San Jose, 28 August 2025 (IICA) – Bayer and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) will undertake new areas of joint work to foster sustainability through carbon initiatives in crops such as corn and soybeans; enhance training on good practices for farmers; drive the development and use of bio-inputs; implement actions in controlled agriculture, innovation, preservation and intellectual property in seeds; and continue to raise awareness of the strategic role of agriculture in climate action at international forums such as the COPs.
The strategic partnership between the two organizations dates back to 2017 and was recently renewed in San José, Costa Rica, during a visit by representatives of the multinational company to the Institute’s headquarters.
“The partnership between Bayer and IICA is historic. We have undertaken countless projects, are making progress on various issues, and are eager to make a difference in agriculture, making it more resilient, diverse, and innovative, and impacting more farmers in need”, stated Francila Calica, Head of Agricultural Affairs and Sustainability at Bayer Latin America.
Also participating in the meeting on behalf of Bayer were Osiris Ocando, Agricultural Policy Lead for the region, and José Manuel Domínguez, Senior Manager of Fresh Fruit Business Operations at Bayer. IICA was represented by Beverly Best, Director of External and Institutional Relations.
“Biological (inputs) are a crucial issue for agriculture, and integrating them with chemicals is key. We also consider seeds and intellectual property in seeds to be a strategic area in which IICA is well prepared to engage in joint work with us in the future”, added Calica.
Best highlighted “the shared conviction that the future of agriculture must be sustainable, inclusive, resilient and technologically innovative. The only way to make progress in transforming the region’s agrifood systems is to foster strategic partnerships and collaboration between key stakeholders, science and the private sector”.
Osiris Ocando emphasized Bayer’s interest in advancing actions related to “carbon in corn and soybeans”, in which the company has “a significant technology package”. She also highlighted the BayGAP training and support program for farmers, which focuses on the implementation of good agricultural practices. A total of 16,345 participants have registered in the program, which IICA has made available on its Virtual Campus.
She also reflected on the continuation of the strategic partnership in the lead-up to COP30. At the two previous conferences, Bayer was one of the private sector partners that enabled IICA to install the Home of Sustainable Agriculture of the Americas pavilion, which showcased the progress achieved by the region’s agriculture sector in enhancing sustainability, and emphasized that agriculture is part of the solution to the climate crisis.
“This is a golden opportunity to showcase everything we are promoting, the challenges facing agriculture, and how we can be a force for change, a key player and raise the value of agriculture, which we must no longer view as a threat, but rather as a great opportunity and solution to many problems”, explained Ocando.
The meeting also allowed for reporting on the progress of an online course on regenerative agriculture for the Americas, India and Africa, whose goal is to deliver training to more than one million people by 2030.
José Manuel Domínguez, Senior Manager of Fresh Fruit Business Operations at Bayer; Osiris Ocando, Agricultural Policy Lead for the region at Bayer; José Miguel Pérez, Strategic Partnerships Specialist at IICA; Francila Calica, Head of Agricultural Affairs and Sustainability at Bayer Latin America; and Beverly Best, Director of External and Institutional Relations at IICA.
Ongoing actions
The Bayer delegation learned about progress achieved in other joint initiatives with IICA, which cover priority issues for the sustainable development of the hemisphere’s agrifood sector.
Bayer is a strategic partner in the “Living Soils of the Americas” initiative, launched in 2020 by IICA and renowned scientist Rattan Lal to combat soil degradation, a phenomenon that is threatening countries’ capacity to sustainably satisfy their food demand. The Institute has implemented close to 30 projects related to this issue in different countries of the Americas, investing nearly USD 100 million.
The multinational company is also part of the Global Alliance Against Fusarium TR4, whose mission is to assist the banana industry in overcoming the challenges posed by this banana disease, caused by the Tropical Race 4 (TR4) strain of the Fusarium fungus. The group, comprised of companies, universities and other organizations in the banana sector, seeks to find a definitive scientific solution to eradicate the fungus.
Thanks to the contributions of Bayer and IICA, the Alliance has delivered training to more than 300 farmers in Colombia, Ecuador and Paraguay, and to more than 534 online participants, as part of training and prevention efforts.
Osiris Ocando, Agricultural Policy Lead for the region; and Francila Calica, Head of Agricultural Affairs and Sustainability at Bayer Latin America, and Gian Carlo Corrales, Information Systems Specialist of the Information/Communication Technologies and Digital Agriculture Division at IICA.
In the field of genetics and breeding, the Alliance invested USD 100,000 to modernize laboratories at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). With respect to control methods, the Alliance has validated early detection tools and disseminated disease management protocols among key stakeholders.
Furthermore, as part of the policy and promotion line of action, the issue of TR4 has been prioritized in regional plant health agendas.
Bayer is also one of the IICA partners that contributed to the creation of the Interpretive Center for Tomorrow’s Agriculture (CIMAG), which brings together agriculture and education and demonstrates how digital technologies are able to transform and improve agriculture, rural life and food security in the Americas.
CIMAG is part of the “IICA of Open Doors” initiative, aimed at fostering closer ties between the international organization and neighboring communities, as well as expanding knowledge about the latest sustainable and digital agriculture practices. Through the initiative, the Institute expects to welcome about 25,000 visitors at its Headquarters in San José in 2025.
More information:
Institutional Communication Division.
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int
