Costa Rica and CATIE to Host the 7th World Congress on Agroforestry in 2028

• For the first time, this event will be held in Latin America and will bring together more than one thousand agroforestry specialists from all continents

CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center), based in Costa Rica, has been selected as the organizer and host of the 7th World Congress on Agroforestry (WCA2028), one of the world’s most important scientific gatherings dedicated to promoting agroforestry as a key tool for sustainable development and climate action.

The official announcement was made after the review of applications by the International Union of Agroforestry Organizations (IUAF), the entity responsible for evaluating proposals submitted by countries and organizations with recognized regional or continental experience.

On this occasion, CATIE led Costa Rica’s official proposal with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), the National Institute for Innovation and Transfer in Agricultural Technology (INTA), the Ministry of Environment (MINAE), the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), and the Latin American Agroforestry Scientific Network (Agroforesta).

“This designation recognizes CATIE’s regional and global leadership in agroforestry, and we are proud to bring this world congress to Latin America for the first time,” stated Luis Pocasangre, Director General of CATIE.

The news has already been widely shared on the social media channels of the 6th World Congress on Agroforestry held in Rwanda, as well as those of IUAF and other prominent agroforestry institutions worldwide.

The host of the next World Congress on Agroforestry has been announced

UIAF annouces the World Congress on Agroforestry 2028

A global event to strengthen networks and knowledge

The 7th World Congress on Agroforestry will tentatively take place in May 2028 in San José, Costa Rica, with a field trip to CATIE’s campus in Turrialba. More than 1,000 participants are expected, including researchers, technicians, producers, students, and decision-makers from different continents.

A historic opportunity for Latin America

Rolando Cerda, leader of the Agroforestry and Coffee and Cacao Genetic Improvement Unit, stated that this will be a key event to exchange approaches, data, and implications from agroforestry research and experiences around the world.

“CATIE will highlight its strengths in research, teaching, and extension spanning more than 40 years on agroforestry systems with coffee and cacao, as well as silvopastoral systems with large and small livestock. It will also foster strategic alliances with academic partners and networks in Latin America and North America to share research agendas, experiments, and trials on tropical and temperate agroforestry. This will allow us to demonstrate the relevance of agroforestry systems as a land use that reconciles production, conservation, and the provision of ecosystem services,” he affirmed.

Cerda also noted that this congress will be an opportunity to showcase Costa Rica’s environmental conservation initiatives, payment for ecosystem services, and sustainable development policies in which agroforestry plays a key role.

“CATIE thanks IUAF for the opportunity to organize the next World Congress on Agroforestry and for its willingness to collaborate in the organization of such a major global event,” added Luis Orozco Aguilar, researcher-professor at the Agroforestry and Coffee and Cacao Genetic Improvement Unit at CATIE.

This congress will serve as a platform to inspire new partnerships, policies, and projects that promote a more sustainable future from the productive landscapes of Latin America to the world.