Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

Natural Resources

IICA and conservation organizations create partnership for work in Latin America and the Caribbean

Tiempo de lectura: 3 mins.

The joint efforts will begin with the promotion of an agroforestry program in Haiti.

The Executive Director of Natural Partners, William H. Dent; IICA’s Representative in the United States, David Hatch; and the acting Executive Director of Trees for the Future, David F. Tye, signed the agreement.

Washington, D.C., November 15, 2012 (IICA). The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the organizations Natural Partners and Trees for the Future signed a cooperation agreement on November 15 designed to pave the way for joint work in aid of the development of agriculture, reforestation, and the improvement of the quality of life in rural communities.

The agreement was signed by IICA’s Representative in the United States, David Hatch; the Executive Director of Natural Partners, William H. Dent; and the acting Executive Director of Trees for the Future, David F. Tye.

The partnership’s first step will be to bolster technical cooperation in Haiti by securing financing for the implementation of an agroforestry program to curb the loss of forest cover and erosion.

“IICA is very pleased to join these two outstanding organizations to help address the pressing need for reforestation in the Americas, starting with Haiti,” Hatch observed. “This and future joint initiatives hold great promise to address such issues as reducing soil erosion, improving land fertility and increasing crop yields, among other benefits,” he added.

The Executive Director of Natural Partners agreed with Hatch on the importance of joint efforts. “We are excited to be working with IICA, starting with an integrated agroforestry program in Haiti which offers promising solutions to that country’s environmental and food security challenges,” he remarked.

For his part, the acting Executive Director of Trees for the Future commented that “planting trees in deforested areas is one of the most effective strategies for improving the lives of rural farmers and their families.”

The joint work stipulated in the five-year agreement will then be extended to other Latin American and Caribbean countries.

The principal areas of cooperation specified in the agreement are:

• The productivity and competitiveness of the agricultural sector 
• The recovery, enrichment, and stabilization of soils
• The diversification of crops, including trees, and 
• Efforts to increase the income derived from the sale of surplus food and wood products.

The actions to be implemented include technical cooperation for the development and implementation of projects or programs, direct technical assistance through technical missions or the work of individual experts, studies related to the various areas of cooperation, and training activities.

For more information, contact: 
david.hatch@iica.int

 

Share

Related news​

En el diálogo el Director General del IICA, Manuel Otero, instó a las personas jóvenes a ser agentes de cambio, jerarquizar la agricultura y fortalecer la autoestima del sector agropecuario, por su rol clave para el desarrollo sostenible de los países de la región.

San José, Costa Rica

October 24, 2025

Youth are key to driving the transformation of agriculture across the hemisphere, says IICA Director General at a meeting with participants of the AgriTalent Program of the Americas

Manuel Otero emphasized the need to promote a new narrative for regional agriculture—one that elevates its standing and recognizes its contribution to the food security of the countries.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

El Presidente chileno, Gabriel Boric, durante la X Semana de la Energía que transcurrió en Santiago.

Santiago

October 23, 2025

IICA and the CPBIO highlight the strategic role of agriculture and biofuels at the Tenth Energy Week in Chile

Organized by the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE), the participants in the event included His Excellency the President of Chile, Gabriel Boric. The discussions focused on the technical, economic and regulatory challenges involved in accelerating the decarbonization of transportation in the Americas, especially in the aviation sector.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Diapositiva con el título ‘Conclusiones clave’ a la izquierda y cuatro mensajes en recuadros de colores: ‘SAIA moderno = sistema agroalimentario resiliente’, ‘Cooperación público-privada es clave’, ‘Tecnología transforma la gestión sanitaria’ e ‘Invertir hoy asegura el futuro’. A la derecha, dos personas en traje formal sentadas en entornos profesionales.

San José, Costa Rica

October 23, 2025

IICA presents the updated PVS, a key tool to strengthen countries’ agricultural health services and ensure safe food trade

The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) has unveiled the updated version of a key tool designed to modernize and strengthen agricultural health and food safety services across the Americas—an initiative aimed at safeguarding the region’s sanitary and phytosanitary status, ensuring safe food trade, protecting public health, preventing economic losses and driving rural development.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins