INTA Bariloche received a visit from Nelson Lee , Manager of the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program for Latin America and the Caribbean from New Zealand, and Nicolas Costa from the Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Center.
INTA Bariloche received the international visit of Nelson Lee, Manager of the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program for Latin America and the Caribbean of New Zealand and Nicolas Costa of the Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Center of New Zealand, within the framework of the FONTAGRO Project: "Climate-Smart Livestock in Mapuche Communities of Argentina and Chile." They toured the regions of these two countries, learning about the different problems in the area and how this project will address them.
After several days of touring the area, Nelson Lee concluded: "We've been traveling for the past few days, talking with Mapuche communities in both Chile and Argentina, talking about the problems they face, the impacts of climate change, and the challenges we share globally. It's not just what we face in Argentina, Chile, and New Zealand; it's similar problems that arise all over the world. And it's precisely that awareness that drives us to seek joint solutions, because we couldn't face them in the same way alone. It's been very valuable to know the context. We now have a much clearer understanding of what they're trying to achieve, how they're trying to address the problems the communities face, and how they're using science to develop practical solutions that truly serve people. We've been very impressed by what we've seen so far. Obviously, these projects are just getting started, so we're looking forward to continuing to work with the communities, both in Chile and Argentina. Hopefully, we can solve some of these challenges together."
For his part, Nicolas Costa believed that this co-innovation process will greatly help resolve the main problems being addressed. Sebastián Villagra, leader of the FONTAGRO project, emphasized the visit's positive impact, stressing the importance of donors being able to directly experience the production conditions in environments as challenging as Patagonia, both on the Argentine and Chilean sides. He especially valued the tremendous efforts of the INTA Bariloche extension and research teams in demonstrating the project's progress and concrete contributions. Villagra also expressed his gratitude for the institutional support provided by INTA authorities, particularly Mariana Amoroisi (Regional Director), Mauro Sarasola (Director of the Bariloche EEA), and Paula Marchelli (Vice Director of CONICET Patagonia Norte), whose presence and commitment during the visit sent a strong signal of institutional support for the work being carried out.
