IICA and Israel share experiences in agricultural innovation and development

San José, Costa Rica, November 8, 2011 (IICA). A desire to find ways to collaborate with the countries of the Americas, especially in the area of transferring agricultural innovations to farmers, prompted the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Israel to seek a meeting with IICA authorities.

An official Israeli delegation, headed by Minister Orit Noked, visited the Headquarters of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) in Costa Rica, to explain how research and development has transformed agriculture into one of the most productive sectors in her country, outpacing even commerce and transportation.

James French, Director of Technical Cooperation at IICA, stated that the growth of agriculture in Israel is based on strategic decisions taken years ago, such as to increase the budget earmarked for innovation and the transfer of knowledge from the laboratory to the countryside.

Mr. French, accompanied by managers and coordinators of IICA’s cooperation programs, outlined the manner in which the Institute provides technical cooperation in agriculture to the countries of the Americas.

“We have Offices in 34 Member States, and specialists in different disciplines in each one, who share their knowledge via thematic networks,” he said.

Also participating in the meeting were the Israeli Ambassador to Costa Rica, Daniel Saban, and the Agricultural Attaché of the Israeli Embassy in the United States, Zvi Herman, who suggested three possible areas for collaboration with IICA: to identify agribusiness opportunities in international markets; to provide support in complying with trade requirements for exporting to the U.S. market; and to strengthen those extension services that share innovations in agriculture with producers.

“The missions of IICA and the Ministry of Agriculture of Israel are very similar in that are aimed at making agriculture competitive and sustainable and improving the quality of life in rural territories,” said Minister Noked.

Ambassador Saban invited the specialists from IICA and its member countries to participate in the Agritech Fair, to be held in Tel Aviv in May 2012, where the more recent technological advances in the Israeli agricultural sector will be on display.

“Thanks to research and development, the agricultural extension services of Israel are now of the highest quality. As a result, in contrast with what is happening in other countries, young people in Israel are attracted to agriculture, finding it challenging and sophisticated,” said Zvi Herman.

The delegation called attention to successful cases of cooperation with China, India and several countries in Africa, where agricultural techniques developed in Israel have been applied.

Más información: 
james.french@iica.int