AGROSAVIA, a Key Player at Cali’s 2025 Biodiversity Week

Cali, Valle del Cauca. September 2025. “La Sultana del Valle” or Cali, will once again become the epicenter of the global environmental conversation with the Biodiversity Week, from September 29 to October 5, 2025. This international gathering seeks to promote biodiversity conservation, generate solutions to major climate challenges, and project the city as Latin America’s sustainability capital.

The central theme will be the Biogeographic region of Chocó, one of the territories worldwide, with the greatest natural richness. The event will bring together more than 60,000 attendees and 400 experts in the “Biodiversity Circuit,” which integrates academic, cultural, business, and artistic spaces.

“The Biodiversity Week is a unique opportunity to highlight our country’s natural richness and, at the same time, share with society the scientific and technological advances we contribute from agricultural research, within a perspective that recognizes the indivisible unity between society and nature,” said Juan Carlos Gallego, Director of AGROSAVIA’s Palmira Research Center.

AGROSAVIA: Science and Innovation for Biodiversity

As a national benchmark in agricultural research, AGROSAVIA will participate throughout the week with a stand at the Biodiversity Citadel, where experiences, technologies, and knowledge on genetic resource conservation and sustainable agriculture will be shared.

Each day, visitors will explore key topics such as:

• September 29: Colombia’s National Plant Germplasm Banks.
• September 30: Cacao/Cocoa.
• October 1: Agriculture 4.0.
• October 2–3: National Seed Plan and the chontaduro experience with farmers from El Tambo, Cauca.
• October 4: Pineapple and Territorial Innovation Systems with indigenous communities from Cauca.
• October 5: Citrus and avocado.

In addition, AGROSAVIA will lead conferences in high-level academic forums:

• Germplasm Banks for Food and Agriculture in Colombia
• Date: October 2 – Main Auditorium, Banco de la República.
• Speakers: Dubert Yamil Cañar Serna and David Ernesto Quintero Bastidas.
  This session will address the strategic role of AGROSAVIA’s Plant and Animal Germplasm Banks, custodians of the genetic diversity of key agricultural and livestock species for the nation’s food security. It will highlight efforts in conserving seeds, collections, and native breeds, including the Hartón del Valle creole cattle, recognized for its dairy potential and disease resistance under tropical conditions. The conference will demonstrate how these collections form the basis for breeding programs, bioprospecting, and adaptation to climate change.
• Colombian-German Agroecological Project: An Agroecological Experience in the Municipalities of Pradera and Florida
• Date: October 3.
• Speaker: Eliana Martínez Pachón.
  The results of the PACA project will be presented, combining ecological evidence, such as soil stability, organic matter, and agricultural biodiversity, with the experiences and narratives of farmers in Valle del Cauca as they transition toward agroecology. This initiative reflects how science interacts with local knowledge to promote resilient and sustainable production systems.
• Rural Youth Program: Experiences Developed
• Date: October 3.
• Speaker: Wilson Trujillo Bejarano.
  This session will showcase a national strategy that strengthens the generational integration in the Colombian countryside. Present in 19 departments and over 50 rural educational institutions, the program fosters productive pedagogical projects, promotes agroecology and the conservation of ancestral agrobiodiversity, and creates opportunities for rural youth as agents of change.

From Colombia to the World

Through its participation, AGROSAVIA reaffirms its commitment to biodiversity conservation, food security, and technology transfer for the benefit of producers, rural communities, and society at large.

“At our Research Center, we work to conserve strategic resources such as Germplasm Banks, which are fundamental for preserving the genetic and cultural heritage of humanity. We contribute to strengthening integrated and sustainable production systems in the territory with multicultural perspectives and commit to the sustainable transformation of the Colombian agricultural sector through knowledge, to improve the lives of producers and consumers. Participating in this international agenda allows us to engage with other stakeholders, from our own work, on how to build a more resilient future in harmony with biodiversity,” stated Juan Carlos Gallego, Director of the Palmira Research Center.