Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

Rural development

Inter-American Board of Agriculture donates land for construction of new hospital in Turrialba

Tiempo de lectura: 3 mins.

The Minister of Agriculture of Costa Rica, Javier Flores, thanked his fellow ministers from the Americas.

Montego Bay, Jamaica, October 30, 2009. The Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas approved the donation of five hectares of land for the construction of new hospital in Turrialba, Costa Rica.

The ministers have been in Jamaica participating in the Week of Agriculture and Rural Life of the Americas, that finished today, October 31.

The donated land, which belongs to the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), was given in usufruct to the Tropical Agriculture Research and Higher Education Centre (CATIE).

The original request was presented to the Governing Council of CATIE by the Government of Costa Rica. It was brought to the attention of the IICA Executive Committee in July of this year and was finally approved by the IABA at its meeting in Jamaica.

The Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of Costa Rica, Javier Flores, thanked his colleagues for approving the request, which will do much to improve the quality of life in Turrialba and the surrounding area.

The IABA made it clear that the land was to be used exclusively for the construction and operation of a hospital or medical centre. The resolution indicates that the land will revert to IICA if the hospital/medical centre is not built and operational within five years of the date on which the rights to the use of the land are transferred.

The Director Generals of IICA and CATIE, Chilton Brathwaite and Jose Joaquin Campos, respectively, noted that both institutions are working on behalf of the development of needy and vulnerable communities in the city of Turrialba is one “A ways of showing that support\, they said, is to donate  this land.

Turrialba, located 60 kilometres from the capital of Costa Rica is inextricably linked to agriculture of the Americas. It served as the first home for IICA and is now home to CATIE. The first stone was laid by then Costa Rican president Rafael Angel Calderon Guardia and Vice President Henry Wallace of the United States.

For more information, contact

patricia.leon@iica.int

www.iica.int/jamaica2009

Share

Related news​

San José, Costa Rica

July 18, 2025

IICA will co-organize Caribbean Week of Agriculture, to be held in Saint Kitts and Nevis in September, with a focus on building resilience

“Sowing Change, Harvesting Resilience: Transforming our Caribbean Food Systems for 2025 and Beyond” is the title of the 19th edition of Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA), which is scheduled to take place in Saint Kitts and Nevis this year, from September 29 to October 3.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

San José, Costa Rica

July 18, 2025

IICA celebrates “Digital Agriculture Days” to drive agricultural transformation in Latin America and the Caribbean

The 2025 Digital Agriculture Week will take place at IICA Headquarters in San José, Costa Rica, from September 22 to 25.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

San José, Costa Rica

July 16, 2025

FONTAGRO and IICA launch the “LATAM 2025 Agro-bioentrepreneurship with Impact” competition to promote agricultural innovation in Latin America

This competition is an opportunity for entrepreneurs to improve their projects, and is designed to strengthen the region’s bio-entrepreneurial ecosystem by promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing among the participants.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins