INIFAT

Cuba, Cuba

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INIFAT, officially known as the Alejandro de Humboldt Institute of Fundamental Research in Tropical Agriculture (Instituto de Investigaciones Fundamentales en Agricultura Tropical “Alejandro de Humboldt”), is Cuba’s oldest and most important agronomic research institution, located in Santiago de las Vegas, Boyeros Municipality, in Havana Province.

Founded in 1904 as the Estación Central Agronómica de Santiago de las Vegas, it has served Cuban agriculture for 108 years and was proclaimed a National Monument in 2009 for its historical significance and scientific contributions to the country. The institute operates as an experimental center with a botanical garden featuring plant species of interest for crops that can be improved, and its main activities include agricultural research, advisory services, agricultural information, consulting, and helping extend new crops or improve existing ones throughout Cuba. 

Its research focuses on plant genetics and breeding (including medicinal plants) and agronomy, with particular emphasis on urban and suburban agriculture, developing cultivation technologies for organopónicos, hydroponics, zeoponics, and intensive gardens that contribute significantly to supplying cities with fresh vegetables and advancing organic agriculture.

INIFAT is recognized nationally and internationally for its contributions to developing urban, suburban, and family agriculture, plant genetics, and conserving plant genetic resources including microorganisms, while also maintaining Cuba’s best fungal culture collection with over 5,350 pure cultures for identifying and distributing fungi in agriculture, industry, and public health.