CATIE and UAAAN Sign Agreement to Strengthen Academic and Scientific Cooperation in Tropical Agriculture

• With this signing, both universities reinforce their commitment to sustainable development and academic collaboration.

CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) and the Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro (UAAAN) of Mexico have signed a framework collaboration agreement aimed at strengthening academic, scientific, and innovation ties between the two institutions.

The agreement was signed by Dr. Luis Pocasangre, Director General of CATIE, and Dr. Alberto Flores, Rector of UAAAN, who visited CATIE’s campus in Turrialba, Costa Rica, to formalize this important partnership.

The agreement seeks to establish, maintain, and strengthen cooperative relationships in higher education and joint actions in key areas such as research, development-focused innovation, technical cooperation, and the dissemination of experiences and knowledge related to the programs, projects, and activities currently carried out by both institutions.

Additionally, a strategic cooperation agenda was established, including professional training at the master's and doctoral levels, and the promotion of applied research in key crops such as coffee, cacao, and banana. The agreement also includes the propagation and distribution of elite coffee and cacao hybrids developed by CATIE, technical training for producers and technicians, the provision of planting materials for banana cultivation, and the organization of workshops on sustainable agricultural production—further strengthening agricultural development and knowledge transfer.

The agreement also envisions two-way intern exchanges, the enrollment of Mexican students in CATIE’s Graduate School, faculty exchanges (including sabbatical stays), and the development of joint research projects, particularly in the fields of food security and tropical agriculture.

Following the signing, Dr. Pocasangre highlighted the prestige of UAAAN, a university with 102 years of history and extensive experience in tropical agriculture, with campuses in Saltillo, Coahuila, and Cintalapa, Chiapas, Mexico.

During his visit to CATIE, Dr. Flores toured the International Coffee and Cacao Collections, the Botanical Garden, the Graduate School, and the Orton Memorial Library, accompanied by Dr. Alfredo Zamarripa, Dean of CATIE’s Graduate School.