Producers teach producers: The Dr. Soil Program strengthens capacities from the regions

Santa Marta, Magdalena. June 27, 2025. With a farmer-to-farmer training approach, the Dr. soil Program continues to establish itself as an effective strategy to strengthen technical capacities in Colombia's rural territories. This time, the spotlight is on the Dr. soil trainees themselves, who have put into practice what they’ve learned and shared their knowledge directly with other producers in their communities.

From Dibulla, Urumita, and San Juan del Cesar (La Guajira); Cereté and Santa Cruz de Lorica (Córdoba); Zambrano and Córdoba (Bolívar); Cimitarra (Santander); Tibacuy (Cundinamarca); to Coaspud, La Cruz, and Colón-Génova (Nariño), the experience has been enriching. “In each of these areas, producers have shown great enthusiasm for learning how to evaluate, through simple and accessible methodologies, key soil aspects such as pH, texture and structure, organic matter and nutrient content, as well as biological activity. Based on this basic diagnosis, better practices for sustainable soil management and crop nutrition adapted to their productive realities have been promoted,” says Gabriel Silva, master researcher and leader of this initiative.

This work is part of the project -PV Sustainable Soil Management Towards Productive Conversion-, led by AGROSAVIA’s Caribia Research Center, in collaboration with the Motilonia, Turipaná, Tibaitatá, Obonuco research centers and the El Carmen de Bolívar station.

The overall objective of this initiative is to strengthen the capacities of 360 producers from diverse production systems — including plantain, cassava, maize, sheep and goats, sesame, silvopastoril systems, peas, and agroecological systems — through training processes, technology transfer, and integration of local knowledge with science.

The project is funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, implemented by AGROSAVIA, and is aligned with the FAO’s Dr. Soil Program. This alignment makes it possible to combine scientific research with the empirical knowledge of producers, to advance productive conversion and consolidate food security in the territories.

The program demonstrates that when producers take the lead in learning and share their knowledge, the positive impacts on the sustainability of Colombian agriculture multiply.