This academic initiative has benefitted 134 new professionals alone in Latin America and the Caribbean between January and May of 2018.
San José, 31 May, 2018 (IICA). By the end of 2018, the scholarship program administered by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and Mexico’s National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) will have awarded 1,600 scholarships in Latin America and the Caribbean.
A total of 1,422 participants have registered in this academic program, since its establishment in January 2012, and it has assisted its beneficiaries in strengthening their technical capacities through postgraduate studies (Masters and Doctorate degrees and specializations) on agriculture-related topics at prestigious universities and research centers in Mexico.
The IICA/ CONACYT program has advanced to such an extent that it can now position the scholarships as an important option for young leaders in the agriculture sector, seeking to enhance their skills and knowledge so that they may use them to modernize and develop agriculture in their countries.
Between January and May of this year, the program awarded 134 new scholarships to students from 14 IICA member countries. Colombia benefited the most, with a total of 85 scholarship winners, followed by Ecuador, with ten; Venezuela, with seven; Guatemala, with six; and Haiti, with five.
Through CONACYT, the Mexican Government has channeled 8.78 million dollars into this initiative. The funds are invested in the development of a four-year training program for each scholarship winner.
A bountiful harvest
Five hundred and forty-four young professionals have graduated through this joint initiative of the Institute and CONACYT. All of them are trained in priority areas for IICA, and are able to use their new skills to develop a more competitive, sustainable and equitable agriculture sector.
The increase in the number of scholarships awarded is also a reflection of the level of organization and promotion of the program at expos and other events.
For example, in Costa Rica, the professional internship programs were promoted at the Feria Internacional de Opciones de Posgrado en Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación 2018 (2018 International Fair of Post-Graduate Options in Science, Technology and Innovation), which is organized annually by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecommunications (MICITT), and is attended by embassies and universities throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia and Oceania.
Additionally, the 10th Feria Internacional de Posgrados Mexicanos (International Fair of Mexican Post-Graduate Studies) was held in Santiago de Chile in October.
CONACYT is a decentralized public agency that seeks to foster and strengthen scientific development and technological modernization in Mexico, by funding and establishing scholarship programs, implementing policies in support of scientific research and facilitating advanced training of human resources.
About IICA
IICA is the specialized agency for agriculture of the Inter-American system, with a mission to stimulate, promote and support the efforts of its 34 Member States to achieve agricultural development and rural well-being through international technical cooperation of excellence.
More information:
Franklin Marín, Coordinator of the Center for the Promotion of Technical Capacities and Leadership (CTL), IICA
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