AGROSAVIA promotes institutional coordination to strengthen the sheep and goat sector and conserve Creole animal genetic resources in Tolima

Ibagué, Tolima. September 9, 2026. To strengthen the technical, business, and institutional capacities of stakeholders across the sheep and goat value chain, the Tolima Sheep and Goat Value Chain Update Conference was held at the Ibagué campus of Corporación Universitaria Remington, under the theme "Connecting science, entrepreneurship, and territory to transform sheep and goat production." The event brought together male and female producers, associations, professionals, technicians, students, researchers, extension agents, public and private entities, rural women, and young people, consolidating itself as a space for sharing knowledge, technologies, and experiences aimed at the competitive and sustainable development of the sector.

The conference brought together and facilitated coordination among AGROSAVIA, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Corporación Universitaria Remington, the Colombian Sheep and Goat Production Value Chain, the Tolima Regional Sheep and Goat Value Chain Committee, the Government of Tolima, Universidad del Tolima, SENA, and stakeholders from the private and productive sectors. During the opening session, participants emphasized the importance of strengthening regional and national coordination, as well as the need to establish permanent spaces for dialogue among research, education and training, technical assistance, and production.

A central component of the event was the presentation of AGROSAVIA's technological portfolio and the dissemination of progress under the Lowland Tropical Sheep and Goat Germplasm Bank Project, Phase I, aimed at conserving, characterizing, and using animal genetic resources. In this context, the Colombian Hair Sheep (OPC, for its acronym in Spanish) was highlighted as a strategic genetic resource for tropical production systems, and stakeholders in Tolima expressed interest in establishing a regional germplasm bank. Such a bank would contribute to the conservation, characterization, and sustainable use of genetic resources adapted to the territory's conditions, through the work of Researcher Clara Rúa from AGROSAVIA's Motilonia Research and Technology Transfer Center (CIT).

As part of the territorial agenda developed around the conference, the team also sampled hair sheep in Ibagué, Coima, and Natagaima, with support from Alexander, Acting Director of the Veterinary Medicine program at Corporación Universitaria Remington. These activities advance the identification and characterization of animals in the territory, providing information to strengthen knowledge of animal (sheep) genetic resources and establish a basis for future conservation, breeding, and productive utilization strategies.

 

Ten Years of Building Knowledge and Trust in the Territory

During the session dedicated to value chain innovation, the main milestones achieved through the INNOVIS and GENOVIS projects were highlighted. These projects were developed with the participation of academic and productive stakeholders from Tolima. These processes have contributed to establishing a trajectory of approximately ten years of knowledge generation and transfer, strengthening producer and technical assistance networks and building relationships of trust among communities, institutions, and research teams.

Key results and lessons included establishing and strengthening producer networks, knowledge-sharing spaces, training processes and associations, and building decision-making capacity within sheep and goat production systems. This experience has made it possible to move from isolated interventions to more coordinated territorial processes, in which producers, technical assistance providers, researchers, and institutions participate in identifying problems and jointly seeking solutions.

In terms of extension and technical support, 1,600 technical assistance services, 60 farms with soil analyses, and 15 Farmer Field Schools were identified as part of the capacity-building processes. The use of tools such as OvisWebs and drones for pasture analysis was also mentioned, enabling the incorporation of technological information into production system management and facilitating more precise decision-making. The research team from AGROSAVIA's Nataima Research and Technology Transfer Center (CIT) also participated in this important project.

The projects have also made it possible to recognize the diversity of production systems and their socioeconomic conditions. The typology presented identified subsistence producers (30%), family producers (40%), and commercial producers (30%), demonstrating the need to design differentiated strategies for innovation, technical assistance, and access to technologies. Likewise, the importance of incorporating the sociocultural component and strengthening engagement with Indigenous communities was emphasized, considering local knowledge and the territory's specific needs.

Innovation for More Efficient and Sustainable Production

Among the innovation areas presented, precision nutrition stood out, aimed at designing specific diets according to the characteristics and needs of the animals and production systems. The interest in developing and validating natural extracts for parasite control was also addressed, representing a particularly important alternative given the challenges producers face from parasite infestations and the need for more sustainable management strategies.

The agenda also provided an opportunity to showcase local production experiences, including the establishment and use of cactus pear (Opuntia spp.) cultivation in Natagaima as an alternative that can help diversify and adapt production systems to the territory's environmental conditions.

Looking ahead, opportunities were identified in areas such as technical assistance, strengthening producer organizations, developing business capacities, and generating alternatives associated with carbon credits, broadening the vision of sheep and goat production toward models that integrate productivity, environmental sustainability, and income generation.

 

Women Transforming the Territory

The conference concluded with the panel "Experiences that Inspire: Rural Entrepreneurship with a Territorial and Differentiated Approach: Women as Protagonists," which brought together representatives of ventures such as Fedra Corderos and Villa Cabras, along with AGROSAVIA. The session recognized women's role as protagonists in innovation, entrepreneurship, income generation, and transformation processes of rural production systems.

The participation of the president of the National Sheep and Goat Value Chain and members of the Tolima Regional Value Chain reaffirmed the importance of strengthening value chain governance, connecting national and territorial agendas, and creating permanent spaces for coordination among producers, academia, research, technical assistance providers, and public entities.

Finally, the Director of AGROSAVIA's Nataima Research and Technology Transfer Center expressed the corporation's interest in continuing to work in coordination with stakeholders in Tolima's sheep and goat sector, strengthening regional capacities and promoting new research, innovation, and technology transfer initiatives.

The Tolima Sheep and Goat Value Chain Update Conference leaves as its main message the need to continue connecting science, territory, and local knowledge, recognizing the strategic value of the Colombian Hair Sheep and adapted animal genetic resources, strengthening producers' capacities, and moving toward a more organized, innovative, sustainable, and competitive regional value chain. The event concluded with commitments to maintain coordination among stakeholders and continue developing solutions relevant to the territory.