News
Closer ties between WUR and Argentina
During the state visit of President Mauricio Macri of the Argentine Republic to the Netherlands on 27 and 28 March 2017, researchers of Wageningen University & Research (WUR) strengthened the ties with Argentina. Prof. Louise O. Fresco, president of the Executive Board of WUR was invited to join the state banquet in the Royal Palace in Amsterdam. Ernst van den Ende, General Director Plant Sciences Group, signed two Memorandum of Understandings (MoU's) on behalf of WUR, during the Business Forum Netherlands-Argentina in Amsterdam.
On Monday afternoon, a Dutch and Argentinian Business Forum was held in the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam. On this occasion Ernst van den Ende, General Director Plant Sciences Group, signed two Memorandum of Understandings (MoU's) on behalf of WUR: one with the Ministry of Agroindustry and one with La Cámara de Comercio Argentino-Holandesa (CCAH).
Cooperation with Argentina
The purpose of the MoU with the Ministry of Agroindustry is to coordinate and establish lines of cooperation in the area of agriculture, including family agriculture, horticulture, fruticulture, livestock (beef cattle and dairy), aquaculture and fisheries, bio industry (biotechnology, bioenergy and biobased products), agroindustry and agribusiness.
The overall goal of MoU with La Cámara de Comercio Argentino-Holandesa (CCAH) is to explore the feasibility of a Public Private Knowledge Program between Dutch and Argentinian companies and universities. The disciplines are Bio & Circular Economy, Water (watershed management to water treatment), Agriculture, Livestock & Food and Agribusiness.
Visit Vice minister of agriculture
On Tuesday 28 March, Ing. Ricardo Negri, vice minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the republic of Argentina, Leonard Sarquís, Minister of Agroindustry of the Buenos Aires province and Mr Gaston Funes, agriculture counsellor for Argentina in Brussels, visited the facilities of the business unit Greenhouse Horticulture in Bleiswijk. Besides greenhouse horticulture and a tour of the research facilities, different topics were presented and discussed. As Argentina recently suffered from extreme floods in agriculture producing areas, especially the Integrated Resource Management under Climate change conditions had their interest.
Sharing knowledge about greenhouse design and water
Vice minister Ricardo Negri expressed the wish that the business unit Greenhouse Horticulture cooperates with INTA (the Argentinean national agriculture research institute) on the improvement of greenhouse design. A good way of starting would be to have a workshop in Argentina on tailor-made greenhouse design, based on climate and market/economic conditions on a specific location.
Ing. Leonardo Sarquís (Minister of Agroindustry Buenos Aires province) would like to have a workshop of WUR experts on Risk Management/risk avoidance in the Province of Buenos Aires with a multistakeholder group of the province, the Ministry of Infrastructure and the ministry of Water. As in many countries, coordination between ministries on a topic as Water is a challenge. WUR could shine a light on integrated Resource Management that could strengthen development programmes in the province of Buenos Aires.
For more information on the cooperation of WUR with Argentina, please contact Ria Hulsman, manager Latin America, Wageningen International.