The priorities identified will seek to strengthen family farming in vulnerable areas of Central America, the Caribbean and northeastern Brazil.
Washington, 5 June 2018 (IICA). The Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Manuel Otero, met with Luis Alberto Moreno, President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and Alexandre Meira da Rosa, Vice President for Countries of the multilateral financial institution, in Washington, where they identified possible areas of joint work for the benefit of family farmers.
“The two institutions share the same vision regarding the need to foster an increasingly technical agriculture that drives territorial development, as well as to generate opportunities for family farmers’ self-improvement within a framework of respect for natural resources,” stated Otero.
“All of the areas of common interest and complementarity with respect to the future of agriculture and the possibility of establishing a joint work agenda between IDB and IICA became evident during the meetings with the President and the Vice President for Countries of the IDB,” stated Otero.
In the upcoming months, an IDB mission will visit IICA Headquarters in San Jose, Costa Rica, to establish commitments and work agendas. “We have identified the possibility to strengthen linkages in order to implement projects in Haiti, Central America, northeastern Brazil, and vulnerable areas such as the Northern Triangle and the Dry Corridor. IDB authorities have enthusiastically welcomed our proposals, which demonstrates that we can work side-by-side on several initiatives,” stated Otero.
As part of his work agenda in Washington, D.C., the Director General of IICA also participated in an event to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of FONTAGRO, a funding mechanism for innovative projects related to family farming, which IICA sponsors together with the IDB.
Within the framework of the event, Otero highlighted the fact that “a partnership between FONTAGRO, IICA and IDB strengthens a shared vision that translates into better and more opportunities for agriculture in Latin America and the Caribbean. The three institutions must join efforts to enable the more than 60 million family farmers on our continent to take better advantage of biodiversity and sustainability through the use of science and knowledge.”
Subsequently, Otero will travel to New York, where he will meet with members of the Clinton Foundation to discuss potential joint initiatives in the Caribbean. Additionally, as part of a work agenda with the United Nations (UN), the Director General of IICA will meet with Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs of the UN; Yannick Glemarec, Deputy Executive Director of UN Women; and Martín García Moritán, Permanent Representative of Argentina to the UN.
About IICA
IICA is the specialized international agency for agriculture of the Inter-American System. Its mission is to stimulate, promote and support the efforts of its 34 Member States to achieve agricultural development and rural well-being through first-class international technical cooperation.
More information:
José Alfredo Alpízar, Press and Outreach Coordinator at IICA
