San José, 16 February 2026 (IICA). The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) of Costa Rica and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) signed an agreement under which the international organization will support the implementation of the government’s strategy to strengthen the country’s agriculture sector.
Through the signing of a letter of understanding with MAG, IICA will facilitate the implementation of the Verification Strategy for the Program for Sustainable and Competitive Agriculture (Payment for Results – PfR), a key instrument to ensure technical oversight, transparency and the fulfillment of strategic targets in Costa Rica’s agricultural sector.
The agreement was signed during the launch of MAG’s digital single file system, with the participation of Víctor Carvajal Porras, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of Costa Rica, and Marco Zapata, IICA Representative in the Central American country. IICA Director General Muhammad Ibrahim served as witness of honor at the launch.
The PfR is financed by the World Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and mobilizes an investment of USD 140 million aimed at modernizing Costa Rica’s agricultural sector. The resources will strengthen inter-institutional coordination, streamline processes and consolidate technical verification mechanisms under IICA’s support.
Over the next five years, the program envisages the achievement of eight strategic indicators, whose technical verification will be carried out by the Institute.
During the event, IICA Director General Muhammad Ibrahim met with Minister Carvajal and with Costa Rica’s Minister of Environment and Energy, Franz Tattenbach Capra, to whom he presented details of his plans to strengthen cooperation with the countries.
In that context, he also held a discussion with staff members on the new sustainable agricultural landscape programs that the Government of Costa Rica has on its agenda.
The main pillars of the PfR initiative include:
• Digital transformation of the agricultural sector.
• Strengthening of agricultural traceability.
• Infrastructure modernization.
• Implementation of Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs).
• Development of Payment for Environmental Services (PES) mechanisms, and
• Promotion of green financing.
The agreement underscores IICA’s role as a strategic technical partner of Costa Rica, based on its hemispheric experience, institutional coordination capacity and methodological support, ensuring that program implementation complies with international standards of management, evaluation and accountability.
“The transformation and modernization of the agricultural sector are essential to respond to national demands and global challenges. IICA works in close coordination with ministries and key stakeholders, including the private sector, to overcome barriers, strengthen traceability and ensure that agriculture continues advancing with sustainability and competitiveness”, said IICA Director General Muhammad Ibrahim.
More information:
Institutional Communication Division.
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int
