Agricultural Research Council (ARC), South Africa

There are several units or individuals within the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) practising biological control. For example, the Weeds Research Programme within Plant Health and Protection is responsible for research on the ecology and control of invasive alien plants in South Africa – Click here for more information. The emphasis is on non-native problem plants in conservation and pasture situations, as well as non-native aquatic weeds. Crop weeds do not normally fall within our research field. The Insect Ecology Programme includes work on diamond-back moth and insect rearing – Click here for more information.

Centre for Biological Control (CBC), South Africa

The Centre for Biological Control is a research entity within Rhodes University, South Africa that was established in November 2017.  The CBC undertakes research into the biological control of invasive alien weeds and insect pests in an attempt to reduce the amount of pesticide sprayed.  The CBC, although based at Rhodes University comprises a consortium of research institutions, including the University of Cape Town, the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the University of the Witwatersrand, Citrus Research International and the Agricultural Research Council.  Further CBC collaborates widely with institutions regionally and globally.

International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), Kenya

Icipe’s mission is to help alleviate poverty, ensure food security and improve the overall health status of peoples of the tropics, by developing and extending management tools and strategies for harmful and useful arthropods, while preserving the natural resource base through research and capacity building.

The Centre’s vision is to pioneer global science in entomology, to improve the well-being and resilience of people and the environment to the challenges of a changing world, through innovative and applied research, alongside deep exploratory study, impact assessment, evaluation and sustainable capacity building. Icipe’s headquarters and field stations in Kenya and has country offices in Ethiopia and Uganda and operations in 41 African countries.

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Nigeria

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a non-profit institution that generates agricultural innovations to meet Africa’s most pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource degradation. In collaboration with its various partners across sub-Saharan Africa. IITA improves livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, unlocks opportunities for youth and women employment, and preserve natural resource integrity. IITA headquarters are in Nigeria, but its Biological Control Centre is located at one of its substations, in the Republic au Benin in West Africa, namely (IITA-Benin), West Africa. IITA-Benin is a regional center for research and training in insect biodiversity and has recently launched a Biorisk Management Facility (BIMAF) to fight against biotic stresses under a changing climate. IITA-Benin collaborates with Universities both national and international and national agricultural research programs in West and Central Africa, and with other international research centers in this field such as AfricaRice, ICRISAT, ICIPE, CIP, CIRAD and WorldVeg.

Institut National Supérieur d’Agronomie et de Biotechnologies (INSAB), Gabon

The National Higher Institute of Agronomy and Biotechnologies (INSAB) is a professional training school in the field of agronomy created in 2002 and attached to the University of Sciences and Masuku techniques (USTM) in Gabon. INSAB is an essential partner of the Gabonese State in agricultural training.