During the recent XX Annual Technical Follow-up Workshop of FONTAGRO Projects: “Connecting Science, Technology, and Agriculture,” held from July 1 to 3 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, two outstanding projects were recognized with the prestigious FONTAGRO Award of Excellence, out of a total of four nominees.

The first awarded project was the “Agroecological Model for Avian Coccidiosis,” executed by the ArgenINTA Foundation, in collaboration with the National Institute of Agricultural Technology – INTA Argentina, the University of Chile, the Universidad Mayor of Chile, and the National University of Luján of Argentina. This project was characterized by significant results, such as:

– Increased productivity: a 15% increase in productivity in small-scale poultry farms.

– Validated model: an agroecological model adapted to small-scale systems was developed and validated to mitigate the impact of avian coccidiosis, along with a production manual.

– Scientific output: 13 scientific publications were generated from the project.

– Innovation network: an innovation and dissemination network was formed with an estimated reach of 200,000 people.

– Training: 21,400 people were trained in best practices, management of coccidiosis, and preparation of bioinputs.

– Human resource development: 3 theses were completed as part of the project.

Dr. Anabel Rodríguez from INTA Argentina presented this innovative project during the workshop. Learn more at: https://www.fontagro.org/new/proyectos/red-agroecologica-aviar/en

 

The second awarded project was the “Bioprocess for the Reduction of Cadmium (Cd) Solubility in the Rhizosphere,” led by the Technical University of Manabí (UTM) in Ecuador, along with a co-execution team that included the Institute of Biodiversity and Experimental and Applied Biology (IBBEA) from Argentina, the National Technological University (UTN) of Argentina, the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) from Spain, the Fortaleza del Valle Corporation (FdV) from Ecuador, and the Decentralized Autonomous Government of Manabí (GAD) in Ecuador. This project stood out for the following achievements:

– Generation of a bioprocess based on a consortium of fungi that reduces the amount of cadmium present in cacao beans.

– Identification of endophytic fungi as potential native resources in the reduction of cadmium in cacao.

– Scaling of biotechnology in bioreactors until its application in the field.

– Reduction of cadmium through the use of microorganisms.

– Training of entrepreneurs for technological transfer.

Dr. Adalgisa Scotti from the Technical University of Manabí, Ecuador, presented this innovative project at the event. Learn more at: https://www.fontagro.org/new/proyectos/bioproceso-cd/en

We warmly congratulate all the teams behind these awarded and nominated projects, whose effort, dedication, and innovative spirit are greatly contributing to the sustainable development of agriculture in our region.

Learn more about this event at: https://digital.fontagro.org/en/science-week-2025/

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About FONTAGRO

FONTAGRO was created 1998 with the purpose of promoting the increase of the competitiveness of the agri-food sector, ensuring the sustainable management of natural resources and the reduction of poverty in the region. The objective of FONTAGRO is to establish itself as a sustainable financing mechanism for the development of agricultural technology and innovation in Latin America and the Caribbean and Spain, and to establish a forum for the discussion of priority topics of technological innovation. The member countries are: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Spain, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela. In the last 27 years 204 regional agricultural innovation platforms have been co-financed for an amount of US $ 150.7 million, which has reached 531 institutions and 35 countries worldwide.