Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

Agriculture Rural development

IICA celebrates 40 years of supporting agricultural and rural development in Trinidad and Tobago

Tiempo de lectura: 3 mins.

After 40 years of continuous work in this country, the Inter-American Institute of Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) reaffirms its commitment to continue working with stakeholders to help develop local agricultural and rural sectors.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries of Trinidad and Tobago, 
Clarence Rambharat and IICA representatives at the inauguration ceremony.

San Jose, Costa Rica, 9 October, 2018 (IICA). The Inter-American Institute of Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) is celebrating four decades of continuous work on supporting agricultural and rural development in Trinidad and Tobago, where it has served not only as a country representation but also as a regional centre hub, becoming one of the largest and most strategical delegations for the international organism in the Caribbean region.

The event gathered the Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries of Trinidad and Tobago, the Honourable Clarence Rambharat; in representation of the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, the Permanent Secretary, Ms. Reita Toussaint; and the IICA Director and Special Affairs Coordinator for the North Region, Diego Montenegro. The Ambassadors of Argentina, Peru, Chile, Costa Rica and México, academia, non-governmental and private sector representatives participated as well.

The anniversary coincided with the opening of the new IICA Trinbagonian office, a space that is expected to continue to be a popular venue for international and regional meetings. To support the specialized agency’s work, the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries decided to lease a building to IICA on Brechin Castle, Couve.

“This new location is a positive move by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago and will provide the IICA Delegation with much needed stability and security in terms of the arrangements for office accommodation, and should redound to the benefit to both IICA and stakeholders in the agricultural sector”, said Montenegro.

The relocation of the IICA Delegation in this country is also extremely timely as it coincides with the roll out of the new Medium Term Plan 2018-2022. Therefore, over the upcoming months, the Institute’s staff will be consulting and engaging various partners and stakeholders with a view to identifying priority areas for inclusion in the national technical cooperation agenda for Trinidad and Tobago.

“This is indeed a very important process as it will determine the extent to which the country strategy is aligned with the priority and demands identified by key stakeholders in this Caribbean country”, concluded Montenegro.

On its Medium Term Plan 2018-2022, IICA reaffirms its commitment to provide an effective framework for approaching a competitive and sustainable agricultural sector development, which will contribute to economic diversification, food and nutrition security, and rural prosperity in the country.

 

About IICA

IICA is the specialized agency for agriculture in the Inter-American system, with a mission to encourage, promote and support its 34 Member States in their efforts to achieve agricultural development and rural well-being through international technical cooperation of excellence.

 

More information:

Sergio Navarro, Journalist, IICA

sergio.navarro@iica.int

Share

Related news​

San José, Costa Rica

July 28, 2025

Ramona Vargas, a renowned community leader from Paraguay who advocates for fair trade and promotes organic sugarcane farming, is honored by IICA as a Leader of Rurality of the Americas

Ramona will receive the Soul of Rurality award, an initiative of the Inter-American System’s specialized agency for agricultural and rural development, aimed at recognizing men and women who leave a mark and make a difference in the rural areas of the continent.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

San José, Costa Rica

July 28, 2025

Over 40 leading U.S. agrifood companies highlight their partnership with IICA, which they consider a model for its commitment to public–private collaboration

Representatives of these American companies met virtually with IICA Director General Manuel Otero to convey their support. They also sent a letter to senior U.S. government officials, commending the hemispheric organization’s efficiency and transparency. The letter also praised IICA’s concrete results in preventing the spread of animal and plant diseases across the continent and its collaboration with the private sector.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

San José, Costa Rica

July 24, 2025

With IICA’s support, agricultural federations of the Americas consolidate roadmap to boost regional agricultural competitiveness

The consensus was formalized at the 2nd Meeting of Agricultural Federations of the Americas, organized by the Institute and the Federation of Chambers of Agriculture.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins