Two researchers from Peru's National Institute of Agrarian Innovation (INIA) are undergoing training at Embrapa Cotton from October 15 to December 15. The training is part of Brazil-Peru cooperation in the scope of the project Strengthening the Cotton Sector through South-South Cooperation, supported by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The researchers Graziella Nuñes and Karina Sarango came after information on cotton breeding and genetic improvement, technology transfer, soil management and conservation in semiarid regions, Integrated Pest Management, agroecology, social inclusion, family farming and food security. They will multiply such information at INIA. The schedule for the technical visit includes meetings with the teams from the Unit's headquarters, in Campina Grande; from the Cerrado regional center, at Embrapa Rice and Beans, in Santo Antônio de Goiás; and Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, in Brasília, besides meetings with representatives from the Brazilian Cotton Farmers' Association and field visits. “The goal behind our visit is the exchange of experiences, learning about the work on cotton crops in family farming systems and social inclusion, and especially the work in semiarid regions, whose conditions are similar to those in the areas where we produce cotton in Peru”, reports the agronomist Karina Sarango, INIA's expert in Technology Transfer. Since 2013, they have been conducting technology transfer activities to strengthen cotton crops in Peru, with support from Embrapa. “In the past few years, cotton farming in Peru has been in recovery. So for us it is a great experience to be here and see how smallholders can obtain a good price for organic colored cotton. This motivates us and generates a lot of expectations to implement our cotton production system”, she reports. Peru once had an area of 60,000 hectares planted with cotton, but factors like low prices, long crop cycles and low levels of organization in the production chain reduced production. Nowadays around 5,000 hectares are cultivated, and the country's most famous product is the extralong-fiber Pima cotton, produced in the Piura region. Translation: Mariana Medeiros