CATIE strengthens ties for national and regional collaboration during working tour in Panama 

• The Director General of CATIE, Dr. Luis Ernesto Pocasangre, visited Panama and held working meetings with authorities and personnel from various institutions in the country.

Strengthening ties, exchanging information and identifying opportunities for collaboration in Panama and Mesoamerica were part of the objectives of the work visit carried out by the Director General of CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center), Dr. Luis Ernesto Pocasangre, accompanied by CATIE's representative in Panama, Elvin Britton.

During this visit, Dr. L. E. Pocasangre met with authorities and technical personnel from institutions such as the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA), the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the Institute of Agricultural Innovation of Panama (IDIAP), the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the University of Panama, the Ministry of Women and the Center for International Cooperation in Agricultural Research for Development (CIRAD), the International Center for Sustainable Development (CIDES) and the City of Knowledge Foundation, as well as with coffee and cacao producers and banana technicians.

In a meeting with the Minister of MIDA, Roberto Linares, a framework agreement was signed for technical cooperation in higher education, research and training of MIDA personnel. Specifically, the cooperation will cover topics such as the evaluation of coffee hybrids adapted to low altitudinal levels in Panama, the transfer of Robusta coffee germplasm from CATIE to Panama, the development of sustainable green enterprises in agricultural systems, plantain production for food security and to supply agroindustrial demand, the evaluation of cocoa germplasm, and work with indigenous communities (comarcas) in agroforestry systems for coffee and cocoa production.

In addition, in another meeting with Jorge Cerrud, Director of Banana and Plantain of MIDA; Adalberto Andrade, Director of Agroexport; and Amada Noriega, Director of Competitiveness, the Director General of CATIE learned about the needs of the banana sector in Panama and explained the possibilities of support from the Center. He also invited them to participate in the first International Plantain Congress to be held on CATIE's campus in Costa Rica from August 26 to 28, 2025.

At IICA's facilities, the CATIE delegation was received by Miguel Arvelo, IICA's representative in Panama, together with Manuel Pitre and Carlos Bárcenas, as part of the Institute's technical team, to discuss issues such as the joint development of training courses on topics such as bioeconomics and the preparation of agricultural projects; the design of the NAMA (Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action) for bovine livestock for Panama and support for the production chains of crops such as coffee (Robusta variety) and cocoa, which are of great importance to the country and of interest to the Ministry of Agricultural Development.

Dr. L. E. Pocasangre also met with Alexandra Rodriguez, National Director of IDIAP, and its research team. This meeting served as a prelude to the renewal of the cooperation agreement between the two institutions. In addition, the IDIAP team showed interest in topics such as research on pixbae (Bactris gasipaes) and other tropical fruits, as well as in continuing the provision of genetic material of coffee, cocoa and other crop varieties that CATIE maintains in its Germplasm Bank.

Dr. L. E. Pocasangre and Britton also met with FAO's representative for the Mesoamerican subregion, Adoniram Sanches Peraci, and with Raixa Llauger, agricultural officer. During the meeting, there was an exchange of information on FAO's work in the region related to plant health, for example, to prevent pests such as tropical race 4 of the Fusarium fungus in Musaceae and Monilia Monilia in cocoa from reaching more countries in the Latin American and Caribbean region. They also discussed the possibilities for collaboration on issues such as climate change and agriculture, given CATIE's capabilities and experience.

The tour continued with a meeting between Dr. L. E. Pocasangre and the coordinator of AECID in Panama, Itziar González, accompanied by Adoración León Moruno, project manager, in which CATIE's commitment to the development of the project “Improving adaptive capacity to climate change in the district of Kusapín through Nature-based Solutions” was reaffirmed. The project, which is being carried out in the Ngöbe Buglé region, is financed by AECID and has the Ministry of Environment as institutional counterpart. Its objective is to implement adaptation measures including Nature-based Solutions (NBS) as a transversal axis to improve climate resilience, prioritizing water security, food security and livelihoods in Kusapín.

At the University of Panama (UP), Dr. L. E. Pocasangre discussed with its Vice Rector for Research and Postgraduate Studies, Dr. Jaime Gutiérrez, the renewal of the framework agreement between both academic entities, which will allow for continued collaboration in areas such as the continuity of master's studies and doctoral internships at CATIE for UP professors and students, the organization and implementation of a joint master's program in Tropical Agroforestry in the Darien region of Panama, among other topics of interest to both parties.

Finally, in a meeting with Niurka Palacio, Panama's Minister of Women, and Janeth Caraballo, National Director of Integral Development of Women, Dr. L. E. Pocasangre explained CATIE's work with rural women and the promotion of their development as part of CATIE's mandate. The different initiatives that CATIE carries out in the country were also explained. The Minister, for her part, commented on the work carried out by the Ministry in the different centers in the country and expressed her interest in the experience and possibilities of collaboration with CATIE.

The working visit also served to meet with producers in the region of Cirí Grande, Capira, in the province of Panama Oeste, thanks to the coordination of Abel Aparicio, National Director of Agriculture. In addition, after meeting with the regional director of MIDA Panama Oeste, Rubí Hidalgo, CATIE's Director General and CATIE's representative in Panama visited MIDA's El Cacao Agency, where they met with extension technicians, visited the farms of two coffee producers to exchange experiences within the framework of the KoLFACI-CATIE project, which is being implemented in the Panama Canal Basin with the support of the Ministry as extension partner.