ICBA is an international non-profit agricultural research center established in 1999 under the visionary leadership of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Fund, the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), and the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Focusing rigorously on the problems of salinity and the use of salt water for irrigated agriculture, ICBA has grown over the years into a modern, world-class research center with a team of international scientists conducting applied research and development activities aimed at improving agricultural productivity and the sustainability of marginal and saline soils.