars of cassava, yam, sweet potato, cocoyam, and plantain/banana (such as widely adopted local cassava lines combating mosaic viruses).

• Horticulture & Industrial Crops: Conducting advanced agricultural research on tropical fruits (mango, citrus, pineapple, cashew), vegetables (tomato, pepper, garden eggs), and industrial inputs like sugarcane and rubber.

• Scientific Support Systems: Integrating specialized programs in plant health (pathology, entomology, nematology), seed technology, post-harvest management, biotechnology laboratories, and socio-economic impact studies.

  working closely with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), out-grower networks, and international partners, CSIR-CRI translates laboratory breakthroughs into practical field applications. The institute provides certified foundation seeds, trains agricultural extension officers and farmers, and champions climate-smart technologies that mitigate post-harvest losses and safeguard agricultural livelihoods across West Africa.