The participation of experts of diverse agricultural fields in the processes of sustainable restructuring of the agro ecosystems in Colombia is a key factorfor the development of the new agriculture that the country needs in order to overcome the problems that were caused due to the inadequate management of the conventional agriculture. In the present work, an exploration of the way of action of an important group of experts that participate in agricultural restructuring of the east region of Colombia is made. The results that were found and analyzed with a multivariate statistical system indicated that the experts participate in a wide range of activities in the three climatic areas (cold, mild and warm) and that the preferences in terms of the innovation systems have a direct relation to their academic background.We also found that the agronomists are being replaced by other experts, a fact that would justify a curriculum renovation process in the agronomy academic programs of the country.

The agrarian sector of Colombia is facing the decisionbetween the opening of markets and the preservationof nearly depleted natural resources. It is essentialthat alternatives for sustainable management ofagricultural resources that are generated arecharacterized by quality and competitiveness. It isnecessary that the institutions researching agroecologyfind out how to face the challenge ofglobalization in which we are already immersed. Thefaculty of Agricultural Management at La SalleUniversity is aware of the new global reality and isbuilding up an educational enterprise based onmodern agro- ecological concepts so they can bedisseminated to the Agricultural leaders and to leastfavored rural sectors.

Sustainable innovations such as the agriculture of conservation for agricultural restructuring in the Andean central region of Colombia had a relative success in some areas in the past two decades. However, the continuous soil degradation and the destruction of uplands raise the need to propose new strategies that are based on research in order to favor the diffusion of these innovations. An evaluation of the main positive impacts that an important group of technicians have detected in the development of the “Checua Project”, conducted by the Autonomous Corporation of Cundinamarca, was made. Results have characterized an almost homogeneous group of well experienced innovators that are willing to collaborate in the diffusion of conservation agriculture. Favorable opportunities were found. If an adequate administration of innovation activities, with political participation and with the presence of interested people, is done, it may allow a fast multiplication of the innovation in a medium-term period, in order to assure an important area forthe sustainable restructuring of the Andean agroecosystems.

The increasing degradation of natural resources, due to conventional agriculture in the Andean zone, forces to restructure agriculture towards sustainable agro ecosystems. In Colombia, people are worried about the negative effects of man-made actions on water, soils and biodiversity. Therefore, there are a large number of institutions working from different approaches to preserve these resources and to promote sustainable agriculture activities. However, in spite of the large amount of human resources, appropriate budgets and physical and virtual tools, they are not significantly contributing in the sustainable agricultural changes due to a complete lack of connections and of institutional networks. An exploration of this institutional system was made with emphasis in the Andean central region of Colombia. Weaknesses and opportunities were found. We believe that political support may allow the formulation of strategies that will contribute to the optimization of resources and research, constituting real innovation networks in order to promote the institutional contribution to the sustainable agricultural restructuring processes.