Nairobi, 9 April 2025 (IICA) – The Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Manuel Otero, participated in the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research’s (CGIAR) Science Week in Nairobi, Kenya, along with private sector representatives and major policy makers and scientists in agriculture and food security.
More than 10,000 delegates are attending the event to discuss how research and innovation can contribute more effectively to increase agricultural productivity and the income of small farmers. The Director General pointed out that the Americas—the region that he represents—produces one in every three tons of food consumed in the world.
The CGIAR meeting also sought to spur action and to forge partnerships to foster investment in agriculture, with a view to feeding the global population and preserving the planet, while positioning agriculture as part of the solution to global challenges.
CGIAR, the world’s largest agricultural research and innovation network, which works closely with IICA, is co-hosting the event in partnership with the Kenyan Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO). The meeting was convened under the premise that science and innovation hold the answer to global challenges, such as the need to increase agricultural productivity and to combat malnutrition and rural poverty.
Otero participated in a high-level panel discussion during Science Week, in which scientists, producers and government officials reflected on successful experiences and lessons learned in recent projects, with a focus on innovation and collaboration among various stakeholders.
The discussion emphasized the need to guarantee that advances in agriculture are accessible to marginalized communities.
Innovation in agriculture
The IICA Director General explained that the agency of the Inter-American system specializing in agricultural and rural development is supporting the scaling up of agricultural innovation in Latin America and the Caribbean. He also highlighted the region’s achievements in boosting the productivity of various crops and in key areas such as food waste reduction.
He reported on the work that IICA is undertaking with CGIAR and public policy makers from different countries in the region, to scale up technology and innovation, including the Forum of the Americas for Agricultural Research and Technology Development (FORAGRO). This network, which is currently being modernized and strengthened, brings together stakeholders from the public, academic and private sectors and civil society around agendas that focus on science and innovation.
Joining Otero in the discussion in the Kenyan capital were Surita Sandosham, CEO and President of Heifer International; Wendy Umberger, CEO of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR); and Nosipho Nausca-Jean Jezile, Chair of the Committee on World Food Security.
Otero stressed the immense potential of the Americas in terms of agricultural lands and its enormous wealth of natural resources, which make it strategic to food security.
He also noted that in recent decades food production has been undergoing a transformation process, thanks to technology innovation and good production practices, while stressing the importance of the private sector in implementing these changes.
The central role of the region
Otero pointed out that, “All of these successful innovations have been the result of active and close collaboration between sectors and countries. International centers, gene bank networks, national research institutions and seed and input companies have joined forces under various institutional agreements to successfully introduce technologies in the field. The global community is benefitting from the fact that the region has fully assumed its role in maintaining the global balance”.
Furthermore, he indicated that, “Looking to the future, it is clear that new scientific and technological scenarios, which include biotechnology, data sciences, robotics and artificial intelligence, offer countless new opportunities that will equip the region to expand its contribution to the global food and environmental balance”.
The IICA Director General also indicated the need to bolster collaboration among institutions committed to the development of science and innovation.
The meeting also provided an opportunity for CGIAR—with its 15 research centers—to present its portfolio of research projects for the 2025-2030 period, which seek to accelerate the implementation of new production technologies.
It also provided a first-hand view of transformative innovations that are improving the lives of vulnerable communities, in addition to the related labs and research stations.
More information:
Institutional Communication Division.
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int
