Links built with South America during outreach visits

Posted 3 May 2016

Harper Adams University has been building links with universities and research institutions in South America in recent weeks.

Dr Leticia Chico Santamarta, from Harper Adams, travelled to Buenos Aires, Argentina in mid-April, and took part in meetings at Universidad El Salvador, The Argentine Association of Regional Consortiums for Agricultural Experimentation (AACREA), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Argentina and the British Embassy in Buenos Aires.

Universidad El Salvador has 30,000 students, and offers some undergraduate programmes in similar areas to Harper Adams, particularly Agronomy and Veterinary studies.

The Argentine Association of Regional Consortiums for Agricultural Experimentation was formed by groups of farmers with the objective of promoting the technological and managerial development of its members.  It is a ‘cooperative of knowledge’.  Dr Chico Santamarta met Federico Bert, director of the Research and Development Unit of AACREA.

Next up was the British Embassy in Buenos Aires, to meet the Trade and Investment Advisor and the the Deputy Director for Trade and Investment, Alfredo Fierro, who was very positive about the university’s visit to Argentina 

At Universidad de Buenos Aires, the public University of Argentina, Dr Chico Santamarta visited the Food Agribusiness Department. 

The next leg of the trip was to Uruguay, and involved two further Harper Adams staff: Carwyn Ellis, Head of the Animal Production, Welfare and Veterinary Sciences Department at Harper Adams, and Tony Asson, Senior Lecturer in farm business management.

The main purpose of the trip was to visit Universidad de la Empresa, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias following previous collaboration. There was a series of meetings, visits to research institutes and presentations to the University staff and students, as well as invited guests from different institutions.

Dr Chico Santamarta presented Harper Adams, providing an overview of the university, departments, research and postgraduate courses.

Tony Asson gave two presentations: ‘Improving the Efficiency and Sustainability of the Food Suppy Chain – Market Potential for Micro Scale AD in the UK’, and  ‘Mechanisation and adoption of best practise to increase production potential.’

A final presentation by Carwyn Ellis was titled ‘Workforce development initiatives and their benefits to industry and the University – Illustration of innovation developments within the Animal Production, Welfare and Veterinary Science Department.”

The group then visited two Experimental Stations/Research Institutions, INIA La Estanzuela and INIA Las Brujas, where they had the chance to discuss research ideas as well as potential collaborative work.

Dr Chico Santamarta also visited the British Chamber of Commerce in Uruguay.