Since CIAT's founding in the late 60's, it has housed livestock and forage research activities. The early work focused on beef cattle and animal health-related issues in the extensive cow/calf systems in the South American savannas. It was later realized that the main constraint for livestock development in the neotropical savannas was inadequate feed resources.

Thus in the late 70's the research emphasis was shifted from production systems and animal health to tropical forages. This new agenda was executed through the Tropical Pastures Program focussed mainly on the vast acid-soil regions of the savannas and forest margins in LAC.

The main research strategy of the Tropical Pastures Program (1977 to 1991) was to develop adapted grasses and legumes for extensive grazing systems, using a philosophy of minimum inputs. A multidisciplinary team organized in three Units (Germplasm, Utilization and Production Systems) with some outposted staff (Brazil and Central America) put a large effort on collection of grasses (mainly Africa) and legumes (mainly LAC) and on evaluation of large forage collections in order to select accessions with adaptation to biotic and abiotic constraints in savannas and forest margins.

Networking was the major mechanism used, both in evaluation and in deployment of new forage germplasm in LAC (RIEPT) and West of Africa (RABAOC). Major outcomes of this work were: a) assembling a large collection of forage germplasm (presently over 20,000 accessions in the GRU), b) identification of grasses and legumes for pasture/livestock systems in areas with acid soils, c) development of forage/pasture evaluation methodologies, d) training, and e) release by NARS of grass and legume cultivars.

In the early 90's the Tropical Forages Program (1992 to 1996) was formed from the Germplasm and Utilization components of the previous Tropical Pastures Program. In the reorganization positions in the former Pastures Program in Nutrient Cycling, Ecophysiology, Farming Systems and Economics were transferred to the new Savanna Program and other positions were eliminated (e.g. Seed Production). The mandate of the Tropical Forages Program was to develop and deliver selected forages ecotypes to the NARS and the NRM Programs in CIAT. The overall strategy of the Program was again to exploit natural variability for key traits in forage plant germplasm to overcome specific constraints such as acid soils, pest and disease, and drought found in target ecosystems (savannas, forest margins and hillsides). However, it was recognized at this time that forages should be evaluated not only for extensive livestock grazing systems but also as components for improved NRM (green manure, erosion barriers, cover, and fallow improvement) in addition to feed, in smallholders systems. Thus strong emphasis was placed in developing partnerships with NARS to undertake collaborative evaluation of forages for different uses and to develop management strategies for the utilization of the improved forages in more intensive crop/livestock systems. During the five years' existence of the Tropical Forages Program, the genetic variability of key grass and legume species was increased through collections, progress was made in breeding selected grasses (Brachiaria) and legumes (Stylosanthes) to overcome pest/disease problems, and new forage species were identified and released by NARS for multipurpose use in humid and subhumid environments.

CIAT underwent a major restructuring, from Programs to Projects organization, during 1996. This was accompanied by severe reductions of staff at all levels, including the elimination of most out-posted positions. A result of these Center-wide structural changes was the formation, in 1997, of the existing Tropical Forages Project. A description and achievements of the Tropical Forages Project was prepared in a special document to be distributed to the EPMR-2000 Panel.

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