IICA celebrates its 80th anniversary with the launch in Costa Rica of the Plaza of Agriculture of the Americas
San Jose, 6 October 2022 (IICA). This Friday, on the occasion of its 80th anniversary, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) will officially open the Plaza of Agriculture of the Americas. Situated at the front of the Institute’s headquarters in the canton of Vásquez de Coronado, San Jose, Costa Rica, this public space will be accessible to everyone and was developed to highlight in an urban setting the value of agriculture, the rural world and biodiversity.
The opening ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. local time and will feature the participation of Stephan Brunner, Vice President of Costa Rica; Lydia María Peralta, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship; Víctor Carvajal, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock; Jannixia Villalobos, Vice Minister of Science, Innovation, Technology and Telecommunications; Rolando Méndez, the Mayor of Vázquez de Coronado; Manuel Otero, Director General of IICA, and numerous specially invited guests.
The opening of the Plaza on 7 October will coincide with the date on which IICA was founded eight decades ago and the event will include a series of cultural acts.
A tribute to agriculture
The Plaza, which in 2019 was declared a site of public interest by the Government of Costa Rica, consists of park areas and gardens, covering a total surface area of 455 square meters, surrounded by green zones.
Running along the promenade of the plaza is a 75 linear-meter water trail, which is representative of a watershed. There are also planting beds representing the varied topography of the Americas, with designs symbolizing rectangular, flat and orderly, as well as curved and terraced farms. The vegetation that has been planted is also representative of the countries of the Americas.
The Plaza boasts a mini amphitheater that can accommodate cultural, artistic and commercial activities for the entire population and in particular for small farmers and craftsmen from Coronado, which is considered as one of the most rural municipalities of Costa Rica.
The establishment of the Plaza of the Americas is part of the “IICA of Open Doors” initiative – the cornerstone of the profound transformation taking place in the specialized agency for agricultural and rural development of the Inter-American System.
There are other initiatives in this area that are already underway, namely the Interpretive Center for Tomorrow’s Agriculture (CIMAG), an interactive educational space that demonstrates technologies that are already transforming regional agriculture; the Fab Lab agricultural innovation laboratory; the Typical Rural House that evokes rural traditions in the hemisphere; the Forest of the Americas; the agriculture and urban art mural; and the virtual AgroArt Museum, among others.
More information:
Institutional Communication Division, IICA.
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int