IICA and conservation organizations create partnership for work in Latin America and the Caribbean
Washington, D.C., November 15, 2012 (IICA). The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the organizations Natural Partners and Trees for the Future signed a cooperation agreement on November 15 designed to pave the way for joint work in aid of the development of agriculture, reforestation, and the improvement of the quality of life in rural communities.
The agreement was signed by IICA’s Representative in the United States, David Hatch; the Executive Director of Natural Partners, William H. Dent; and the acting Executive Director of Trees for the Future, David F. Tye.
The partnership’s first step will be to bolster technical cooperation in Haiti by securing financing for the implementation of an agroforestry program to curb the loss of forest cover and erosion.
“IICA is very pleased to join these two outstanding organizations to help address the pressing need for reforestation in the Americas, starting with Haiti,” Hatch observed. “This and future joint initiatives hold great promise to address such issues as reducing soil erosion, improving land fertility and increasing crop yields, among other benefits,” he added.
The Executive Director of Natural Partners agreed with Hatch on the importance of joint efforts. “We are excited to be working with IICA, starting with an integrated agroforestry program in Haiti which offers promising solutions to that country’s environmental and food security challenges,” he remarked.
For his part, the acting Executive Director of Trees for the Future commented that “planting trees in deforested areas is one of the most effective strategies for improving the lives of rural farmers and their families.”
The joint work stipulated in the five-year agreement will then be extended to other Latin American and Caribbean countries.
The principal areas of cooperation specified in the agreement are:
• The productivity and competitiveness of the agricultural sector
• The recovery, enrichment, and stabilization of soils
• The diversification of crops, including trees, and
• Efforts to increase the income derived from the sale of surplus food and wood products.
The actions to be implemented include technical cooperation for the development and implementation of projects or programs, direct technical assistance through technical missions or the work of individual experts, studies related to the various areas of cooperation, and training activities.
For more information, contact:
david.hatch@iica.int