CATIE Celebrates the Graduation of 68 Professionals Committed to Sustainability and Development

• Graduates from 18 countries complete master’s degrees in key areas for sustainable agriculture and climate change.
  
  

CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) held its 2024 Graduation Ceremony, celebrating 68 students from 18 different countries who completed academic programs focused on critical topics for the sustainable development of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Among the graduating community, 33 were men and 35 were women, who completed master’s programs in Agroforestry and Sustainable Agriculture; Economics, Development and Climate Change; Management and Conservation of Tropical Forests and Biodiversity; Comprehensive Watershed Management; as well as virtual master’s degrees in Agribusiness Management and Sustainable Markets (GANEMOS) and Watershed Management.

Luis Pocasangre, CATIE’s Director General, expressed, “These graduates are key to promoting a sustainable future in their home countries by applying the knowledge they have acquired to face global environmental challenges.”

Among the young graduates, from Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, the United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic, Marcella Sarti Arellano from Guatemala, a graduate of the Master’s in Management and Conservation of Tropical Forests and Biodiversity, stood out with the highest grade point average.

“Thank you all for the good moments shared. Thank you, classmates! I also want to express my gratitude to those who made it possible for us to be here today: the Canadian Model Forest Network, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Colfuturo, CONAPE, and others. Without their support, none of us would be here. Thanks to the Graduate School staff and professors, who provided us with lessons that go beyond academics and left us with valuable life teachings. Finally, I am deeply grateful to our families, who have supported us from afar throughout this journey. I especially want to thank my mother, because thanks to her, I am the woman I am today,” Sarti said in her speech.

Mariela Leandro, Dean of CATIE’s Graduate School, highlighted the importance of this day: “For us as the Graduate School, graduation is the most significant moment in the entire academic process. We are honored to celebrate the hard work and sacrifice of these young people and their families. I would like to urge them to maintain their commitment to improving quality of life through productivity and conservation, always aligned with environmental and social commitments.”

The ceremony celebrated the efforts of these professionals who, from their respective countries, will contribute innovative solutions in natural resource management, agribusiness, and sustainable economic development, ensuring a positive impact on their communities.

Tribute to Distinguished Figures in Agriculture and Education

As part of the 2024 Graduation Ceremony, CATIE paid posthumous tribute to Dr. Alejandro Imbach, recognizing his outstanding contribution to CATIE’s Graduate School and his invaluable work as a mentor to hundreds of leaders in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Finally, during the ceremony, the Center made an important announcement: the creation of the Inter-American Chair Dr. Manuel Otero: Innovations in Agrifood Systems of the Tropics, in recognition of the career of Dr. Otero, Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).

At this event, Pocasangre presented an award to Otero, highlighting his career spanning more than 35 years dedicated to promoting and developing tropical and temperate agriculture in the Americas. He also acknowledged Otero’s contributions to strengthening key research and innovation platforms, such as FONAGRO, FONTAGRO, PROCISUR, PROMECAFÉ, and his collaboration with international centers such as CIMMYT, benefiting food security.

"Through this chair, as a graduate of this noble institution, I commit to working alongside CATIE’s administration and sharing my accumulated knowledge and experience from a long career in agricultural research and innovation in Latin America and the Caribbean. I aim to strengthen the skills and abilities of a new generation of CATIE graduates, to promote interregional cooperation, identify scholarship opportunities, organize conferences, and mobilize resources for strategic projects. Thank you very much for this recognition; I accept it with great honor and, above all, with a commitment to continue working even harder," Otero stated.

The 2024 CATIE Graduation Ceremony not only celebrated the academic achievements of its new graduates but also honored the legacy of those who have dedicated their lives to education and sustainable agriculture in the region.