The agreement seeks to strengthen academic collaboration through the exchange of research findings
By SYDNEY AMESTOY — campus@theaggie.org
UC Davis and the Chilean Ministry of Agriculture signed an agreement on Jan. 26 that seeks to strengthen the collaboration between the school and the Republic of Chile in terms of agricultural development and research, according to a press release.
The agreement was signed by Chancellor Gary May and the Minister of Agriculture of Chile Esteban Valenzuela in Santiago, Chile at a conference put on by the UC Davis Chile Life Sciences Innovation Center (UC Davis Chile), according to the release. The agreement seeks to encourage collaboration between the entities through the exchange of research findings.
Executive Director of UC Davis Chile Dario Cantu said that he currently works closely on the research conducted through the center and believes the agreement will only strengthen the connection between UC Davis and Chile.
“The agreement signed […] is meant to strengthen and formalize the already close collaboration with the Chilean government in areas that are of priority for both UC Davis and Chile, such as climate change, drought, development of rural areas and farmers’ wellbeing, sustainability and technological innovation, among others,” Cantu said.
This is not the first time an agreement of this nature has been signed between UC Davis and a Chilean entity. In 2017, UC Davis Chile signed a collaborative agreement with the Universidad del Desarrollo in Chile.
“[UC Davis Chile] facilitates the exchange of knowledge and expertise from California, which is highly relevant to Chile due to their similarities in terms of geography, climate, industries and universities,” Cantu said. “We work closely with Chilean government agencies, universities and industry partners on a range of projects, such as, for example, pest and disease control, development of bioproducts to improve plant health and productivity, improved water management practices, environmental quality monitoring and conservation and development of extension programs in viticulture, fruit production [and] irrigation management.”
UC Davis Chile opened in 2015 with the sponsorship of the Chilean government, after a long history of previous collaboration, according to Cantu.
“UC Davis has a long tradition of working closely with institutions in Chile, which probably started in as early as in the 1960s when several Chilean students studied agronomy and related fields enrolled in UC Davis and later made significant contributions to the modernization of Chilean agriculture,” Cantu said.
Written by: Sydney Amestoy — campus@theaggie.org
