Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIA)

INIA, created 1964, is the principal agricultural institute in Chile. Its mission is to generate, adapt and transfer technologies to assist the agricultural sector in delivering food security and high quality goods, and enable Chilean agriculture to respond competitively and sustainably to the challenges inherent in the development of the country. INIA is an independent corporation supported by public and private funding, research projects and the sale of technical expertise.

Jardín Botánico Nacional

The Jardín Botánico Nacional de Viña del Mar was established in 1951, when el parque El Salitre de Don Pascual Baburizza, constructed in 1918, was donated to the state of Chile. Since 1951 it has been a place for relaxation, to enjoy nature and for conservation of the best-known species of the vegetation of the central zone in the south of Chile, acting as focus for culture and education in the province of Valparaíso.

El Jardín offers the public a park of 22 hectares. With more than 280 species of trees, it is one of the few collections in the world documenting the extinct Toromiro (Sophora toromiro) from the Isla de Pascua, a collection of plants from the archipelago of Juan Fernández with 578 individuals representing 53 endemic species, a cactus collection with 670 cactus representing 60 species, small collections of Central American cactus, succulents , medicinal plants and Fuchsias. In total JBN cultivates 779 species of plants of which 42.5% are endangered native species.

The garden offers a programme of environmental education through which it delivers open air classes to primary school children between the months of March and December. It also offers guides to specialist groups.