On April 13, 2026, in the community hall of the Machetá, Cundinamarca, town hall, the workshop "Use of Wild Oregano (Lippia oreganoides Kunt) for the Development of Functional Additives in Animal Production" was held. This activity took place within the framework of the FONTAGRO project "Innovations to Reduce Methane Emissions in Ruminants," which aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emission intensity in tropical cattle systems by 10% by validating technologies such as the use of functional additives that mitigate methane in pasture-based beef cattle.

The workshop combined technical presentations on the formulation and scaling up of additives based on oregano essential oil with a hands-on experience session where local growers shared cultivation and marketing practices. Initially, the progress of the project “Innovations to Reduce Methane Emissions in Ruminants” was shared. This project is funded by the New Zealand Government as part of its contribution to the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA) and is being implemented by AGROSAVIA in Colombia and INTA in Argentina, with support from the University of the Andes (Colombia) and the National University of Córdoba (Argentina).

Among the featured presentations, the AGROSAVIA team presented the functional additive RuminaTiba: an additive of native oregano essential oil and yeast for sustainable livestock farming, as well as their capabilities for creating bio-inputs. Suaga Organic Herbs SAS and UNILABS COLOMBIA also participated, presenting the applications of native oregano oil in preventing infections in farm animals.

The event strengthened the link between research and the field, identified needs for validating doses and formulations in ruminants, and opened pathways for developing value chains that will enable the commercial scaling of the crop and its derivatives. Participants agreed on the importance of consolidating field pilot projects, ensuring traceability, and designing commercial strategies that benefit producers and the sustainability of the sector.