The Colombian agricultural sector is strengthened hand in hand with the FAO

• The Colombian agricultural sector strengthens relations with the FAO to guarantee the long-term sustainability of ASTI.

 

Bogota, Capital District. May 17, 2024. A workshop to address the implementation of the next pilot of Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI) in Colombia was held last week, led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in coordination with Corporación colombiana de investigación agropecuaria (AGROSAVIA).

The meeting, held at the FAO Colombia Office (Bogota), had the on-site participation of representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR), the Ministry of Science and Technology (MINCIENCIAS), the Ministry of Education (MEN), the National Department of Statistics (DANE), the National Department of Planning (DNP), the National Observatory of Science and Technology (OCyT), FAO and AGROSAVIA, as well as with more than 80 stakeholders from different sectors connected remotely, mainly participants from previous operations of the National Survey of Agricultural Science, Technology and Innovation carried out annually by AGROSAVIA.

The event marked the beginning of a pilot project in Colombia to revitalize and expand ASTI, a leading initiative to collect and analyze agricultural research data globally for more than twenty years. The main objective of this initiative is to improve the coverage, timeliness, and sustainability of agricultural research and development data collection, as well as increase its quality and usefulness for key stakeholders.

Highlights of the meeting include:

• Presentation of proposed new data collection approaches, including the adoption of appropriate models at the national level to increase country ownership, validation, and use of data.
• The discussion about the importance of collaboration between different government institutions and international organizations to guarantee the pilot project's success.
• The commitment of the participants to work together on the long-term institutionalization of ASTI in Colombia, hand in hand with the Agricultural Science, Technology and Innovation Observatory (OCTIAGRO) of AGROSAVIA. The latter will operate as a focal point.

Click on the link to see the news of the event published by the FAO at the ASTI National Workshop: Pilot trial of new approaches for long-term sustainability (Bogota, Colombia) (fao.org)