(Washington DC, September 21st, 2020). FONTAGRO announces the start of this project, one of the winners of the 2019 Call “From Science to Impact: innovations for climate-smart agriculture through AgTech solutions in Latin America and the Caribbean”.
The initiative will be financed for a total of US $ 540,900, with contributions from the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries, and other organizations in Argentina, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Uruguay.
The initiative supports the objectives of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA), of which FONTAGRO is a strategic partner.
Currently, there is an increase in the demand for animal protein and it is estimated that by 2050 this will grow by 70%. This denotes an opportunity for Latin America and the Caribbean countries, but at the same time a challenge: the growth of livestock production could have significant environmental impacts related to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
To address these challenges, dairy production systems need to improve their efficiency and productivity, in order to achieve a sustainable intensification of the use of resources such as water, soil and climate. In this context, this project seeks the development of digital tools that improve the capture of information from production systems and allows adjustment of management practices to implement climate-smart dairy establishments.
In addition, the project aims to implement a public-private network for the development of a climate-smart dairy to train producers, technicians and extension workers in the use of technological tools for the sustainable management of dairy establishments.
The National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA) of Argentina is the main executor. The National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA) of Uruguay, The Institute of Agricultural and Forestry Research (IDIAF) of the Dominican Republic, the National Institute of Innovation and Transfer in Agricultural Technology (INTA) of Costa Rica, the National University of Córdoba (UNC) of Argentina, the Honduran Chamber of Milk (CAHLE) and the Foundation for the Promotion of Agricultural Research and Technology Transfer (FITTACORI) of Costa Rica act as co-executors.
Furthermore, the following institutions are associated to this project: The National Dairy Management – Ministry of Production and Labor of Argentina (DNL); The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAyG) of Argentina; The Regional Milk Cluster, Argentina; The Secretariat of Dairy Livestock and Natural Resources of the Ministry of Production of Santa Fe, Argentina; The Society of Milk Producers of Florida, Uruguay; Tambero (tambero.com), Argentina; Arroyo Grande I.N.C Milk Producers Association (APLAG INC) – Dominican Republic and Los Chiles Chamber of Cattlemen (CGC) – Costa Rica.
*****
About the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA)
The GRA was launched in 2009 and continues to grow in membership, with more than 60 countries from all regions of the world. The GRA also partners with key international and regional organisations responsible for the dissemination of evidence-based knowledge to policy makers, the science community and farming leaders. Members and partners of the GRA aim to deepen and broaden mitigation research efforts across the agricultural sub-sectors of paddy rice, cropping, and livestock systems, coordinate cross-cutting activities across these areas, and promote synergies between adaptation and mitigation efforts. The GRA’s objectives are outlined in its Charter and more information on the GRA’s current membership can be found here.
***
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 21 years 167 regional agricultural innovation platforms have been co-financed for an amount of US $ 124 million, which has reached 452 institutions and 33 countries worldwide.