Intec and French Embassy partner for waste and sargassum management

Santo Domingo.- The Santo Domingo Institute of Technology (Intec) has launched a project funded by the French Embassy in the Dominican Republic aimed at the sustainable management of agricultural waste and sargassum, aligned with blue and circular economy principles. The initiative involves collaboration with islands in the French Antilles and includes knowledge exchanges between universities and companies. It also seeks to train key players in the tourism and agriculture sectors in sustainable practices, while promoting research and development projects to improve waste management.

The project is expected to positively impact coastal communities by mitigating the environmental and economic effects of sargassum, and benefit rural populations, especially family farmers, through the adoption of sustainable agricultural techniques. Additionally, 30 specialists from the Dominican Republic’s Ministries of Agriculture, Tourism, and Environment will receive training to enhance their capacity to manage agricultural waste and sargassum.

Key partners include the Interuniversity Sargassum Research Network, which comprises multiple Dominican universities, and private companies such as SOS Carbon and Grupo Puntacana Foundation. The project will also involve training for staff from the Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic (Asonahores), and support sustainable farming practices through the Bananos Ecológicos de la Línea Noroeste (Banelino) Association, with assistance from the FAO. High-level officials from Guadeloupe are expected to visit the country as part of the initiative, which includes a diploma course on sargassum management starting in mid-September.