Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

Agricultural Health Food safety Knowledge management

IICA and Bayer launch virtual course to assist producers to conform to international standards on Good Agricultural Practices

Tiempo de lectura: 3 mins.

The online training is free of cost and will be available at the Institute’s virtual campus as of 28 May.

The online course will be available at the Institute’s virtual campus as of 28 May.

San José, 3 May 2018 (IICA). On 28 May, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture will launch the English version of the “Programa de capacitación Bayer para la facilitación del localg.a.p” course (Bayer Training program for an easier achievement of localg.a.p.)” to improve participants’ knowledge of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and to also set them on the path to achieving GLOBALG.A.P. Certification – the international standard that regulates this area.

Localg.a.p. is an assessment derived from the Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) Standard and represents the first step towards safe and sustainable agriculture. It is also a stepping stone towards GLOBALG.A.P. Certification, which is a requirement to access emerging markets with healthy and safe foods, using a sustainable cultivation model that provides economic and social benefits to producers at all stages of the value chain, while always balancing the interests of both parties: producers and consumers.

The seven-week course is free and is being offered under the framework of a technical cooperation alliance between IICA and Bayer.  It targets family farmers, small and medium-scale producers, agro-production organizations, agricultural entrepreneurs, extension workers and students involved in the management of sustainable systems for the production of healthy and safe food, as well as those interested in widening their knowledge of GAP processes.

The virtual training will cover topics such as integrated pest management, safe use and phytosanitary products, application technology and waste and pollution management, food safety management, irrigation systems, traceability and documentation and pollinators.

IICA Specialist Orlando Vega explained that “a module on pollinators was also incorporated to complement topics already covered in the course, as a means of further enriching the material that we make available”.

Those interested in participating may register here.

Bayer promoted this training program at the Fruit Logística event in Bonn, Germany in early January, as a sustainable agricultural solution.  The event brings together more than 3,000 exhibitors and 76,000 visitors each year.

More Information:

Orlando Vega, IICA Specialist.

orlando.vega@iica.int

Course Description

Share

Related news​

Castries, Santa Lucía,

December 11, 2025

IICA Hosts Subregional Training Workshop in Dominica as OECS Countries Strengthen Capacity for White Potato Production and Marketing

Participants included farmers, technical officers from the Ministries of Agriculture, IICA, OECS, CARDI and FAO personnel representative and other agencies interested in supporting the commercialization of white potatoes.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Panamá

December 11, 2025

Panamanian producer Dayra Montenegro, who returned to the countryside and modernized her family farm after sailing between several continents, recognized by IICA as a Leader of Rurality of the Americas

In her capacity as President of the San Lorenzo Agricultural Producers’ Association, Dayra shares what she’s learned and assists other farmers in adopting sustainable techniques.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Buenos Aires, Argentina

December 10, 2025

Representatives of Brazil’s main agro-industrial cooperatives visited Argentina to strengthen relations between producers in the two countries

Representatives of Brazil’s most important agro-industrial cooperatives visited Argentina to learn about productive ventures and familiarize themselves with the incorporation of new technologies and the progress that agriculture is making in the area of sustainability in this country, which, like Brazil, is a powerhouse of food production.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins