IICA Director General, Manuel Otero, is named Outstanding Personality in the Sciences by the Legislature of Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires, 1 June 2023 (IICA) – Manuel Otero, Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), was declared an Outstanding Personality in the Sciences by the Legislature of Argentina’s capital city, Buenos Aires, recognizing him as a thought leader in agricultural policy in the Americas.

The award was conferred on him by parliamentarians, Daniel Del Sol—who proposed Otero’s nomination—and Esteban Garrido, at a ceremony in the Sálon Dorado of the Legislative Palace of the City, in the presence of a large audience.

Agricultural public and private sector representatives attended the ceremony, as did the IICA Director General’s entire family, headed by the architect, Amanda "Vicky" Fernández, his wife.

.Also in the audience were the Chief of Staff of the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the Nation, Juan Manuel Fernández Arocena; the Vice President of the National Agricultural Technology Institute (INTA), Nacira Muñoz; President of the Argentinian Association of Direct Seeding Farmers (AAPRESID), Marcelo Torres; Ambassador of Costa Rica in Argentina, Ginnette Campos Rojas; Special Advisor to the Director General of IICA, Jorge Werthein; IICA Representative in Argentina,  Fernando Camargo; and another Advisor to the organization, Carlos González Prieto.

The legislators Matías López and José Palmiotti (MC) were also in attendance.

Del Sol reflected that, “Manuel is highly deserving of this honor, not only because of his extensive career and experience, but also his capacity to promote discussion and consensus, which have enabled the region to achieve important agreements”. He congratulated Otero for his contributions to agricultural development and greater rural well-being in the hemisphere.

Del Sol pointed out that two separate government administrations from different political parties had backed Otero and endorsed his elections for the position of IICA Director General in 2017 and 2021, which demonstrated his capacity to find common agreement, regardless of differences.

On the other hand, Garrido indicated that the Buenos Aires Parliament had unanimously declared Otero an Outstanding Personality in the Sciences, in view of his leadership capacity to drive an agricultural agenda that was beneficial to the region and to Argentina.

Garrido maintained that, “The kind of positive leadership that Manuel demonstrates is what Argentina needs. In this era of dissent and conflict, we have to commend the fact that he has always prioritized the interests of the hemisphere and Argentina. He is a source of inspiration, even for domestic policy, as he has driven an important agenda that advocates for building bridges between agroindustry, farmers and environmental protection. Your country is relying on you to continue furthering the agenda that we need”.

Interest in various areas

Another speaker at the event was the President of the National Academy of Agronomy and Veterinary Sciences of Argentina, Jorge Errecalde, who recalled that in April, Otero became a corresponding member of the Academy in Costa Rica—where IICA Headquarters is based—in light of his vision for agricultural policy in the Hemisphere.

Errecalde said that, “We celebrate this distinction conferred on our dear friend Manuel Otero, an important figure in agricultural sciences. Throughout a long career, built on study and effort, he has demonstrated enormous scientific interest and has made his mark in various areas”.

He also maintained that, “The IICA Director General is an advocate for collective action, integration among States and the private sector, the development of a unique regional identity for Latin America and the Caribbean, and water and natural resource management aligned with rural development and the One Health concept, which links human, animal and environmental health.

Also speaking at the event was Martín Piñeiro, Chair of the Committee on Agriculture of the Argentine Council of International Relations (CARI), who is also a Director Emeritus of IICA.

“It is indeed a great pleasure to be here. This recognition is well deserved. I have witnessed Manuel’s entire professional career, since he was the Agricultural Attaché in Argentina’s Embassy in the United States. Not only has he performed his successive roles with tremendous intelligence and sensitivity, but also with great effort and dedication. Moreover, he has done so, while remaining affable and cordial, as someone who knows how to relate to others”, he said.

Piñeiro stressed that Otero still has a great deal of work ahead of him, since IICA is working assiduously to ensure that the Americas can speak as one in discussions on priority issues for the future of agriculture.

Upcoming projects

Otero confessed that he was moved and grateful and that he would continue working under the conviction that the best was yet to come. “I know that I must have more projects than memories. That is only way to give life meaning”.

The IICA Director General called to mind his mother and his father, Edison Otero, a renowned cardiologist and Argentinian politician, who presided over the Senate in the first democratic government after the last military dictatorship (76-83). The senior Otero was also instrumental in founding a cardiology department at the Fiorito public hospital (in the city of Avellaneda), which was one of the finest of its time.

His son remembered how his father had embraced politics, as a means of assisting his fellow citizens. He also referred to his mother “who instilled a culture of effort, transparency and honesty, and who was the one who provided emotional stability in the home”.

He recalled that, “My father used to tell me that the brain is a muscle that you have to train. The secret is to fight the battles that we consider important. I commit to continue carrying the flags of sustainable development, rural and urban integration and the dream of building a better country and hemisphere for everyone”.

An extensive and outstanding career

Otero is a veterinarian and graduate of the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences of the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). He has a Master’s degree in Animal Production from the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE), headquartered in Costa Rica, and an MSc. in Agricultural Development from Wye College, University of London.

He began his first term as IICA Director General in 2018 and was re-elected for the 2022-2026 period by the Inter-American Board of Agriculture (IABA), which is comprised of ministers and secretaries of Agriculture of the 34 member countries of the specialized international agency for agricultural development and rural well-being.

Among his notable achievements at IICA are the creation of forums for discussion with other regions in the world, for example, by forging a relationship and facilitating exchange with Africa, which led to a roadmap and common agenda with African organizations. He also played a fundamental role in enabling the countries of the Americas to reach a consensus on agricultural issues and in stimulating the active participation of the public and private agriculture sectors of the America in COP27, in