ResAgro-Sargassum project to be presented at One Ocean Science Congress 2025
On January 31, INTEC presented a summary of the results to date of the ResAgro-Sargazo project, as well as the plans for its completion.
SANTO DOMINGO. - The ResAgro-Sargassum project “Franco-Dominican cooperation on the management of sargassum and agricultural waste”, funded by the French Embassy in the Dominican Republic and implemented by the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC) will be present at the ONE-OCEAN Science Congress 2025 event, which will be held prior to the third United Nations Conference on the Oceans (UNOC3), co-organized by the governments of France and Costa Rica, and which will take place in Nice, France, from 9 to 13 June 2025.
According to the presentation made at the second project control meeting, held at INTEC with the presence of representatives from France, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mexico and the Dominican Republic, ResAgro-Sargazo is successfully advancing towards its objectives.
Brigitte Veyne, Counselor for Cooperation and Cultural Action of the French Embassy in the Dominican Republic, She said she was pleased with the growth of the project in important areas. “On the one hand, The Franco-Dominican network on sargassum recovery has been strengthened and expanded and agricultural waste; on the other hand, it has been shown that the project has a multiplier effect, since it has allowed a Franco-Dominican cooperation in the Sargcoop2 project, a Caribbean cooperation programme to combat sargassum managed by the Guadeloupe Region and is funded by the European Union, among other research projects.”
Among the presentations made by INTEC teachers Yvette Smith and Ulises Jáuregui, the latter being the project coordinator in the Dominican Republic, a discussion was held conference in September 2024 to share best practices and experiences in the management of agricultural waste and sargassum, an event attended by 59 people from 23 institutions in the country and the French islands. During this activity, 22 presentations were made and the first working session was held, during which the first proposals from the collaborating partners were structured.
Likewise, Ten representatives of a French delegation from different institutions and companies from France and the French Lesser Antilles Islands toured the facilities of Dominican companies, organizations and universities, with the aim of learning about experiences in issues related to the valorisation of sargassum and agricultural waste in order to work on collaborative projects with the country.
A delegation from the Republic Dominican Republic composed of representatives from the government, the private sector and the university carried out a working mission to the French islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe in December 2024, with the intention of evaluating the possibilities of future cooperation and collaboration in these two French overseas territories.
The mission was led by YAtnna de León, director of the Organic Agriculture Department of the Ministry of Agriculture; Gustavo Gandini, technical director of the Association of Organic Banana Farmers of the Northwest Line (Banelino) and the INTEC professors Yvette Smith y Ulises Jauregui-Haza.
Yatnna de León, coordinator of the mission, said that the visit was highly productive and allowed for strengthening cooperation relations between the Dominican Republic, Martinique and Guadeloupe, especially in the areas of agricultural waste valorisation, sargassum and organic agriculture. The importance of harmonising regulations and strategies between the territories to advance the implementation of joint projects was highlighted.
Gustavo Gandini, technical director of Banelino, expressed his satisfaction at the possibility of evaluating agricultural products in the region, particularly in the context of organic agriculture. He acknowledged the opportunity to establish collaborations with farmers in Guadeloupe and Martinique, especially in the production of organic bananas and the use of products developed in the Dominican Republic.
As part of the project, the Diploma in Comprehensive Management of Sargassum Inflows in the Tourism Sector, developed in conjunction with the French Embassy in the Dominican Republic, and also sponsored by the Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic (Asonahores), with the purpose of training tourism professionals and technicians in comprehensive management strategies to deal with the massive influx of sargassum affecting the Caribbean coasts and its impact on sustainable tourism. The diploma course was attended by 19 representatives from 14 Dominican institutions.
Next steps in 2025
As part of the objective of promoting new research and development projects, potential projects for the management of agricultural waste and sargassum were identified. These projects will be presented to Dominican and international calls. In addition, a workshop on the valorization of agricultural waste will be held, which will have the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and a technical mission to universities in Guadeloupe and France.
Representing INTEC, Rosario Arostegui, Vice-Rector for Research and Liaison, Carlos Sanlley, Director of Research, Danaee López, Head of Laboratories, and Cynthia Abreu, Coordinator of Diffusion and Press, attended this meeting.
Likewise, Solhanlle Bonilla, Director of Research and Environmental Economics of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources; Alvín Rodríguez, Director of Research at APEC University (APEC) and Alberto Núñez, research professor at Pedro Henríquez Ureña University (UNPHU), both representing the Interuniversity Sargassum Research Network; Gustavo Gandini, technical director of Banelino; Sara Davo Boza, from the French Development Agency and other specialists from Dominican companies and universities.