Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

Biotechnology

IICA delivers education strategy for biotechnology to the Costa Rican authorities

Tiempo de lectura: 3 mins.

The Institute delivered the strategy to the country’s National Technical Commission on Biosafety, made up of the ministries of agriculture, environment, and science and technology, and representatives of other sectors.

Víctor M. Villalobos, Director General of IICA, delivered the strategy to Alex May, president of Costa Rica CTNBio. Rica.

San Jose, Costa Rica, December 11, 2012 (IICA).The Costa Rican authorities asked the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) to devise a Communication and Education Strategy for Biotechnology for the country. Developed under an agreement related to the preparation a component of the project to implement the national biosafety framework, the strategy has now been delivered to the national authorities.

The strategy was made available to the National Technical Commission on Biosafety (CTNBio), the project’s executing agency. The commission, which is responsible for regulation of the living modified organisms used in agriculture in Costa Rica, is comprised of representatives of the ministries of agriculture and livestock (MAG), environment, energy and telecommunications (MINAET), and science and technology (MICIT), the National Seed Office, the National Academy of Sciences, and civil society.

The “Implementation of a National Biosafety Framework for Costa Rica” project is being financed by UNEP-GEF.

According to Pedro Rocha, coordinator of IICA’s biotechnology and biosafety area, the strategy consists of integrating biotechnology into environmental education courses for primary and secondary school students, and raising awareness of the current uses of such technology among other segments of society, such as families and the community.

Víctor M. Villalobos, Director General of IICA, took part in the official presentation ceremony and pointed out that the use of biotechnology in agriculture was one of the major ongoing scientific revolutions, along with the utilization of the latest biotechnology techniques in the food and human and plant health industries, and the growth of information and communication technologies.

“IICA provides its member countries with science-based knowledge for decision making, while governments have a responsibility to inform their citizens about the risks and benefits involved in the use of these new tools,” he added.

Alex May, chair of CTNBio, views the strategy as the first step in a process designed to educate the population about this type of technology. “The use of biotechnology will grow exponentially in coming years,” he emphasized.

“Costa Rica has everything it needs to develop an exemplary biosafety framework, since it does good research, and has a strong academic sector and institutional framework, a suitable legal context and a great willingness to innovate,” Pedro Rocha remarked.

For more information, contact: 
pedro.rocha@iica.int

 

Share

Related news​

México

October 8, 2025

Gisela Illescas Palma, a rural leader enamored with the countryside and a promoter of sustainable development and a unique coffee brand, is named an IICA Leader of Rurality of the Americas

Illescas stands out for her work aimed at driving the development of dozens of farming families in her region, her efforts to defend rural women’s rights, and her passion for the land and coffee, which serves as an inspiration for others.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Delegados y autoridades agrícolas durante la Semana de la Agricultura del Caribe (CWA), en San Cristóbal y Nieves, participando en la firma de acuerdos y fortalecimiento de la cooperación regional para enfrentar la peste porcina africana y mejorar la sanidad agropecuaria.

Basseterre, San Cristóbal y Nievas

October 3, 2025

IICA Director General calls for deeper solidarity and joint action in the Caribbean in the face of African swine fever, which threatens the livelihoods of farmers and their families

Regional solidarity and coordinated action among countries are indispensable to address the threat of African swine fever, which, if it were to spread in the Caribbean, could have devastating consequences, stated IICA Director General Manuel Otero during Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA).

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Basseterre, San Cristóbal y Nieves

October 3, 2025

Argentina Deepens Agricultural Cooperation with the Caribbean at CWA 2025

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins