My eyes have been opened to the reality that America and Europe are not the only ones who have conducted research and implemented technology development in the agricultural world. I was naive to think that my study abroad trip to Uruguay would leave me feeling like as an American we were superior in the areas of agricultural, and I can firmly admit I was wrong. In Uruguay, there is an organization called INIA or the Instituto Nacional de Investigacion Agropecuaria or for those of you whom Spanish is not your primary language , the
the National Agricultural Research Institute. INIA is a public-private organization that conducts agricultural research on the national level in Uruguay. INIA has five different experimental stations spread around the country that conduct experiments related to the major agricultural commodities and production of that particular area. INIA’s mission is to create and adapt knowledge and technologies that will contribute to the sustainable development of the agricultural sector and the country. INIA’s vision is to be known for their advancements in science and technology that will contribute to their own sustainable development of the agricultural sector and the country, while cooperating with others in related fields to bring about further development and implication and have this knowledge spread among the producers. While in Uruguay, I saw first hand the great connection between INIA and the producers, they are actively worked together to become better stewards of the land and embrace technology as it was developed. Based on my experiences, I feel like the Uruguay producers better utilized the knowledge available to them than those of their American contemporaries. This could ultimately be based on the fact that Agriculture is and will be the major contributor to the Uruguayan economy, and in order to survive you must develop, adapt, and adopt technology to stay competitive in the global economy, and through INIA’s efforts I believe that they will continue to succeed.