Latin America is a sub-continent of 20 million square kilometers with 18 large ecological units where 32 countries are contained. World basis has 8.5 % of the human population (very close to Africa), 23% of the forest lands, 20% of the domestic animal population, 12% of the farming lands, 17% of the grasslands, 31% of the running water but only 5% of the grain production and 8% of roots and tubers. Energy resources are 3% of the mineral oil, 16% of firewood and the running water creates a 20% potential of hydroelectric potential. The human population has grown from 200 to 600 million in the second half of the present century. Rural population seems quite stable (about 100 millions) in that period, but the high migration rate from the field to the cities is the main cause influencing such statistics (Winograd, 1995). 

Environment degradation is an important issue in Latin America. Land desertification covers about 70% of the arid lands, soil erosion 60% of the cultivated lands, only one tree is planted out of seven cut every year, 701 millions of Carbon tons are emitted by agriculture in the atmosphere and the rate has increased seven times in the last 50 years (Winograd, 1995). The main causes of degradation are well known (wrong agriculture practices, forest and natural areas destruction, drought, human population growth, etc.). The ecological effects: soil erosion, fertility loss, pollution of soil, water and food, etc. and the social effects ending in migration and poverty of the rural families. 

The old equation linking the agriculture products with capital, work and time stills working, but finally the world realized that the capital is formed by nature capital or ecological cost, farmer’s capital and out farm capital. The first one is so important that Costa Rica found out differences from 5 to 20% between the gross and the net agricultural product due to the ecological cost in a 20 year period (De Camino and Muller, 1995). 

Latin America countries are aware of the above problems and have developed national structures to integrate: research, extension service, training, government policies, agriculture financing and farmer organization. Some of those national schemes are strong but others are weak, therefore, it is necessary a strategy to communicate horizontally the countries in order to increase efficiency to achieve sustainable agriculture practices in the sub-continent. A Latin America network came as a practical solution. 

The RELACO Network 

A network has been defined as an „Association of independent individuals, institutions, or countries with shared purpose or goal, whose members contribute resources and participate in two-way exchange or communication". The main areas of the networks are information exchange, material exchange, scientific consultation and collaborative research. The network level of aggregation world, world region, country, natural or political region in a country, farm, production system and problem/remedy among others. The most important principles for networking success are: strong self-interest, effective coordinator, clearly defined problem, participants commit resources, external-funding problem widely shared. The main network linkages are: information radiates largely from a hub of participants, participants collaborate with each other as well as with the hub and subnetworks at the national level generated by an international network (Plucknett et al, 1990). RELACO operates according with the second and third linkage types. 

The Latin American Conservation Agriculture Network (RELACO) is a non profit association, that congregates people interested and capable to effectively contribute to the development of science, technology, and conservation agricultural production in Latin America and the Caribbean. Since it was founded in 1987, among other activities, has organized four Latin America meetings and published the corresponding documents, exchanged experts among participant countries, provided training courses on conservation agriculture, published a handbook on tillage systems for Latin America with FAO and the National Institute of Agriculture and Animal Production Technology of Argentina (INTA). RELACO is supported by national institutions and FAO, and also is open to other financial sources in order to increase its action range and operational volume. 

RELACO has been involved in the conservation agriculture process from problem diagnosis up to technology evaluation trough communication and training. It started in 1986 as a three countries (Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay) network, in 1988 Venezuela became a group member. The first meeting was held in 1991 in Argentina with nine countries present, second meeting in 1993 in Venezuela about the effects of tillage in soils, third meeting in 1995 in Costa Rica devoted to agriculture on steep slopes and the fourth meeting in Mexico where case studies on conservation agriculture were presented by 13 Latin America countries. The fifth meeting will be held in1999 in Southern Brazil. 

The Latin America countries with national conservation agriculture network and RELACO members are: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela. From 1992 to 1997 RELACO has published 32 documents. 

The fourth meeting was a forum to reorganize RELACO, the proposals were: find additional funding sources, legalize the network, pay membership, open a WEB site, reinforce and organize national networks, coordination with wide view projects and expert exchange. The new RELACO structure has an Advisory Council, Steering Committee, President, two Vice-Presidents, Secretary-Treasurer and the Assembly. 

The main area of RELACO has been conservation tillage, besides of water and soil conservation is an efficient mean of sequestering carbon from the atmosphere. Many other elements will be incorporated in the future pursuing sustainable agriculture, such crop rotation and association, biological control, composting, machinery design, agroforestry, etc. RELACO has special interest in applying more mathematical modeling, since many countries have achieved good quality research data. Such information will be most helpful for all countries, when related to ecological regions by means of GIS. 

References 

Table of Contents