Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

Agriculture Information and communication technologies Innovation

Nobel prize winner Michael Kremer will participate in an IICA seminar on responding to COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean through the digitalization of agriculture

Tiempo de lectura: 3 mins.

Michael Kremer, recipient of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics for his efforts to combat and alleviate poverty, will speak to the Director General of IICA, Manuel Otero, during the seminar entitled “Opportunities for Digital Agriculture in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Prompt Response to COVID-19”.

ichael Kremer, Nobel de Economía 2019 y titular de la cátedra Gates de la Universidad de Harvard

San Jose, 9 June 2020 (IICA). During a webinar organized by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Michael Kremer, recipient of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics and professor at Harvard University, will present a roadmap for effectively combating poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean through digital agriculture.

Entitled “Opportunities for Digital Agriculture in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Prompt Response to COVID-19”, the webinar will be held on Wednesday at 7 a.m. Costa Rica time (13 hours GMT). It will be broadcast in English (original audio) on IICA’s virtual conference room (www.iica.int) and Facebook live (www.facebook.com/iicanoticias).

Kremer and the Institute’s Director General, Manuel Otero, will discuss the opportunities available to increase agricultural productivity through the use of digital tools: a fundamental way to support the sector within the context of the current pandemic as well as transform rural areas into areas of progress that generate job opportunities.

“Covid-19 has not only created a health crisis, but also an economic crisis in the long term. For many people, the pandemic is also generating a food security crisis. In the midst of this situation and the emergency measures that have been adopted, we must look ahead and find opportunities to shape the future”, explained Michael Kremer ahead of his conversation with IICA’s Director General.

“Our job is to provide Latin American and Caribbean countries with proposals to enable them to overcome the effects of the pandemic on agriculture and, at the same time, reposition agriculture as a sector that guarantees food security, generates jobs and drives economic recovery”, remarked Manuel Otero.

Information on the seminar

Opportunities for Digital Agriculture in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Prompt Response to COVID-19

Panelists

Michael Kremer, Professor of Economics at Harvard University and recipient of the 2019 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics

Manuel Otero, Director General of IICA

Date and time

Wednesday, 10 June 2020, 7 a. m. Costa Rica time (10 a.m. Brazil, 10 a.m. Argentina, 13 hours GMT).

Live broadcast

www.iica.int and Facebook Live (www.facebook.com/iicanoticias).

More information:
Institutional Communication Division, IICA. 
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int

 

Share

Related news​

San José, Costa Rica

June 5, 2025

At IICA, Costa Rican cacao producers are recognized for the excellence of their products and for their contribution to rural development and nutrition in the region

Experts analyzed 15 samples of cacao from various parts of the Central American country, with the five that received the highest scores then declared winners of the 2025 competition. The same five samples were sent to Rome, Italy, where they will represent Costa Rica in the international “Cacao of Excellence” competition, the stepping stone to the International Cocoa Awards.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Turrialba, Costa Rica

June 3, 2025

On a study visit to Costa Rica, ministers of Agriculture, rural youth and women of the Eastern Caribbean were introduced to improved agricultural practices

The mission began with two days of activities at IICA Headquarters in San Jose, including meeting with the IICA Director General, Manuel Otero. The visitors then travelled to CATIE.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

San José, Costa Rica

June 2, 2025

Ibero-America sees biofuels as a solution to decarbonize the energy sector  

The annual meeting of the Ibero-American Association of Energy Regulators (ARIAE), held in San Jose and Guanacaste, Costa Rica, featured the II Entrepreneurial Forum, attracting 200 participants, including the Costa Rican Minister of Environment and Energy, the Executive Secretary of the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE) and authorities of the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB); the XV Regular Annual Meeting of the ARIAE General Assembly, which was attended by 17 regulatory agencies of ARIAE; and the XXVI Annual Meeting of ARIAE Energy Regulators.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins