The Tibaitatá Research Center was founded in 1950 and a year later launched research programs on wheat, barley, maize and potatoes. In 1955 it expanded its agenda to include the cattle sector with programs on milk, meat, poultry, sheep and animal pathology, and in 1959 it began research on swine.

The main projects of the Center focus on species with forage potential and the development of methodologies for the renewal of pastures for specialized milk production systems with good livestock breeding practices (GLBP). In addition, it works with native potatoes; local potatoes; clones for industrial and consumer use; and seed production technologies (including harvest and postharvest) for potatoes, fruits, vegetables and aromatic herbs.

The Tibaitatá Research Center promotes protected and urban agriculture following clean agriculture and good cropping practices (GCP) production models, including transitory rotation crops, and fruit and vegetable systems. One of the strengths of the Center is its expertise in technology transfer and organizational capacity building.

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Director

• Juan Diego Palacio Mejía

• (+57) 60 1 9144677, Ext. 1201
• jpalacio@agrosavia.co
• View profile

Agricultural Engineer from the National University of Colombia, Medellín campus, M.Sc. in Agricultural Sciences with emphasis on Neotropical Plant Genetic Resources from the National University of Colombia, Palmira campus, and Ph.D. in Plant Biology from the University of Texas at Austin, USA. He worked as senior researcher at the Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute, where he founded and directed for 10 years the Tissue Collection. He was also director of ICA’s Laboratory of Genetically Modified Organisms (LOGM, from its name in Spanish), based in the Tibaitatá Research Center. He is currently a professor at the National University of Colombia, Palmira campus, and at the University of Córdoba, Colombia, where he teaches courses in molecular biology techniques, biodiversity, and evolution. Juan Diego has participated in the publication of more than 30 scientific articles.

Staff contact information