The search for solutions to sargassum brings together the islands of the Antilles
A project implemented by INTEC and funded by the French Embassy will focus on the sustainable management of agricultural waste and sargassum under the principles of the blue and circular economy
SANTO DOMINGO. – The search for solutions to the problem that the influx of sargassum represents for the Caribbean islands has united the Dominican Republic and the islands of the French Antilles in a project focused on the sustainable management of agricultural waste and sargassum under the principles of the blue and circular economy.
As part of the actions contemplated in the project, an initiative that is part of the program "Franco-Dominican cooperation on agricultural waste and sargassum management” financed by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs through French Embassy in the Dominican Republic, and implemented by INTEC, exchanges will be held between universities and companies on the management of agricultural waste and sargassum, key actors in the tourism and agriculture sectors will be trained in sustainable practices, and new research and development projects will be promoted to advance the management of these wastes.
The initiative is part of an agreement signed between INTEC and the French Embassy in the Dominican Republic.
The project will directly impact coastal communities in the Dominican Republic by reducing the environmental and economic impacts of sargassum, and the rural population, particularly family farmers, through better sustainable agricultural practices, which can contribute to a better quality of life and more sustainable livelihoods.
La Interuniversity Network for Sargassum Research, comprised of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD); INTEC, APEC University (UNAPEC), Federico Henríquez y Carvajal University (UFECH), Ibero-American University (UNIBE); Pedro Henríquez Ureña University (UNPHU), Pontifical Catholic University Madre y Maestra (PUCMM); ISA University; Technological University of Santiago (UTESA) and the Catholic University of Cibao (UCATESI), will participate in research and development activities related to the project, which will strengthen their capacities and promote intersectoral collaboration.
In addition, approximately 30 specialists from the country's Ministries of Agriculture, Tourism and Environment will benefit from training to strengthen their capacities in the effective management of agricultural waste and sargassum according to the principles of the blue and circular economy.
From the private sector, the companies SOS Carbon, Algea Nova and Tecmalab, which are involved in the management of agricultural waste and sargassum, will acquire new knowledge and identify business opportunities linked to the blue and circular economy. In the same order, the Grupo Puntacana Foundation and the Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic (ASONAHORES), are also part of the initiative with the aim of training their staff on new practices and strategies to manage sargassum invasions.
Likewise, the Association of Organic Bananas of the Northwest Line (BANELINO), which brings together 200 family farms, will train farmers and actors in the agricultural sector in new practices and strategies to manage agricultural waste in a more sustainable way, with the support of the FAO office in the country.
As part of the initiative, Sylvie Gustave-Dit-Duflo, vice-president of the Regional Council of Guadeloupe and president of the French Biodiversity Office, and Lydia Barfleur, coordinator of the Caribbean program on sargassum SARGCOOP, will visit the Dominican Republic in mid-September. Likewise, INTEC will start the diplomat "Comprehensive management of sargassum inflows in the tourism sector".