¡We are happy to share that Bioleft was one of the projects selected in the 2024 Call for Proposals of the Institutional Recognition Program (PRI) of the National University of San Martín (UNSAM)!
The initiative, which is being developed within the framework of the Center for Research for Transformation (CENIT) of the UNSAM School of Economics and Business, was recognized as an institutionally valid research project for its quality, relevance, and transformative approach. The project, entitled “Bioleft: participatory innovation in seeds,” has an interdisciplinary team made up of researchers, technicians, breeders, farmers, and developers from various public institutions and civil society.
Since 2016, Bioleft has been promoting participatory plant breeding (PPB) processes in crops such as corn and tomatoes, articulating diverse knowledge through open technologies, free seed licenses, and a collaborative digital platform. In this new work cycle, the aim is to strengthen and scale up these tools, generating new versions of the digital platform, expanding participatory experiments, and analyzing the conditions that enable the co-production of fair and useful knowledge for the transition to sustainable agriculture. The collaborative approach also opens up the possibility of exploring how seeds, in addition to being common goods for production, are closely linked to the food we consume, its nutritional value, and a wide variety of cultural practices.
The institutional recognition by UNSAM highlights the scientific and social value of the project and is an opportunity to continue building networks, sharing lessons learned, and strengthening capacities to create diverse, resilient, and open seeds.