Since 2015, the Agricultural Research Institute (INIA) of Chile has been leading a project involving various entities linked to agriculture, which have come together with the aim of strengthening agroecological and organic production among small and medium-scale producers in the Los Ríos Region. As a preventive measure to address the global health situation resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, in 2020 social isolation led to the suspension of field training, which was transferred to the virtual environment to continue providing technical support to farmers.

Sigrid Vargas, a researcher at INIA and responsible for the project developed in the Region of Rivers, explains that "a new support mechanism has been implemented for the beneficiaries, called technical assistance service online. The idea consists in providing audiovisual support, photography or video through WhatsApp groups, which will process the material and send a formal response," she said, adding that at the same time, a booklet has been designed with textual and graphical information on relevant issues for the development of the sector.  This methodology allows to continue the training processes and to protect people's health. Thus, in addition to the virtual accompaniment, they have developed different technical sheets that reinforce the information displayed on the screen.

The farmers, meanwhile, evaluate the new methodology positively. Nelly Ríos Ojeda, from the Contracoronel sector in Río Bueno, reports that "The advisors give us recommendations on a wide range of matters, on plague and disease control, and they tell us the way to solve the issue. The work has been a little bit unfamiliar to us remotely, but it is something you can learn to manage.    For now, virtual alternatives are replacing fieldwork, to continue with the implementation of this program led by INIA, aimed at contributing to food security, nutrition, food availability, and crop resilience.

José Vallejos, INIA's agricultural engineer and advisor to the project, highlights "the work carried out by farmers in the context of the need for safe and healthy food for the population to contribute to the immune system, especially during this pandemic period as it threatens the public health of every one of the people living in our territory," while taking into consideration how these crops are part of a healthy and a variety supply at a time of health crisis.