Mexico: Rattan Lal, IICA and Syngenta reaffirm the value of partnerships to transform agrifood systems
Mexico City, 21 February 2022 (IICA) – Experts, public authorities and representatives of international organizations participated in the forum “Transforming Agrifood Systems in Mexico - Regenerative Agriculture”, during which they developed and proposed ideas for improving the country’s production systems, as well as discussed challenges associated with regenerative agriculture.
At the forum, the leading agricultural innovation company Syngenta and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) reaffirmed the importance of establishing partnerships to advance towards more resilient, healthy, sustainable and equitable agrifood systems, and emphasized the relevant role played by science, technology and innovation in the achievement of these goals.
“Food production must go hand in hand with knowledge-intensive, climate and nutritionally smart, socially responsible agriculture. Public policies, in turn, must contribute to empowering farmers and boosting prosperity in rural areas”, stated Manuel Otero, Director General of IICA.
The Argentinian veterinarian also underscored the role of science and innovation in driving change to strengthen a synergistic relationship with the environment. He stressed the importance of coordinated work between public and private institutions in the search for solutions to the challenges facing the agrifood sector.
Javier Valdés, General Director of Syngenta for Northern Latin America, mentioned the enormous challenge of producing more food while caring for the environment. He highlighted the project for sustainable agriculture entitled “The Good Growth Plan”, which seeks to reach more producers and work together with them to achieve regenerative agriculture.
“To drive a truly positive transformation of food chains in Mexico, we must conduct work in a sustainable manner, putting farmers at the forefront, caring for the environment and establishing strategic partnerships with institutions and the government. This will allow us to achieve success”, he remarked.
In turn, professor Rattan Lal, Director of The Ohio State University Carbon Management and Sequestration Center (C-MASC), explained that agriculture is the engine of economic development and underscored the fact that countries will be unable to meet their food needs if they fail to care for soils.
“Regenerative agriculture will allow for producing adequate and nutritious food and for restoring ecosystems that have been damaged by human activity”, explained the award-winning scientist, who is also an IICA Goodwill Ambassador.
The fundamental principles of regenerative agriculture, noted Lal, are related to resource conservation, integrated nutrient management and the integration of agriculture with forests and livestock farming, among other aspects.
Natalhie Campos, Manager of Development, Innovation and Technology at the Mexican Food Security Agency (SEGALMEX), stressed the importance of advancing towards food security and nutrition through programs that support small-scale producers and guarantee the efficient collection and distribution of staple foods, which, in turn, improves the well-being of the country’s most vulnerable communities.
She also cited the programs that SEGALMEX has developed for this purpose, such as price guarantees, the Rural Supply Program (PAR), the Social Milk Supply Program (PASL), and the National Milk Procurement Program, among others.
“The challenge involves developing a strategy for nutritional education on the food chain, processing food and adequately transporting it to support the most vulnerable communities in the country”, she added.
Diego Montenegro, IICA Representative in Mexico, read out the conclusions of the forum, highlighting the need for healthy and sustainable practices in food production, science-based agriculture with social inclusion, clean industries, the use of the bioeconomy, soil regeneration, access to healthy and nutritious food and environmental sustainability, among other topics.
These conclusions are expected to guide the development of new solutions, in coordination with experts and producers.
IICA and Syngenta have established a partnership to implement actions aimed at increasing farmers’ productivity under a sustainable approach and protecting food security in Latin America and the Caribbean. To this end, the two entities work together to validate cutting-edge agricultural technologies, develop virtual courses, foster digital and precision agriculture and provide training opportunities.
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Diego Montenegro, IICA Representative in Mexico.