Argentina_ August 2024
In August 2024, a UT delegation composed of three faculty (Walker, Penchoff, Ader) and CFEWS-100K CLIMA program manager (Sara Mulville) traveled to Argentina to discuss research and proposal development. Our team organized topical workshops within the context of Aapresid International Congress. The congress was held in the city of Buenos Aires from August 7-9, 2024, and co-organized with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in the Americas (IICA) and the Confederation of American Associations for Sustainable Agriculture (CAPAAS). This event had the participation of (>15,000 attendees and >100 agricultural industry companies each year), field trials, field days, and seminars for technological exchange between domestic and foreign farmers, and joint research and extension activities with universities, agricultural research centers, and private companies. CFEWS workshops allowed team members to launch regional soil working groups to accelerate carbon sequestration and the implementation of climate-smart food systems roadmaps engaging farmer’s association and local-to-regional agricultural industries in South America. CFWES team had roundtable discussions with Pres. Marcelo Torres (Aapresid), Pres. Martín Cubilla from the Paraguayan Federation of No-Till Sowing for Sustainable Agriculture (FEPASIDIAS), Dr. Emilio Gonzalez-Sanches from the Spanish Conservation Agriculture Association (AEACSV) and the European Conservation Agriculture Federation (ECAF). These meetings allowed group to identified knowledge gaps and advanced technologies and economic incentives needed to solve the practical problems of small and medium farms in the region. Discussion were focused on soil restoration, carbon farming, carbon intensity for crop production and crop-livestock integration. Working groups will continue working virtually and involved site visits in Year 2 of project.
Congress Magazine: https://issuu.com/aapresid/docs/revista_aapresid_ec2024_english CFEWS workshops page 60-67.
Workshop recordings: CFEWS Workshop I Climate-Smart-Nexus of Food Energy and Water; CFWES Workshop II: Novel Oilseed Cover crops and SAF market outlook: farmer’s perspectives; CFEWS Workshop III: Sustainable agriculture in Africa, Europe, and America: Different realities, same challenges for smallholders?
TN-Argentina Farmer-to-Farmer Virtual Exchanges
Media: American Soybean Association-Argentina: https://vimeo.com/995152809/85e82aba50
U.S. Soybean Association prepared a video to extend camaraderie to Argentine farmers during the Aapresid Conference. https://www.aapresid.org.ar/blog/mision-estados-unidos-aapresid-vinculacion-crece-pasos-agigantados
Row-crop Farmer-to-farmer exchanges: multiple faculty delegation trips and stakeholder-research workshops have sparked the interest of row crop farmers (i.e. TN Soybean Association, Aapresid) in developing US-Argentine farmer-to-farmer exchange programs in collaboration with CFEWS/BESS team.
Argentina- Policy Brief Workshop: Dr. Deborah Penchoff (project collaborator) and program manager organized a policy brief workshop with Argentina’s National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA). These meeting took place at two regional experimental stations (i.e. Castelar and Mendoza-San Juan Regional Center). The workshop utilized evidence-based materials developed by Penchoff and colleagues at the UT Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs. The learning materials were tailored to train INTA’s extension technicians on public policy for agricultural sustainability and circular bioeconomy systems. Participants worked in small groups in a variety of topics to design briefs and present to an audience at the end of the training. Topics selected by local counterparts in: i) design and development of municipal agrarian parks; ii) regeneration of marginalized land for food production in vulnerable populations iii) energy and water use efficiency in horticultural Irrigation.
The meeting was held at the headquarters of the Center for Research and Technological Development for Family Farming (CIPAF) where 25 technicians participated from the Agroindustry Research Centers (CIA), the Natural Resources Center (CIRN), the EEA AMBA, the IPAF Pampeana Region (CIPAF) and the Center for Research in Veterinary and Agronomic Sciences (CICVyA). Training on policy briefs will continue virtually through INTA’s PROCADIS Campus (institute educational and training platform for staff and agricultural stakeholders). Media: https://www.argentina.gob.ar/noticias/como-acercar-la-investigacion-los-decisores