(08/26/22) BATON ROUGE, La. — The LSU AgCenter has renewed agreements with longstanding partners in Honduras to promote cooperation in solving international agricultural issues.

The new memoranda of understanding were signed Aug. 25 by AgCenter officials and those representing three Honduran universities.

The delegation included Ana Maier, academic vice president of Zamorano University; Marlon Brevé, rector of the Central American Technological University; and Wilmer Reyes, rector of the National University of Agriculture. Others visiting the LSU campus were Sergio Coello, the Honduran vice minister of the interior; Nelson Castellanos, president of the Association of Municipalities of Honduras; and Pablo Leiva, secretary general of the association.

During their visit, the group toured the AgCenter Food Innovation Institute and Audubon Sugar Institute as well as LSU’s Innovation Park. They also heard presentations from faculty specializing in economics and agribusiness, plant pathology and horticulture.

Matt Lee, interim LSU vice president for agriculture and dean of the College of Agriculture, said the AgCenter is proud of its many years of collaboration with universities in Honduras. Faculty members have worked together on joint research and educational endeavors, and students have completed exchanges and internships.

“We are glad to have you all here today so we can strengthen that relationship and further it,” Lee said.

While the AgCenter’s primary mission is to support Louisiana agriculture, it also prizes its status as a national and international leader in many fields.

“One of the ways that we continue to strengthen our abilities to do agricultural innovation is through international partnerships,” Lee said.

“We have a noble cause,” he added, noting that food security is a major concern worldwide and makes it critical to prepare a new generation of leaders in agriculture.

Food security is one of several areas identified as priorities under the new agreements. Others include finding ways to minimize field losses and add value to agricultural waste, assisting agribusiness startups, food production innovation and rural public health.

Wilmer Reyes, left, rector of the National University of Agriculture in Honduras, and Matt Lee, interim LSU vice president for agriculture and dean of the College of Agriculture, sign a memorandum of understanding Aug. 25. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter

Ana Maier, left, academic vice president of Zamorano University, and Matt Lee, interim LSU vice president for agriculture and dean of the College of Agriculture, sign a memorandum of understanding Aug. 25. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter

Marlon Brevé, left, rector of the Central American Technological University, and Matt Lee, interim LSU vice president for agriculture and dean of the College of Agriculture, sign a memorandum of understanding Aug. 25. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter

A delegation of university and government officials from Honduras recently visited the LSU AgCenter. From left, seated, are Marlon Brevé, rector of the Central American Technological University; Ana Maier, academic vice president of Zamorano University; Matt Lee, interim LSU vice president for agriculture and dean of the College of Agriculture; and Wilmer Reyes, rector of the National University of Agriculture. Back row, Pablo Leiva, secretary general of the Association of Municipalities of Honduras; Nelson Castellanos, president of the Association of Municipalities of Honduras; Sergio Coello, Honduran vice minister of the interior; and Hector Zapata, AgCenter economist. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter