The agriculture sector in the Americas asseses the situation and plans its recovery in light of the impacts of COVID-19

San Jose, 21 April 2020 (IICA). – The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) will launch, in the upcoming days, a series of virtual seminars during which experts from the agrifood sector will discuss the approaches to agriculture in light of the COVID-19 health crisis.

This is a discussion forum on the challenges presented by the pandemic in the short and medium term for the economies of the región, health strategies and the effects on economic activity.

“The emergence of COVID-19 has imposed a major challenge on us, and requires unity from all the actors involved in order to emerge strengthened from this calamity and to avoid major economic impacts, especially for the small farmers” stated Manuel Otero, Director General of IICA.

“We have to be prepared to deal with this new scenario. It is the ideal moment to be disruptive and to develop mechanisms that allow us to feed the world in a sustainable manner”, continued Otero.

The topics to be dealt with will be looked at, initally, from a general perspective relating to the economic, social and political impacts that are to be expected, to later move towards more specific questions that should be contemplated in public policies for the agrifood sector.

As part of the cycle, international experts will emphasize the posible effects on international trade, health regulations, the climate change agenda, food supplu, family farming and strategies to strengthen the sector through innovation and technology.

The forum will consist of six 90-minute sessions that will be transmitted live over a two-week period via IICA’s Youtube and Facebook  channels.

The first discussion will deal with the post-crisis challenges, and the first responses that were implemented within the region to address the health emergency caused by COVID-19.

More information:

Institutional Communication Division

comunicacion.institucional@iica.int