Since June 2016, FONTAGRO has been hosting the Science Café, a space for dialogue and knowledge exchange that brings together researchers from FONTAGRO-funded projects, invited international experts, technicians, decision-makers, and the public interested in agri-food innovation in Latin America and the Caribbean.

At each weekly meeting, specialists share results, methodologies, tools, and global trends, followed by a discussion to delve deeper into experiences and identify opportunities for collaboration. To date, 11 meetings have been held, addressing topics such as the resilience of production systems, the use of digital and satellite technologies, climate-smart agriculture, innovation in horticulture, plant health, and efficient resource management.

October 8. Patricio Grassini and Fernando Aramburu-Merlos, from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (USA), presented the Global Yield Gap Atlas, the world's leading platform for estimating the difference between current and potential yields of major crops, and a new application for maize in Latin America and the Caribbean that allows identifying where it is possible to increase production without expanding the cultivated area.

October 1. Francisco Salazar, researcher from the Agricultural Research Institute (INIA – Chile) highlighted that efficient nitrogen management, considering its source, dose, time and place of application (N4Rs), is a key adaptation and mitigation strategy: it not only improves the efficiency of the use of this nutrient, but also reduces its losses to the environment, including nitrous oxide emissions.

September 17. Lucas Garibaldi, senior researcher at CONICET and professor at the National University of Río Negro, Argentina, explained how the conservation of natural habitats and landscape diversification influence agricultural productivity. He also presented Eirú, a technology for measuring biodiversity on farms.

September 3. Sebastián Villagra, researcher from the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA – Argentina), along with their team, showed how the integration of traditional knowledge with scientific validation strengthens the resilience of communities in the Argentine-Chilean Patagonia, with 15 innovation units and 500 producers adopting the technologies.

August 27. Gloria Patricia Barrera Cubillos, researcher from the Colombian Corporation for Agricultural Research (AGROSAVIA) addressed the use of fungi and other microorganisms as an alternative to chemical pesticides, due to their ability to control pests, promote plant growth and improve drought tolerance.

August 20. Natalia Aguilar, researcher from the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA – Argentina) and Rebeca García Pinillos, founder and director of One Welfare CIC - United Kingdom, analyzed how to integrate animal welfare, the environment and people in the management of livestock farms, based on 10 agreed Good Livestock Practices and 28 demonstration units in Argentina, Chile and Colombia.

August 13. Martín Durante, researcher from the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA – Argentina) presented tools that combine satellite images with field observations to estimate available forage at a lower cost, developed from a regional base of more than 3,600 biomass records.

August 6. Javier Pitti Caballero, researcher from the Institute of Agricultural Innovation of Panama (IDIAP) shared the results of the evaluation of vertical farming systems in Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama, which show higher yields per square meter and more efficient use of water compared to conventional systems, in addition to advances in the analysis of their economic viability.

July 30. Liliana Ríos, researcher from the Colombian Corporation for Agricultural Research (AGROSAVIA) demonstrated how an IoT sensor network and a web platform allow irrigation to be programmed according to the actual soil moisture, with savings of 30% in water, labor and operating costs in Colombia, Ecuador and Honduras.

July 2. Nicolás Ayub, researcher from the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET) and the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA – Argentina), analyzed the evolution of bio-inputs and the potential of genetic engineering to develop microorganisms that increase crop productivity and reduce nitrous oxide emissions.

June 25. Mónica Betancourt, researcher from the Colombian Corporation for Agricultural Research (AGROSAVIA) presented the progress of a regional project to protect banana and plantain crops against Fusarium wilt race 4 tropical (Foc R4T), structured around four pillars: standardizing early diagnosis, assessing soil health and biosecurity, identifying resistant materials, and providing massive training to the sector.

Upcoming Events

The Science Café continues regularly and is open to all those interested in research and innovation for agri-food systems in Latin America and the Caribbean. Check the schedule and news on our website.