CATIE joins in the celebration of Korea's National Foundation Day

• The event was held at the Crowne Plaza Corobicí Hotel in Costa Rica, where a unique cultural exchange was experienced through its gastronomy, music and art.

October 5, 2022. The Korean community in Costa Rica celebrated its national holiday Gaecheonjo on October 4, which commemorates the formation of the first Korean state, an event that took place more than 4,000 years ago. For this important festivity, the Korean Embassy invited the Director General of CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center), Muhammad Ibrahim, along with authorities of the Costa Rican government, Legislative Assembly, diplomatic representatives and civil society.

During the event, Ibrahim shared words with the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of Costa Rica and current president of the Superior Council of Ministers of CATIE, Victor Carvajal, about the work of the institution with the Asian country on issues of biodiversity conservation, agro-forestry, sustainable agribusiness and climate change.

Since 2016, the cooperative relationship between CATIE and the Republic of Korea has been able to promote research of great agricultural relevance in the region through Korean institutions such as Rural Development Administration (RDA) and Korea-LatinAmerica Food and Agriculture Cooperation Initiative (KoLFACI), specifically in the genetic improvement of coffee and cocoa, as well as in the management of plantations under agro-forestry systems practices.

We thank the Korean Embassy in Costa Rica for the cordial invitation to celebrate their culture, traditions and customs, as well as the constant interest and exchange in the creation of strategies for future research and development projects for the benefit of Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia.