Colombia

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Overview

Country Colombia Capital : Bogota

Colombia has a population of nearly 48 million people. The mountainous character of much of Colombia’s territory, along with the attendant climatic variations of the different vertical zones, allows for the production of an unusually wide range of both tropical and temperate-zone crops, from bananas and sugarcane to wheat, barley, and potatoes. Coffee has long represented the foundation of the Colombian economy, comprising a substantial portion of exports.

A few of Colombia’s other top agricultural exports are: bananas, refined sugar and palm oil.

83-94% of the food energy consumed in Colombia comes from crops that are not native to region. Most of these plants’ diversity is found elsewhere on the planet.

Colombia signed the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) in 2002, joining 142 other contracting parties working toward the global system. Additionally, Colombia contributed USD 35,802 to support the Crop Trust.

 

The Crop Trust has supported 4 projects in Colombia

  1. Beans: The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in collaboration with Universidad Nacional (Palmira) received support from the Crop Trust to evaluate bean for resistance to root rot and drought with the objective of identifying sources of resistance and making these available to breeders globally for use in breeding programs to facilitate the development of varieties adapted to climate change.
  2. Beans: CIAT receives an in-perpetuity grant from the Crop Trust for the long-term conservation of the global bean and cassava collections it holds on behalf of the international community.
  3. Cassava: The Crop Trust supported the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in its work with the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven), Belgium to develop a protocol for the cryopreservation of cassava. The protocol will allow the routine, large-scale application of cryopreservation for long-term conservation of cassava.
  4. Cassava: CIAT receives an in-perpetuity grant from the Crop Trust for the long-term conservation of the global bean and cassava collections it holds on behalf of the international community.