Brasilia, 6 November 2025 (IICA) – Minister of Agricultural Development and Family Farming of Brazil, Paulo Teixeira, was one of the speakers at the closing ceremony of the Conference of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas 2025, in Brasilia, where he urged the countries of the region to promote public policies to strengthen family farmers and promote food security.
Teixeira congratulated Muhammad Ibrahim, a Guyanese national, who was elected in Brasilia to be the Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) for the 2026-2030 term. The Minister also reflected on the work of Ibrahim’s predecessor, Manuel Otero, who will demit office as the head of the organization next January.
“Ibrahim is from the Caribbean, a region that is extremely vulnerable to the impact of extreme climate phenomena, much like Central America. I welcome his appointment, as I am certain he will place a great deal of importance on family farming, which is quite extensive in the Caribbean. We therefore hope that the excellent relationship between Brazil and IICA will continue and be strengthened. Manuel Otero did a marvelous job and I believe that Muhammad Ibrahim will do likewise”, said Teixeira.
The role of science, and technology and innovation in food security and production transformation was the central topic of debate at the Conference, which was attended by thirty ministers and deputy ministers of Agriculture, along with experts and private sector representatives.
As part of the Conference, the Institute held the 23rd Regular Meeting of the Inter-American Board of Agriculture (IABA), IICA’s supreme governing body, which meets every two years.
Ibrahim, an agronomist, was elected by an absolute majority vote of the countries at the IABA meeting. He will assume the reins of IICA as of next year.
“We want food security throughout the hemisphere”, said Teixeira. “This means guaranteeing a healthy and adequate food supply for all. It is a significant challenge, and we are relying on IICA for its input. In just two and a half years, Brazil removed itself from the hunger map, but we need food security for all Latin America, so that there will be healthy food on the tables of all people”.
The minister also provided details on Brazil’s efforts to promote regenerative agriculture, address the impact of droughts and flooding, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote greater use of bioinputs in production and strengthen the adoption of digital technologies in smallholder farming.
Teixeira invited the ministers and deputy ministers of Agriculture of the Americas attending the meeting in Brasilia to also attend COP30, which will take place starting on November 10 in Belem do Pará. He stressed that, “We want to make progress in global commitments, to prevent an even greater climate crisis than the one we are now facing. Yet, in doing so, it is essential that we also guarantee the right to food and the other basic rights of our people”.
More information:
Institutional Communication Division.
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int
