Dominican Republic visit for Harper Adams Professor

Posted 29 October 2013

Harper Adams Director of International Policy, Professor Brian Revell, addressed key figures from global agriculture at a conference in the Dominican Republic last week.

Professor Revell took part in a UKTI – sponsored visit to the country and was joined by representatives from the AHDB, EBLEX, the British Cattle Breeders’ Club, the James Hutton Institute and Defra.

As part of the trip, he gave a presentation about UK Higher Education and training opportunities in agriculture at an Agri-Tech conference. Amongst the guests were delegates from the Dominican Republic Ministry of Agriculture and its agri-business sector.

Commenting on the experience, Professor Revell, said: “The Dominican Republic is aiming to increase the productivity and competitiveness of its beef and dairy sectors and that of its potato industry.

“There is increasing interest and willingness to adopt bio-technology and genetic improvement in production, and also an emphasis on sustainable production, particularly through Integrated Pest Management, soil and water management and biological control in its arable sectors.

“We were able to see some of these advances being made on the larger haciendas within the country, and also to appreciate the challenges faced by the smallholder sector.”

Professor Revell had discussions with the Vice-Minister of Higher Education, the Minister and Vice-ministers of Agriculture, the Dean of the Faculty of Agronomy at the Autonomous University of San Domingo, and the President of I.S.A University in Santiago to discuss future collaboration opportunities.

The trip was organised through the British Embassy and its UKTI representatives in San Domingo.