AGROSAVIA Strengthens Ibero-American Cooperation for Sustainable Livestock Farming at the XXI Meeting of the INIA System

Bogotá, Capital District. May 15, 2026. At a time when sustainability has become a strategic pillar for the future of agricultural production, Corporación colombiana de investigación agropecuaria AGROSAVIA, as host institution, actively participated in the XXI Meeting of the Ibero-American INIA System, held from May 11 to 13 in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.

The meeting, held at the Spanish Cooperation Training Center, brought together representatives from agricultural research organizations, international institutions, and livestock sector entities from various Ibero-American countries to discuss the main challenges and opportunities related to sustainable livestock farming in the region.

In this context, the Executive Director of AGROSAVIA, Miguel Serrano López, participated in the opening session and in the first discussion panel focused on the exchange of experiences and livestock sustainability models among member countries of the Ibero-American INIA network.

“We have had the opportunity to exchange knowledge, experiences, and perspectives regarding what the process of improving cattle production systems across the continent should look like. We also identified strong capabilities, both within AGROSAVIA and among the other institutions, to carry out these exchange processes within a future collaboration framework,” stated Serrano López.

During his remarks, the executive director highlighted the strategic role of selective breeding livestock systems in the conservation of animal genetic resources, the genetic breeding of pure breeds, and the strengthening of more efficient, resilient, and sustainable production systems. He also emphasized the importance of consolidating international cooperation alliances among breeders’ associations, research centers, and public institutions to respond in a coordinated manner to the shared challenges facing the Ibero-American livestock sector.

AGROSAVIA’s participation also included Sergio Mejía Kerguelén, Director of the Turipaná Research Center, who presented the scientific and technological advances achieved in sustainable livestock production based on Creole breeds adapted to lowland tropical environments, one of the country’s most significant initiatives in the conservation and utilization of adapted genetic resources.

The experiences shared during the meeting consolidated this event as an international benchmark for the exchange of knowledge on the conservation, genetic breeding, and valorization of Creole and native breeds, within the framework of sustainable livestock production models adapted to the environmental and productive dynamics of the territory.

The XXI Meeting of the Ibero-American INIA System included delegations from Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Uruguay, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Spain, in addition to representatives from international organizations linked to agricultural innovation and livestock sustainability.

The academic agenda included technical conferences, specialized working groups, and a field visit to the El Carmen de Bolívar office, ascribed to the Turipaná Research Center, where participants learned firsthand about the sustainable production model implemented with the Romosinuano and Costeño con Cuernos breeds, genetic breeding processes, and territorial adaptation strategies to mitigate the environmental impact of livestock production, as well as agricultural production models involving crops such as cassava, yam, and biofortified beans.