Agriculture with science, AGROSAVIA takes over the southern Colombian Pacific with the EXPOAGROSAVIA fair

• EXPOAGROSAVIA Pacífico is the tenth version of the science and technology fair for the agricultural sector organized by Corporación colombiana de investigación agropecuario – AGROSAVIA.

• Since 2012, EXPOAGROSAVIA has received the support of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Colombia.

• This version of the fair will take place on September 1 and 2 in the Colombian Pacific, specifically in the District of Tumaco, Department of Nariño.

 

Tumaco, Nariño. August 30, 2023. EXPOAGROSAVIA is the fair that has brought together all the science and technology actors of the agricultural sector in one place since 2012, where the value of applied knowledge and technological development for the countryside is presented, favoring the link and articulation between actors and territories. The fair has traveled the country in recent years, passing through the cities of Medellín, Espinal, Villavicencio, Montería, Mosquera, Palmira, Pasto, Santa Marta, Mocoa, and Garzón. This version of the fair will take place on September 1 and 2 in the Colombian Pacific, specifically in the District of Tumaco, Department of Nariño.

This tenth version of the fair will be divided into two stages. The first, called EXPOAGROSAVIA El Mira Research Center opens its doors on Friday, September 1, where people will visit the facilities of the Research Center located at kilometer 38 via Tumaco–Pasto, Nariño. They will receive first-hand information on the research projects carried out by the center on palm trees of economic interest, such as chontaduro, coconut, oil palm, cacao, forestry, coffee, and agroforestry systems, among other services. Furthermore, there are also offers provided by AGROSAVIA for the region and other areas of the country. This tour employs a station methodology that will take approximately three hours, traveling through agro-routes in the field to learn about the investigations.

The second stage is called EXPOAGROSAVIA Pacífico transforming the territories and will take place on Saturday, September 2, on the El Bajito boardwalk in Tumaco, Nariño. Attendees will be able to get closer to science and corporate work with a methodology more focused on a playful experiences component that will allow the general public to learn how AGROSAVIA transforms the lives of producers with the power of knowledge.

Carlos Enrique Castilla, Director of the El Mira Research Center, mentioned, “Transcendental changes have occurred in our corporate work and the region. The bud rot epidemic (PC, for its acronym in Spanish) of the African oil palm and the peace processes that are being developed have forced us to rethink our day-to-day dynamics and focus on the differential challenges of the inhabitants of the territories to which we are dedicated to: The Afro-descendant and indigenous populations of the collective territories in one of the most spectacular regions on the planet: the tropical humid forest of the biogeographical region of Chocó in Colombia. The issue is that within the framework of a peace process towards Total Peace, the El Mira Research Center is inserted in one of the PDET territories, where all efforts are concentrated to generate the much-desired change. Our research is consistent with the environmental offer of the tropical humid forest and the promotion of natural resources and environmental conservation. Everything is in tune with the ancestral knowledge of the indigenous and Afro-descendant communities that inhabit this region, and this is what we will show in this event that will be held for the first time in Tumaco, which is part of the celebration of the 30 years of our corporation.”

EXPOAGROSAVIA Pacífico will present research progress and experiences on palm trees of economic interest, an oil route addressing coconut, chontaduro/peach palm, and oil palm issues. It will also show the cacao varieties adapted to the region (TCS 13 and TCS 19) and the damage and management of the diseases that attack this crop (Monilia and Phytophthora) as part of the Corporation's product portfolio.

In the forest area, the species that are conserved in the arboretum, the differences in their seeds and commercial use, and their contribution to biodiversity will be shown. Furthermore, the agroforestry system (SAF) models with cacao (tangare and cacao) and chontaduro (peach palm) will also be shown.

Regarding coffee, the research progress in the Canephora variety carried out by the Corporation at the El Mira Research Center will be presented.

Children will also have a space to discover agricultural science called Agrokids, where the objective is to stimulate children's curiosity and bring them closer to science and agriculture together in a fun way.

The event will also be the stage for the delivery of the traveling suitcase of the BAC mobile, a program of Biblioteca Agropecuaria de Colombia [the Agricultural Library of Colombia] to bring closer the literature of the agricultural sector to the territories.