Discover the story behind an alliance that transformed the countryside

Did you know that collaboration between science and private enterprises can completely transform the landscape of livestock farming in the tropics? That’s exactly what happened when the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)—now part of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT—joined forces with the Mexican company Grupo Papalotla in the late 1990s.

From importing to developing our own

Grupo Papalotla began its journey in the agricultural world by marketing imported forage materials. However, acquiring the license to develop and distribute interspecific hybrids of Urochloa (formerly known as Brachiaria)—the most widely planted forage species in the world—solidified its role as a key player in the technological development of tropical forages.