Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

Food and nutrition security

Launch of the Global Pulse Innovation Platform (PIP)

Tiempo de lectura: 3 mins.

The International Year of Pulses (IYoP) declared by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has been marked by a plethora of activities in Canada. 

Ottawa, ON. One such initiative is the Pulse Innovation Platform aimed at reinventing competition and collaboration needed for a next generation agri-food innovation system.  Bolstered by the partnership of private and public sectors, academia and international organizations, such as the FAO, Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research- CGIAR and the World Bank, the PIP is being advanced as a suitable demonstration model for highlighting benefits which can accrue to health, environment and the economy, with a “whole of society” approach. 

Pulses Panel at the University of McGill in Montreal, QC.
Pulses Panel at the University of McGill in Montreal, QC.

The launch took place under the auspices of the Centre for the Convergence of Health and Economics of McGill University (MCCHE) and had presentations and endorsements from a diverse group of executives drawn from the partnering groups. The CEO of Pulse Canada, Gordon Bacon, spoke of Canada’s (indirect) contribution to food security, resulting from exports of pulses to over 150 countries, and shared exciting prospects for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by substituting pulse flour for wheat flour. He stressed the importance of targeting consumer perception and behavior, as the consumer plays a central role – as both citizen and patient.

The half day event was followed by a day-long workshop on Convergent Innovation (CI) for Sustainable Development and Affordable Healthcare. This provided additional insights on consumer behavior, targeting the “Food Convergent Innovation Sweet Spot” and embedding CI into capacity building and systems design for public and private value creation.  A highlight was the Convergent Innovation Fair, where young entrepreneurs presented their food based products and their services targeting health, convenience, environmental sustainability and the bottom-line.

Both events were led by Professor Laurette Dubé, the James McGill Chair for Consumer & Lifestyle Psychology and Marketing; Chair and Scientific Director, MCCHE, Desaultels Faculty of Management of  McGill University.

 

Share

Related news​

Santa Fé, Darién, Panamá

September 4, 2025

Coordination between IICA and Panamanian and U.S. government authorities bolsters the fight against New World screwworm in Central America and Mexico

As part of the efforts to curb the spread of the New World screwworm (NWS), a current health threat in Central America and Mexico, the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA) of Panama, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Panama-United States Commission for the Eradication and Prevention of Screwworm (COPEG) organized a meeting with livestock farmers in the city of Santa Fé de Darién to strengthen health surveillance and better protect local livestock production.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

El Director General del IICA, Manuel Otero, reafirmó en la inauguración de Biohélice 2025 el compromiso del Instituto con la bioeconomía como eje estratégico para transformar el agro y revitalizar los territorios rurales. En el acto lo acompañaron la Directora General de CINDE, Marianela Urgellés; el Rector de la UNA, Jorge Herrera; y el presidente de CRBiomed, Álvaro Peralta.

San Jose, Costa Rica

September 3, 2025

Specialists and partners at a meeting spearheaded by IICA view the bioeconomy as essential in positioning Costa Rica and the Americas as leaders in sustainability and production transformation

The bioeconomy specialists were participating in Biohélice 2025, an event organized by Costa Rica’s Universidad Nacional, the CRBiomed association and IICA, which brought together more than 130 participants with an interest in innovation and bioeconomy.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Alagoas, Brasil

September 1, 2025

Eliane Faria de Souza, a fisherwoman from Northeastern Brazil combining old traditions with innovative ideas to protect the environment, is named an IICA Leader of Rurality of the Americas

Eliane works with other women in the region to transform polluting waste substances into organic fertilizer.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins