Posted: January 4, 2017
Students and researchers work with local farmers.
In December 2016, members of the agriculture extension subgroup of the LGU Colombia Consortium collaborated with the Universidad de La Salle to undertake an Information and Education Campaign (I&E) and a Rapid Rural Reconnaissance in the Departments of Bolivar, La Sucre and Magdalena. Working with students of the Utopia program, researchers from Washington State University, New Mexico State University and the University of California, Davis, spent six days working with local farmers and stakeholders to identify high priority constraints faced by farm entrepreneurs and their communities. The goal is that projects can be introduced to remove or reduce these constraints creating a sustainable socioeconomic benefit flow for the recommendation domains identified. Graduates and students from the Universidad de La Salle - Yopal's "Utopia" Program will act as community extension specialists in locations where they live and are building their businesses. The extension subgroup of the LGU Consortium also seeks to create and set the foundation for long-term collaborative extension, development and applied research in Colombia.