Colombia

Our Mission in Colombia

Colombia is home to our regional office of the Alliance for the Americas, a cutting-edge research and innovation center that drives the country's inclusive agricultural development through science-based solutions and the development of new technologies, methods and knowledge.

For more than five decades, we have led scientific research in areas such as crop improvement, sustainable value chains, Big Data, climate change, molecular sequencing, and data mining. The Alliance in Colombia has focused on fostering sustainable food production, improving the productivity of the Colombian agricultural sector through innovation and capacity building of smallholder farmers, while addressing the challenges of climate change, food insecurity and biodiversity loss.

766 Colombians employed in different areas
140 current projects
76 funders

Challenges

Our work in Colombia faces the challenge of improving the livelihoods of farmers and rural communities. To address this issue, we focus on strengthening their capacities for economic empowerment. This involves promoting crop diversity and the restoration of degraded ecosystems while facilitating access to resources and innovative technologies.

Thematic Research Areas

In Colombia, we work in collaboration with our partners in the following areas:

Agrobiodiversity Conservation

Our campus and regional office for the Americas in Palmira, Colombia, is home to Future Seeds, a germplasm bank that houses global collections of beans, cassava, and tropical forages. This project represents our commitment to the conservation of plant genetic diversity, national and international food security, environmental sustainability, and innovation.

Food security and combating malnutrition

We have helped combat malnutrition in the country and the region by developing, distributing, and promoting biofortified crops. These crops, rich in micronutrients such as iron, zinc, and provitamin A, not only help combat malnutrition but also strengthen food security by offering more resilient options to unfavourable climatic conditions.

Climate Change

We work to combat climate change in Colombia by generating technical inputs that influence public policy as well as promoting community climate information systems. We also promote initiatives with participatory approaches, such as the Agroclimatic Technical Tables, which provide farmers with the information they need to make informed decisions about their production and reduce climate risk in agriculture.

Sustainable Livestock

We promote innovative technologies for more environmentally friendly livestock production. From diets based on improved varieties of tropical forages to the development of sustainable business models, we work to reduce pressure on natural ecosystems and improve economic and social sustainability in livestock farming areas.

Impact

Generating knowledge and agricultural technologies to help improve productivity and address malnutrition.

Strengthening the capacity of smallholder farmers to adapt to climate change and variability.

Forming alliances to create sustainable value chains based on inclusive business models.

In the collaborative design of productive systems that are environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable.

Using big data as a tool to close yield gaps and foster innovation to modernize the national technical assistance system in agriculture.

Download PDF About our work in Colombia

Collaborations and Partners

Our research, innovations, and impacts are thanks to our funders and to our joint work with local, national, and international partners (national and local governments, multilateral and international organizations, private sector actors, unions, academia, civil society, cooperatives, farmer associations, etc.).

Thanks to these partnerships, we align our research with the needs of the country, foster innovation in priority areas, and reach out to different communities to develop our research, implement our innovations, and build capacities.

Projects and Flagship Initiatives

To address the challenges we seek to resolve in Colombia and achieve positive impact through our work, we undertake several projects in different parts of the country.

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Leadership

Joe Tohme

Managing Director, Americas

Adriana Varón

Communications Specialist for the Americas

Our offices in Colombia

Colombia - Regional Headquarters
Palmira Campus
Km 17 vía Cali – Palmira
Palmira, Colombia
Phone: +57 (602) 445 0117. Ext. 3117
Email: Carolina Rayo ([email protected])

Bogotá
Carrera 8 No. 12 B-31 Piso 5
Edificio Bancol
Bogotá D.C, Colombia
Phone: +57 312 874 4502
Email: Carolina Rayo ([email protected])