Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

Agriculture

IICA and CGIAR research centers to work more closely together

Tiempo de lectura: 3 mins.

Latin America and the Caribbean will receive the benefits of the agricultural research carried out by the centers in other parts of the world.

The Director General of IICA during his participation in GCARD2.

Punta del Este, Uruguay, November 1rst, 2012 (IICA). The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) are to consolidate their partnership by means of a work plan designed to channel research projects carried out by the CGIAR centers in other parts of the world towards the Americas, and increase the benefits of the research undertaken by the four centers in this hemisphere.

The agreement forms part of the alliances being promoted at the Second Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD2), which has been taking place this week in Punta del Este, Uruguay. The decision was reached by the Director General of IICA, Víctor M. Villalobos, the Chair of the CGIAR, Carlos Pérez del Castillo; and the CEO of the Consortium Leadership Team, Frank Rijsberman.

The work plan will be presented officially to the Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas at the next meeting of the Inter-American Board of Agriculture (IABA), due to be held in Argentina in 2013.

Villalobos stated that the partnership would afford the countries of the hemisphere easier access to know-how and the germplasm banks located at the research centers, while the latter would have more direct contact with the region’s Ministers of Agriculture, given IICA’s close working ties with the senior agricultural officials of the countries.

In 2011, IICA entered into a cooperation agreement with the four CGIAR centers based in the Americas: the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), the International Potato Center (CIP), and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). Altogether, the CGIAR has 15 centersworldwide.

“Based on this negotiation between IICA and the CGIAR, smallholders in Latin America and the Caribbean will be able to reap the benefits of the research conducted by the CGIAR centers not only in this region, but also in the rest of the world. They will have an innovation tool at their disposal,” the Director General of IICA concluded.

The CIP is located in Lima, Peru; the CIAT in Cali, Colombia; the CIMMYT in Texcoco, Mexico; and the IFPRI in Washington, USA. The other CGIAR research centers are located in Europe, Asia, and Africa.

For more information, contact: 
arturo.barrera@iica.int

 

Share

Related news​

Ribeirao Preto, Brasil

June 27, 2025

At the IFAMA World Conference, IICA Director General underscored the need to build a new narrative for agriculture to be recognized as essential for solutions to planetary challenges

The Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Manuel Otero, participated in Brazil in one of the largest global conferences in the agricultural sector, IFAMA, where he emphasized the need to build a new narrative highlighting the essential role of agriculture in the Americas as part of the solution to the challenges facing humanity.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Montreal, Canadá

June 26, 2025

Countries of the Americas positioned themselves as global suppliers of sustainable aviation fuels at key industry event held in Montreal

The Pan American Coalition on Liquid Biofuels (CPBIO) had a prominent role at the Aviation Climate Week of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), held in Montreal (Canada), with the participation of leading actors in the sector who discussed the latest developments in environmental matters.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Brasilia, Brazil

June 25, 2025

IICA strengthens its partnership with EMBRAPA and is set to install its Home of Sustainable Agriculture of the Americas pavilion in the “AgriZone” at COP30

During the meeting, the senior EMBRAPA and IICA officials also exchanged ideas on how to deepen reciprocal collaboration at the international level, with a focus on cooperation with countries in Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins