Dominican delegation learns about coffee cultivation advances from CATIE

• They visited the Center's headquarters in Costa Rica as part of a tour organized by the Dominican Agribusiness Board, with support from the IDB.

July 3, 2023. In a training initiative and alliance-seeking effort, a delegation of representatives from Dominican Republic coffee producer organizations visited CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) in Costa Rica, from June 27 to 29. The visit, organized by the Dominican Agribusiness Board, had the primary objective of acquiring knowledge about coffee cultivation and exploring propagation techniques, as well as learning about CATIE's International Coffee Collection and aspects related to agroforestry systems with coffee.

The delegation, composed of six representatives from coffee producer organizations, three technicians from the Dominican Institute of Coffee (INDOCAFE), and a representative from the Dominican Agribusiness Board, were welcomed by members of the CATIE team, including Muhammad Ibrahim, General Director; Carlos Araya, Director of Green Business Development, Resource Planning and Strategic Alliances; Luis Diego Jiménez, in charge of the Forest Seed Bank; and William Solano, Daniel Fernández, and Chelsia Moraes, from the Agroforestry and Coffee and Cocoa Genetic Improvement Unit.

During their stay at CATIE, the dominican representatives had the opportunity to tour the facilities and participate in various activities related to coffee cultivation and its sustainability. For instance, propagation techniques in nurseries presented by Jiménez, a tour of the International Coffee Collection guided by Solano and Fernández, and a visit to the Biotechnology Laboratory where F1 Hybrid coffee plants are propagated, known for their high productivity and disease tolerance, like rust, and resilience to adverse weather conditions. Additionally, they were provided with detailed information about the work being done to promote agroforestry systems with coffee and their proper management.

As part of the agenda, the delegation also visited Hacienda Aquiares, a renowned coffee farm in Turrialba. This visit allowed the Dominican representatives to learn about coffee processing methods, where technological innovations have been implemented for the development of new products. They also learned about the good agricultural, agroforestry, environmental, and social practices implemented by Hacienda Aquiares for the attainment and maintenance of certifications such as Rainforest Alliance and Carbon Neutrality.

Muhammad Ibrahim, General Director of CATIE, expressed his gratitude to the Dominican delegation for their interest in visiting the Center and training in coffee plant propagation techniques. Ibrahim highlighted the importance of the Dominican Republic as a CATIE member country and expressed the institution's interest in establishing partnerships that allow bringing CATIE's knowledge and technologies to producer families and receiving feedback to achieve scalability of the work done.

Some members of the Dominican delegation expressed their admiration for the innovations and experiments witnessed during the visit, recognizing in them the future of coffee farming. They highlighted the desire to maintain sustainable coffee farming over time and the interest in reproducing asexual plant propagation techniques in their country.

This visit took place within the framework of the project "Technological Implementation for the Productive Process of Coffee Growers on the Dominican-Haitian Border", funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The project aims to increase the productivity of coffee producers and strengthen their ability to adapt to the effects of climate change on farms in border areas, with the aim of accessing new markets.

The visit to CATIE provided valuable knowledge and experiences to the Dominican representatives, thus strengthening the ties between both countries in the field of coffee farming and laying the groundwork for future collaborations benefiting coffee producers in the Dominican Republic.