San José, 11 June 2025 (IICA) – The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Global Farmer Network (GFN)—an international network of over 250 leading farmers from around the world—have formed a strategic alliance to promote more sustainable, resilient, and innovative agriculture in the Americas.
The collaboration seeks to empower farmers through access to technology, knowledge and innovation, while also strengthening their participation in major regional and international forums on agriculture, food security, and extreme weather events.
This initiative took shape during a visit by a select group of GFN members, led by CEO Mary Boote, to IICA headquarters in San José, Costa Rica. They were received by the Institute’s Director General, Manuel Otero, and held discussions with IICA’s technical staff specializing in agriculture and rural development. These exchanges focused on the strategic role of farmers in food security, climate resilience, and sustainable rural development.
During the meeting, the group learned about IICA’s main hemispheric cooperation programs, which focus on international trade and regional integration; territorial development and family farming; agri-food digitalization; innovation and the bioeconomy; agricultural health, food safety and quality; women producers and youth; and climate action and agricultural sustainability.
As part of the event, Otero and Boote signed a four-year cooperation agreement. Key focus areas will include advancing sustainable agricultural development, strengthening rural communities, enhancing food and nutritional security in the Americas, and improving the participation of leading farmers in regional and global dialogue.
Prior to the signing, IICA’s Director General emphasized that agriculture is not a broken system but rather a success story that has enabled billions of people to be fed worldwide. He stressed that farmers must be at the center of any discussion on transforming food systems, that science should guide public policy, and that agriculture should be seen as part of the solution to global challenges.
“Like GFN, our goal is to bring together, train, empower and mobilize farmers and ministries of agriculture to be a voice for the sector—an agriculture grounded in science—and to work with these key actors, scientists and the private sector. We firmly believe that cooperation means action. We must take the initiative to promote well-being and improve the quality of life of farmers in rural areas,” Otero stated.
Boote highlighted that for 25 years, GFN has been connecting and amplifying the voices of leading farmers around the world, promoting trade, technology, and agricultural sustainability. She stressed the importance of collaboration and knowledge-sharing among farmers, institutions, and businesses. She also endorsed IICA’s commitment to science-based agriculture, continuous improvement, and global leadership, particularly in driving greater equity and resilience in the sector.
“We are aligned, we create impact, and this is an opportunity to collaborate, strengthen and empower. We’ve engaged in dialogue with IICA for many years and we believe there is a gap to be filled: a focus on knowledge transfer—from farmer to farmer, farmer to global organizations in our field, farmer to policymaker, farmer to regulators, farmer to businesses. Collaboration, consensus, and cooperation—this is our foundation, and this is how the world can truly be fed: with these tools,” said the CEO of GFN.
A network committed to sustainability
The Global Farmer Network is a nonprofit organization founded in Iowa, United States, in 2000. It currently brings together 269 farmers from 67 countries and aims to amplify the voice of agricultural producers on key issues such as agricultural trade, AgriTech ventures, global food security, and rural economic development.
GFN identifies, trains, and connects agricultural leaders with transformative potential, promoting their active participation in global discussions on the future of sustainable agriculture.
As part of the visit, a symbolic unveiling of the Network’s plaque was held at the IICA Friends Panel at the Institute’s Headquarters. This wall honors public and private sector institutions committed to agricultural development and the well-being of rural communities across the Americas.
All these activities took place as part of the GFN Roundtable and Communication Training event. Since Monday, the event has brought together 15 selected members of the Network for training, mobilization, and to provide multiple platforms enabling farmers worldwide to act as catalysts for modern, science-based agriculture.
The event also aims to promote farmers’ voices in global, regional, and local debates with policymakers, scientists, academics, and the broader society, and to foster connections among farmers worldwide to share informed and secure perspectives with a global outlook.
The participants were nominated from a pool of 215 contestants for their excellence and commitment to sharing and applying sustainable, science-based farming strategies and technologies to enhance global food and nutritional security, promote sustainable agricultural development, and drive initiatives with positive economic, social, and environmental impacts in their communities and beyond.
More information:
Institutional Communication Division.
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int
