The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Mr. Juan Camilo Restrepo formalized, in Palmira, a framework agreement between this Ministry, CIAT, and the Colombian Corporation of Agricultural Research (Corpoica, its Spanish acronym). This agreement will permit the initiation of one of the Government’s flagship projects to transform the Colombian Orinoquía into a promising agricultural region, as well as to confront climate change.
The signing of the agreement took place at 8:30 in the morning at CIAT’s headquarters in the presence of the Executive Director of Corpoica Mr. Juan Lucas Restrepo and of the Director of CIAT Dr Rubén Echeverría.
“Through this agreement, we seek to resume, enhance, and reaffirm relationships in terms of agricultural research between Colombian authorities and CIAT”, said the Minister. He made special mention of two of the themes on which the agreement is centered: to confront climate change and to promote the orderly development of the Altillanura and the Colombian Orinoquía.
In its first phase, the agreement will have a value of 6000 million pesos, for which CIAT and Corpoica scientists will unit efforts to find innovative solutions to help small farmers.
The framework agreement will also encompass other topics for collaborative work: training and institutional integration to take better advantage of biotechnology for the benefit other Colombian institutions; strengthening capacity in intellectual property rights; and developing support strategies for the research program on tropical fruit trees throughout the country.
The Minister Mr. Restrepo highlighted the difficult time being faced by Colombia in this intense winter, which clearly demonstrates that climate change is already a reality that is affecting the entire world.
“This agreement marks the re-initiation of very good relationships between Colombia and CIAT. Colombia is the host country, but we want to be something more; we want to be partners, and to receive significant products that enable us to respond to the great challenges facing agriculture”, he said.
The Executive Director of Corpoica Mr. Juan Lucas Restrepo declared that his institution is seeking to take the best advantage of CIAT’s knowledge and its tradition of world quality science to find rapid solutions that can be applied within the country.
“Corpoica also has national presence and understands the Altillanura”, he said. ”It is therefore important to bring together our efforts, contributing the best from each institution, and so form a highly efficient consortium that favors Colombian agriculture”, he added.
In his turn, the Director General of CIAT Dr Rubén Echeverría affirmed that the challenges facing Colombia are enormous. He extolled the advantages of the partnership. “From almost 200 researchers working in our institution, just over half are working for Colombia”, he affirmed.
He agreed with the Minister that research results should be publicized and more effectively diffused so that they arrive where they are really needed: in the countryside.