The group of experts from eight different countries recommended offering more credit support to smallholder farmers and cooperatives and reinforcing short trade circuits.
San José. 9 April 2020 (IICA) – The Advisory Council for Food Security in the Americas, coordinated by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), made a recommendation to pay close attention to the role of small-scale farming within the context of the coronavirus pandemic, by enhancing access to credit and supporting cooperatives, rural insurance and short trade circuits, especially of perishable goods.
These conclusions were reached after the first meeting of the Council, created by IICA in light of the Covid-19 health emergency, which is comprised of nine renowned agriculture specialists from different countries in the hemisphere.
Manuel Otero, Director General of IICA, was also present during this first meeting of experts.
The advisory group will draft a document including proposals, future scenarios and medium-term measures that will underpin the efforts made by the countries of the Americas to strengthen food security.
During the videoconference, different examples of such initiatives were mentioned, such as the Food Bank of Mexico and the “Seamos Uno” program in Argentina.
“In future meetings, the Advisory Council will focus on issues such as family farming, international trade and other emergent topics, and will be drafting short specialized documents that will be uploaded to IICA’s recently launched blog, in an attempt to facilitate the exchange of useful information for decision-making’’ stated Otero.
The blog entitled “Cultivating tomorrow’s agriculture today” is currently available on IICA’s web page, together with a monitor and other tools included in the Institute’s strategy, all of which seek to facilitate analysis and projections by the Ministries of Agriculture and other stakeholders in the private sector, with a focus on food security in the countries of the Americas.
“The members of the council highlighted the importance of IICA as a strategic facilitator in the current scenario, based on a proactive approach and with a view to solving the most pressing issues for the Ministers of Agriculture”, added the Director General of the Institute.
The Advisory Council for Food Security in the Americas is comprised of Gloria Abraham (Costa Rica), Chelston Brathwaite (Barbados), Carlos Gustavo Cano (Colombia), Cassio Luiselli (Mexico), Elsa Murano (United States), Martín Piñeiro (Argentina), Álvaro Ramos (Uruguay), Roberto Rodrigues (Brazil) and Eduardo Trigo (Argentina).
According to Otero, the members of the Council offered their full support to the closed application being developed by IICA for the Ministers of the different regions in the hemisphere, which will be useful for sharing production supply information in real time and promoting intra-regional trade.
A manual of good sanitary practices for rural workers is also in progress.
More information
Institutional Communication Division
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int
