Catie (Turrialba) Costa Rica
The Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza or CATIE) is an international institute for agricultural development and biological conservation in Central America and the Caribbean, combining science, education and innovation. CATIE is the first graduate school in Agricultural Sciences in Latin America.
CATIE´s origin dates back to October 7, 1942 when the Inter-American Institute for Agricultural Sciences (IICA) was founded. From its inception, the Institute’s mandate has centered on research and education in agriculture and natural resources in the American tropics. The Graduate School began its operations in 1946.
In 1960, IICA’s General Directorate was moved from Turrialba to San José, Costa Rica; research and teaching activities continued in Turrialba. Agriculture, from the beginning, implied a broad spectrum of activities and disciplines including crop production, livestock management, renewable natural resources and the social and economic dimensions of these fields of endeavor. Eventually, the Turrialba base of the Institute was transformed into a Center for Education and Research (CEI). Over a nine-year period, beginning in 1960, significant changes led to a strengthening of training opportunities for Latin American professionals, thereby laying the 6 groundwork for agricultural development in the region. In 1970, the Center for Education and Research was named the Tropical Center for Education and Research (CTEI).
The year 1973 was an important one for this institution. The Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) was definitively established as an autonomous entity dedicated to research, higher education and outreach activities. Eighteen years later, in 1991, the governing body of CATIE was constituted to create a wholly independent Board of Directors made up of well-renowned individuals from throughout the world who represent “no one but themselves”, thereby providing autonomy and stability to the institution. Additionally, the Superior Council, composed of Ministers from the Ministries of Agriculture or Environment of CATIE´s member countries, oversees the institution and ensures that the interests of their countries are represented in CATIE’s plans and activities.
Today, CATIE is an international, non-profit institution dedicated to research, higher education and outreach in agricultural sciences, natural resources and related topics in the American tropics. CATIE´s Mission is to “Increase sustainable and inclusive human well-being in Latin America and the Caribbean, promoting education, research and innovation for development, sustainable management of agriculture and conservation of natural resources.”
The graduate program at CATIE has a long and proud history. The M.Sc. program dates back to 1946 and has produced over 2000 graduates, the majority of whom have served the region and their professions in leadership positions. Three professional Master’s degrees have been successfully introduced at CATIE since 2007. In 1996, after a careful study, a doctoral program was initiated in partnership with leading institutions in the United States and Europe. In 2013, the program was expanded to include an option in Spanish with leading cooperating institutions in Latin America and Spain.
CATIE Master's in Development Practice Program
Interview with Glenn Galloway, director of the Division of Education and dean of the Graduate School at Tropical Agricultural Research & Higher Education Center (CATIE), about the Master's in Development Practice (MDP) program.
MDP degree programs provide rigorous professional training for future leaders in the field of sustainable development. Learn more about the MacArthur Foundation's support for this work at
Master of Science degree in International Sustainable Tourism (MIST) UNT/CATIE
From the 2nd Annual Global Symposium for Sustainable Tourism Research (April, 2013).
The MIST program is a joint Master of Science degree in International Sustainable Tourism between UNT and CATIE (The Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) in Turrialba, Costa Rica.
Costa Rica: Seeds of Opportunity
- Women in Costa Rica create and sell jewelry made out of tropical seeds, an environmentally sound business that gives them greater economic freedom. The World Bank is supportive of organizations such as CATIE, an educational research center that helped the women get their business off the ground.
Agronomist uses GM technology to make plants resistant to fungi
A Costa Rica-based agronomist is genetically improving cacao plants to make them resistant to fungal diseases, some which are getting more aggressive because of climate change.
Agronomist, Wilberth Phillips and head of the cacao genetics lab at CATIE, (Agronomic Tropical Centre of Investigation and Education) in Turrialba modifies the cacao plants by naturally cross-breeding them.
University of Costa Rica agriculture professor Victor Jimenez Garcia says genetically improving the cacao plant is a viable alternative to protect it from climate change and disease.
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