From 24.11 to 7.12.2024, a series of workshops will take place in Colombia and Chile in connection with the COMUNIDAD project (within WP3).
This is an introductory series of workshops on the project, which has a basic objective to support practical solutions for agricultural communities of the coffee growers in Colombia and forests, agricultural and livestock production in Chile.
The visit will begin with meetings at the Czech Embassy in Colombia and the National Federation of Coffee Growers (FNC) headquarters (in Bogota) to strengthen collaboration between Colombia’s coffee growers’ organization and EU R&D entities. Following this, visitors will tour Cenicafé, the FNC's science and technology branch, to gain insights into innovative coffee research. They will then have an opportunity to learn about the FNC’s Extension Service through a visit to the Coffee Growers’ Committee in Manizales and start the joint collaboration with the Universidad Autónoma de Manizales. The trip will conclude with an invaluable experience on coffee farms, where COMUNIDAD will be connected directly with coffee-growing families to discuss their practices and explore the plantations, end users’ needs and existing data.
From Colombia, the series of workshops will move to Chile, which will start with a meeting at the Czech Embassy in Santiago de Chile and lunch with the minister of agriculture of Chile, Mr. Esteban Valenzuela, and will be followed by the meetings with the director of the Center for Mathematical Modeling of the University of Chile and the representation of the Copernicus Relay Center that provides national coordination and dissemination, also serving as the information and support hub for EU Copernicus program resources in Chile. Next, the Sociedad Nacional de Agricultura and AgroTech Chile will be visited to discuss technological solutions and open pathways for collaboration within the agricultural sector, specifically targeting innovation-driven entrepreneurs and private sector stakeholders. The visitors will move from the Capital to the Region of Aysén, Patagonia, where the COMUNIDAD project will be presented to the public and local end users, the University of Aysén Authorities and the Regional Director of CORFO. The workshops in Chile will be closed by a visit to the Experimental Research Station of the University of Aysén, located in the Cerro Castillo area and the Ñirehuao sector - the pilot site identified in the COMUNIDAD project, a region with high levels of agricultural and livestock production.
The COMUNIDAD project aims to shape a stakeholder community that will actively use the Copernicus data and services in Colombia and Chile to jointly develop algorithms, services and/or products that serve local user needs. The series of workshops will be a unique opportunity to start networking and summarize the data & needs for the next stages of the project to facilitate the tool development for the local and regional best practices and understand the links between current farming practices, rural policies, and the concept of sustainable agriculture/forestry to be highlighted on the COMNIDAD Platform.
Stay tuned for updates on the outcomes of the COMUNIDAD project's strategic visit to Colombia and Chile.
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