2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 33 - Board of Examiners of Agronomists; Agronomists Association (§§ 621 — 663) › Subchapter I - Board of Examiners of Agronomists (§§ 621 — 633b) › § 621a - Definitions

For the purposes of this chapter, the following terms and phrases shall have the meaning and application hereinbelow stated:
(a) Agronomist or agronomy professional. — Any person to whom a license to practice agronomy in Puerto Rico has been granted under the authority of this chapter and the bylaws of the Agronomist Association of Puerto Rico.
(b) Practice or exercise of agronomy. — The rendering of professional services such as: advice, consultation, capacitation, training, teaching, demonstration, research, exploration, experimentation, planning, administration, assessment, evaluation, financing, supervision, inspection and certification in connection with the rendering of public or private services in agriculture, business development, products and services related to agriculture; use of pesticides to fight insects and weeds on farms, in homes, industries, roads or public places and in any other places.
(1) Said practice or exercise of agronomy includes:
(A) Coordinating and implementing the basic technical functions for forestal, agricultural, edaphological, aquacultural, and livestock development.
(B) Preparing and writing expert opinion papers, recommendations and assessments on agricultural science subjects.
(C) Recommending the sale and use of agrochemical products and feed for livestock used for agroindustrial purposes or in farms.
(D) Coordinating, designing providing agronomical advise and conducting technical studies on agrohydrological projects, and crop irrigation, market gardening and agricultural drainage works.
(E) Supervising, designing and coordinating agricultural, livestock, urban forestry, and rural development, as well as coordinating the various technical studies and programs related thereto.
(F) Determining the viability and feasibility and conducting an appraisal and an agroeconomic analysis of the substratum and objects involved in agrobusiness activity, as well as assessing agricultural insurance claims.
(G) Imparting formal and non-formal agricultural education at the elementary, middle-school, and/or high-school levels.
(H) Identifying and recommending the use of the substratum to promote the development of production potential in high-value agricultural, forestal, urban and rural, agrotourist, ecotourist and historical areas.
(I) Recommending, designing, coordinating, and certifying activities for the use of biodegradable energy proceeding from crop byproducts, livestock waste, and other related sources.
(J) Coordinating, designing, and implementing the basic technical functions for supervising works in horticulture, forestation and reforestation in urban, rural, agrotourist and ecotourist areas, as well as any other task relative to agricultural science.
(K) Evaluating, certifying, preparing, and writing papers on the environmental impact relative to agricultural and agroindustrial projects.
(L) Certifying the extraction, excavation, removal, and dredging of materials from the earth’s crust when on-site removal of soil is required, solely and exclusively for activities relative to agricultural practices, especially to preplanting, subsoiling, plowing, harrowing, soil surveying and leveling, benching, and crop rowing.
(M) Dispatching and/or dispensing chemical products or medications, solely and exclusively for use on livestock.
(N) Designing vegetal or animal production biosafety plans.
(O) Discharging the functions proper to agronomy professionals, included under the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) System of the United States Department of Labor and the International Labor Office (ILO) in Geneva.
(P) Carrying out any other activity relative to agricultural science, or any activity which could be considered to be related given the whirlwind pace of economic, technological, social and scientific changes.
(c) Member of the Agronomist Association. — Any person who possesses an agronomist license by the Board of Examiners of Agronomists and who complies with the duties set forth in this chapter and in the bylaws of the Agronomists Association and who are up to date in the payment of their annual quotas to the Agronomists Association.
(d) Board. — The Examining Board for Candidates to the Practice of Agronomy and Agronomists.
As of the date of approval of this act, the name of the Board of Examiners of Agronomists shall be changed to the Examining Board for Candidates to the Practice of Agronomy and Agronomists.
(e) Association. — The Agronomists Association of Puerto Rico.
(f) License. — The document issued by the Board whereby the Board certifies that the person in favor of whom the same has been issued meets the requirements established in this chapter.
(g) Eligibility certificate. — The pre-qualification document granted by the Board.
(h) Register. — The License Register of the Board.
(i) License suspension. — The temporary stay of the right to practice the profession pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.
(j) Dislicensing [sic] or license cancellation or revocation. — The annulment or elimination of a license from Association and Board registers.
(k) Continuing education. — Planned educational activity which aims at the acquisition and/or updating of the knowledge and skills of agronomists, pursuant to the provisions of § 627 of this title.
(l) Roster. — The listing of agronomists as compiled by the Association.
(m) Certification register. — The packet of documents issued by the agronomist which must have the seal affixed. This packet shall be prepared by using the form provided by the Association for these purposes.
History —Apr. 9, 1941, No. 20, p. 360, added as § 1-A on June 21, 1971, No. 55, p. 180, § 1; renumbered as § 2 and amended on Dec. 13, 2006, No. 265, § 1.