Conference of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas will be an opportunity for countries to share experiences and promote sustainability of the agricultural sector in the Hemisphere, says Costa Rican minister

San José, 25 September 2023 (IICA) - The 2023 Conference of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas, which will take place in October in Costa Rica, will be a great opportunity to exchange knowledge and experiences and promote the sustainability of agriculture in the Hemisphere in the face of the great global environmental, climate and food security challenges, stated the Costa Rican Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Víctor Carvajal.

The minister addressed his counterparts in the Hemisphere through a video message where he officially presented the meeting, which will be held from 3-5 October at the headquarters of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), with the motto “Hemispheric Partnership for Food Security and Sustainable Development”.

“The meeting will allow projects such as the Costa Rican sugarcane NAMA to be showcased as positive examples of sustainable innovation in the agricultural sector,” Carvajal said in the video addressed to the ministers and participants of the summit.

“I take this opportunity to invite you to this year's IABA (Inter-American Board of Agriculture) meeting in October, where we will have the opportunity to share experiences. In Costa Rica, we are witnessing interesting experiences and proposing much-needed reforms, for example, on the issue of agrochemicals and the modernization of molecules,” Carvajal added.

The IABA is the highest governing body of IICA and is made up of the Ministers and Secretaries of Agriculture of 34 nations of the Americas. Their meeting takes place within the framework of the Ministerial Conference.

Carvajal explained that in Costa Rica they are working on a public-private partnership between the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE) and the Sugarcane Industry Association (LAICA) for the implementation of the Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) strategy.

This initiative seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote sustainable practices, without reducing productivity in the sugarcane sector.

The Minister stated that significant progress is being made in the NAMA, which was recently registered with the relevant agency of the United Nations (UN). The sugarcane initiative, which is the first in the world, aims to refine strategies to work towards carbon neutrality and to become carbon positive in the medium term.

“These are major challenges, and we share these strategies with you so that everyone can join this process that we are leading in Costa Rica, and also learn about the initiatives of the countries that will participate in the 2023 Conference,” Carvajal said.

The IABA meets every two years to discuss the main challenges facing agriculture in the hemisphere and to instruct IICA on the actions needed to support the efforts of the countries of the Americas in addressing these challenges.

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