In view of the scope of operations of the unit located in Corumbá, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, near the border between Brazilian and Bolivian Pantanal wetlands, Embrapa sent representatives to meetings aimed at bringing the institution closer to the government and research and agricultural extension institutions of the neighboring country. “We have discussed the demands of the agricultural sector in Bolivia in a meeting with representatives from the local production sector, from the government of the department of Santa Cruz, such as the Secretary of Production Development, Industry and Trade Luis Alberto Alpire, and from the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). In this context, we could talk about the future of activities carried out by Embrapa Pantanal and associated network”. The statement was given by Jorge Lara, researcher and general head of Embrapa Pantanal. “We used the opportunity to strengthen ties and, alongside Embrapa's headquarters, we are going to find links between our corporation and CIAT to benefit the Pantanal region first, and then expand to other places in Bolivia - such as the provinces of the department of Santa Cruz, the countryside of the Bolivian State”, asserted the general head of the unit. According to Lara, some of the demands listed by the neighboring country during the meeting stand out: technology transfer, techniques and best practices for sustainable agricultural development within the Bolivian production chain, and agroecological transition for family farming. The Embrapa research unit in Pantanal also received the visit of members of the Secretariat of Family Farming of the department of Santa Cruz. According to the deputy head of Technology Transfer and Businesses, Thiago Coppola, the discussions centered on a partnership established between Embrapa Pantanal, the Secretariat, and Fundación Trabajo Empresa (an employment agency whose attributions include agricultural extension in the neighboring country) to take technologies to family farmers located about 80 km away from Corumbá, including issues such as the agroecological transition and recommendations for dairy production. Their next meeting is going to take place in the town of Puerto Suarez, Bolivia. "We believe that these meetings are going to indeed result in partnerships, agreements, and other effective activities. The evolution of such contacts depends on not only Embrapa, Embrapa's Pantanal unit, or Bolivian technicians; it also relies on binational agreements and interests", Jorge Lara concludes. Translation: Mariana de Lima Medeiros