Department

The Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Kyushu University is a joint-use facility independent of the research institutes within the university and was established in April 1975 to “conduct basic research on agriculture and environments in tropical regions, and to contribute to the development of tropical agriculture and forestry through joint research with students and researchers who are interested in tropical agriculture research.
In the beginning, an associate professor was assigned to the institute as an adjunct faculty member of the University. In 1988, the faculty members were increased to two professors; two associate professors, and two assistant professors, and divided into two divisions; Crop Production Division and the Land and Water Conservation Division.
In April 2013, the Department of International Development was newly established with an associate professor. The former Crop Production Division was renamed the Tropical Crop and Environment Division. 

Many global issues are concentrated in the tropics and subtropics. Environmental problems such as forest loss, desertification of semi-arid lands, pollution in rural areas due to industrialization, loss of biodiversity, unstable crop production, explosive population growth, and the resulting shortage of food are ubiquitous in tropical and subtropical regions. However, many developing countries are located in this region and need international cooperation. The problems of tropical agronomy are common to all humankind. These are the major problems of the 21st century that Japan must solve in cooperation with countries in the tropics and subtropics. Tropical agronomy” is required to solve these problems, to protect the lush global environment, and at the same time, to improve food production through “sustainable agroforestry development and environmental conservation”.