CATIE and CIRAD confirm and strengthen their historic cooperation with the signing of the ConForMa project

• The Director General of CIRAD visited CATIE and highlighted the importance of an alliance that already spans decades of joint research for development in the region.

CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) received the official visit of the Director General of the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), Mrs. Elisabeth Claverie de Saint-Martin, accompanied by the new Regional Director, Mr. Lafarge Tanguy, and his predecessor, Mr. Philippe Vaast; as well as representatives from the cooperation service of the French Embassy (Mrs. A. Paris and Mrs. J. Durbet) and the French Development Agency (its director, Mr. JP Berthelemy, and his colleague J. García).

During the visit, the delegation went to Aquiares to observe the Ecoffee initiative trials, aimed at reducing pesticide use in coffee, and at CATIE they visited the international coffee and cocoa collections and the banana trials. In addition, the delegation learned about CATIE’s main research and postgraduate programs and engaged with researchers from both institutions who are working on joint projects in the region.

One of the most significant moments was the signing of the cooperation agreement between CATIE and CIRAD, within the framework of the ConForMa project: Towards concerted forest management of the future, example of the Maya Forest and the forest communities of Petén, Guatemala. This project, led by CIRAD and funded by the French Global Environment Facility (FFEM), has financing of more than two million euros and will last for 3.5 years.

CATIE participates in this project through its Forests, Biodiversity, and Productive Landscapes Unit (UBBPP), which will be in charge of coordinating activities related to biodiversity monitoring and strengthening value chains of timber and non-timber products.

These activities will be developed in close collaboration with the communities that manage forest concessions in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, as well as with strategic partners such as Rainforest Alliance, ATIBT, CONAP, and ACOFOP.

Referring to the cooperation between both institutions, Claverie de Saint-Martin emphasized: “Cooperation with CATIE is essential because we share scientific priorities on key issues such as water, health, pesticide reduction, and climate change adaptation. We must continue working together, seeking funding, and generating high-value proposals for the region.”

For his part, CATIE’s Director General, Dr. Luis Pocasangre, highlighted the long-standing joint trajectory: “I am pleased to hear you speak in favor of this cooperation between CATIE and CIRAD that already spans decades. CIRAD’s scientific quality is recognized in the field by producers and technicians, and I am proud to currently have 11 CIRAD researchers seconded here at CATIE.”.

CIRAD is a very strong partner for CATIE. Currently, eleven researchers from the Center carry out their work in the region from CATIE: six at the central headquarters in Turrialba, two in Nicaragua, one in Panama, one in Guatemala, and one in Mexico.

The week prior to the signing of the agreement, on September 18 and 19, CATIE participated in the launch activities of the ConForMa project in the Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR), in Petén, Guatemala. CATIE was represented by Adina Chain Guadarrama, a researcher at the UBBPP, who had the opportunity to share about the work planned around biodiversity monitoring, highlighting the requirements of concession contracts and forest certification, as well as the communities’ own interest in showcasing the efforts they are carrying out in favor of biodiversity conservation.

The official visit and the signing of the new project constitute a milestone in the cooperation between CATIE and CIRAD, reinforcing their commitment to developing joint solutions to the major challenges of Latin America and the Caribbean in sustainability, agricultural production, and biodiversity conservation. This agreement also continues the work that CATIE has been promoting since the 1990s around the MBR, community forest concessions, and silvicultural monitoring, consolidating the community forest management model as a key strategy for the region.