Peru and Bioversity International sign an agreement to advance research on cocoa
Out of 40 project proposals, the Ministry of Agriculture of Peru selected the top 6, based on technical quality, impact on generating small producers' competitiveness and potential for improving the national diet. A proposal by Bioversity International and partners to improve cocoa is one of the winning six, to be co-financed by CGIAR,
Out of 40 project proposals, the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation of Peru selected their top 6, based on technical quality, impact on generating small producers' competitiveness and potential for improving the national diet. One of the winning six, to be co-financed by CGIAR, is a proposal by Bioversity International and partners to improve cocoa.
With the intent on reducing poverty, and improving food security and the competitiveness of small producers, the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation of Peru (MINAGRI) signed five cooperation agreements with various specialized organizations to launch projects in agricultural research and transferring of agricultural technologies.
To mark the occasion, a ceremony was held at the MINAGRI headquarters in La Molina. The deputy minister of Agrarian Policies of the MINAGRI, Juan Risi, as president of the Technical Secretariat of CGIAR, signed the agreements with representatives of the International Potato Center (CIP), La Molina National Agrarian University (UNALM), Bioversity International, World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF) and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT).
CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future. CGIAR science is dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources and ecosystem services. Its research is carried out by 15 CGIAR centers in close collaboration with hundreds of partners, including national and regional research institutes, civil society organizations, academia, development organizations and the private sector. Peru has been a member of CGIAR since 1997.
The CGIAR 2017 call received 40 proposals on diverse topics related to agriculture. Out of these, six were chosen based on technical quality, impact on generating small producers' competitiveness and potential for improving the national diet.
The total investment required for these projects amounts to US$1,869,964. CGIAR contributes 65% of this amount and the winning institutions the remaining 35%.
One of the six winning projects is a proposal by Bioversity International in partnership with the National Institute of Agrarian Innovation and the National Service of Agrarian Health. The project concerns prevention and mitigation of cadmium concentrations in cocoa: Using genetic diversity, mycorrhiza inoculation and improved soil management for prevention and mitigation research on the concentration of cadmium in cocoa.
Original article is in Spanish and posted on Rueda de Negocios.