From April 17 to 21, 2017, a FONTAGRO mission visited the project’s plots in the Dominican Republic, in La Vega, Bonao, Maizal, Hacienda Estrella and Monte Plata. Together with IICA, IDIAF and CONIAF, the team reviewed efforts to disseminate and scale up the technology and the adoption of complementary practices such as direct seeding and minimum tillage. By then, the project had already started its third validation cycle in the country.

Harvest results from the second and third cycles were very satisfactory in terms of seed savings, lower input use and productivity, and the second cycle recorded 22% less water use with SRI. The mission recommended deepening the analysis of productivity, income, labor and environmental benefits, and exploring water-footprint measurement. At the same time, the project was adapting tray fillers, transplanters and weeders for smallholders, a key step to reduce labor costs.

🔗 Mission news story (in Spanish) 🔗 Third validation cycle, IICA (in Spanish) 📄 Project presentation, 2017 (in Spanish)