With a steadfast commitment to generating real scientific solutions for the global agricultural sector, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL) hosted the 3rd Latin American Symposium on Biological Control. This major international gathering brought together scientists, students, professionals, technicians, farmers, and representatives from private companies and public entities in the city of Guayaquil.
The main objective of the event—organized every three years by the International Organization for Biological Control (IOBC) alongside local institutions linked to the discipline—was to strengthen technical capacities for the biological management of pests, diseases, weeds, and vectors. "We proved that biological control is possible across various crops," highlighted Fernanda Cingolani, president of IOBC Neotropical, emphasizing strategies aimed at reducing chemical pesticide use, contributing to biodiversity conservation, and mitigating the effects of climate change.
The symposium featured active participation from several researchers and professors from ESPOL’s Faculty of Life Sciences (LFS), as well as delegates from the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIAP) and Agrocalidad. Throughout the event, activities included keynote lectures, oral presentations, poster sessions, and an exhibition of local projects on biological control and microorganism production.
The gathering, which brought together speakers and participants from Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Ecuador, concluded by establishing international cooperation opportunities and key exchanges for transferring applied scientific knowledge to the field.
