On April 26, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) will mark half a century since it was founded.
San Jose, 26 April 2023 (IICA) – On April 26, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) will mark half a century since it was founded, and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), through its Director General, Manuel Otero, endorsed the celebration of the history and achievements of the science-based institution, which has been key to agricultural development in Brazil – a country that is pivotal to global food security.
In recognizing the pioneering work of EMBRAPA in laying the technological foundation for a genuinely tropical agricultural and livestock model that would guarantee the food security of Brazil and its dominant position in global food, fiber and energy markets, Otero also recalled IICA’s role in the creation of the public entity. Under the aegis of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock EMBRAPA has successfully operated, maintaining constant dialogue with producers, scientific organizations and leaders of State and civil society.
Otero stressed that, “EMBRAPA has capitalized on human knowledge and ingenuity like no other organization, in making Brazil a world power in tropical agriculture, based on innovation, science and technology. Its efforts should be globally recognized, given its contribution to world food security and its expertise in agricultural science and research”.
The Director General, who greeted the entire EMBRAPA staff; its outgoing President, Celso Moretti; and his successor, researcher Silvia Maria Fonseca Silveira Massruhá—the first woman to head the public company—also recalled that, “IICA already had an office in Brazil when EMBRAPA was established. In fact, EMPRABA’s first President, José Irineu Cabral, who was also involved in creating the structure of the company, was at the time the IICA Representative in Brazil”.
José Irineu Cabral, who passed away in 2007, took to EMBRAPA the international experience he had gained at IICA and in the Agricultural Projects Department of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). He brought this to bear in managing rural institutions, through the introduction of agricultural and credit-based projects, technical assistance and diverse studies. He also founded the Brazilian Association of Credit and Rural Assistance (ABCAR).
EMBRAPA’s work is based on five premises: scientific excellence in research; quality and efficiency in crop and animal production; environmental sustainability; social impact and partnerships with the production sector.
More information:
Institutional Communication Division.
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int
