The Turipaná Research Center was established in 1962 and since then has developed different projects resulting in the release to farmers of the Colombian Caribbean region of 7 varieties of fodder cassava, 9 of rice, 6 of cotton, 12 of cassava for fresh consumption and industrial use, 4 of yam, 7 varieties and hybrids of maize and a collection of 64 eggplant cultivars, with two recognized varieties.

Livestock research results have enabled promotion of local breeds among small farmers, as well as the establishment of a dual-purpose breeding program that has become a national reference and winner of multiple awards. This is complemented by the maintenance and study of animal germplasm banks of local breeds, composed of the Romosinuano, the Costeño with Horns (cattle) and the Zungo (swine).

Since 1960, the Center has worked on the evaluation and conservation of pastures and forages, as well as on their association with species of sweet sorghum, maize, and cowpea. Likewise, priority is given to work on silvopastoral systems, which have become an economically-viable and environmentally-sustainable alternative for livestock production, especially for export markets. Turipaná promotes chains with export potential in fruits, vegetables and cocoa; national chains in forestry and African palm; emerging chains in sheep and goats; vulnerable chains, such as dual-purpose dairy initiatives; transition chains (maize, cotton, rice and sorghum), and chains with importance for food security, such as roots and tubers.

The Turipaná Research Center values the agricultural and livestock potential of the Caribbean region, and therefore has strategic areas covering animal nutrition, animal and plant breeding and genetic improvement, ecophysiology, and integrated soil and water management. Additionally, to promote the development of the sector, the Center generates new opportunities, thanks to its analytical chemistry laboratory, with techniques accredited by the national accreditation agency of Colombia (Organismo Nacional de Acreditación de Colombia, ONAC) for determining nutritional composition of forages, raw materials and animal feed, with reliable and functional results.

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Director

• Sergio Luis Mejía Kerguelen

• (+57) 60 1 9144677, Ext. 2242
• smejia@agrosavia.co
• View profile

Agricultural Engineer with an M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences with a plant genetic breeding approach. He has worked at AGROSAVIA for 22 years in various areas, such as transitory crops, such as maize, of which 3 genotypes have been commercially released; in pastures and forages, where he has evaluated the production and management potential of a large number of forage grasses that are adapted to the low tropics, achieving the commercial release of the grass Megathyrsus maximus cv. Agrosavia Sabanera of excellent nutritional quality and high forage production. He has extensive experience in forage conservation programs and the production of basic and certified maize and sorghum seed at a commercial level. He has participated in courses and lectured in countries such as Switzerland, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Panama, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Honduras. He has worked as a Ph.D. at AGROSAVIA and is currently the Director of the Turipaná Research Center and the adscribed headquarters of El Carmen de Bolívar.

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