© The Author, 2026, Published by the Universidad del Zulia
Rev. Fac. Agron. (LUZ). 2026, 43(1)
ISSN 2477-9407
DOI: https://doi.org/10.47280/RevFacAgron(LUZ).v43.n1
The unwavering resilience of scientic research in Latin America
La inquebrantable resiliencia de la investigación cientíca en América Latina
A resiliência inabalável da investigação cientíca na América Latina
Editorial
Dr. Lenin González-Paz
Deputy Chief of Centre for Molecular Biomedicine, IVIC-
Zulia, and Professor at the Experimental Faculty of Sciences
of the University of Zulia.
National Award for Best Scientic and Innovation Work,
Health Sciences Category, 2025.
Science in Latin America develops in an environment marked by constant adversity, and empirical research in our region is a living testimony
to human strength. From laboratories with infrastructural limitations in South American public institutions to the most advanced innovation
centres in Central America, academics have demonstrated an extraordinary ability to forge ahead despite scal constraints, brain drain and socio-
economic ups and downs. This tenacity goes beyond mere survival: it is a collective eort that redenes what seems possible.
Looking at the local landscape, in Venezuela, the University of Zulia (LUZ) has emerged as a key hub for advances in agronomy, despite
hyperination and shortages of basic inputs. Here, researchers have creatively turned to local materials to study and adapt crops to climate and
market demands. Biotechnology initiatives in other countries in the region, including our own, have ourished even in the face of the latest
pandemic, integrating technological tools that improve yields on degraded soils. We need only look around us to see inspiring examples of
resilience in the face of environmental and socio-political challenges, driven by indigenous and low-cost methodologies.
This determination rests on three essential pillars. First, cross-border and cross-disciplinary collaboration through Latin American agricultural
research networks that enable knowledge sharing across borders and maximise impact with limited budgets. Second, frugal innovation, reected
in the exodus of many researchers who have decided to leave their comfort zone to develop or adopt accessible digital tools, such as free software
for climate modelling or articial intelligence platforms for predicting pests, achieving high-performance results with minimal resources. Third,
social commitment, evident in academic initiatives that combat inequalities in the face of economic powers, incorporating cultural diversity and
the ancestral knowledge of indigenous peoples into food security strategies.
However, this resilience demands immediate action. Governments must prioritise stable funding for basic science; institutions such as the
University of Zulia demonstrate the potential of public-private partnerships to solve real social problems. The scientic diaspora, with the
emigration of brilliant minds to Europe and North America, could be curbed through incentives such as reversible funds for research projects
and ongoing recognition via National and Regional Science, Technology and Innovation Awards.
In short, research in Latin America not only persists, but adapts in the face of adversity, becoming an inexhaustible source of inspiration.
At the Faculty of Agronomy of LUZ, where the seeds of innovation sprout in arid soils due to neglect, the germ of a sustainable future beats.
This strength must be recognised and promoted, because in every failed experiment that precedes success published in a scientic journal, the
creative spirit of our region resonates.
