Ministers from the Southern Agricultural Council (CAS) member countries join forces to drive joint research on greenhouse gas emission and sequestration in agriculture

Buenos Aires, 8 March 2024 (IICA) – Ministers and other senior agricultural officials from the member countries of the Southern Agricultural Council (CAS) agreed to take concerted action and collaborate with the private sector to strengthen research on greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and sequestration in the region’s agriculture sector.

With this decision, the CAS countries are seeking to reinforce their role in maintaining global food security and tackling the environmental crisis, thus fulfilling the objectives of the Paris Accord.

This unanimous decision was taken during a meeting in Argentina, which included the participation of Argentina’s Secretary of the Bioeconomy, Fernando Vilella; Chile’s Minister of Agriculture, Esteban Valenzuela; the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of Paraguay, Carlos Giménez; the Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries of Uruguay, Fernando Mattos; and the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of Brazil, Cleber Oliveira Soares.

This was the first CAS meeting in 2024. CAS is a ministerial forum for regional consultation and coordination comprised of the ministers and secretaries of Agriculture of the aforementioned countries, as well as Bolivia. The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) serves as its Technical Secretariat, through Gabriel Delgado, the Institute’s Representative in Brazil and Coordinator for the Southern Region.

The meeting took place during Expoagro, an annual open-air agricultural show in the city of San Nicolás, where farmers and companies from Argentina and its neighboring countries showcase their latest advances in the areas of sustainable food, energy and fibers, using science, technology and innovation.

The decision by the CAS countries to jointly research GHG emission and sequestration stems from the belief that any attempt to measure the impact of agriculture on climate change must bear in mind the unique production reality of each country and region, taking into account differences in agricultural practices and innovations, livestock management systems and climate conditions. This idea was specified in the resolution signed by the ministers and authorities.

Vilella explained that, “We are taking the initiative to demonstrate the sustainability of our production systems, given the views that others elsewhere in the world have of us, with no scientific basis. We live in a complex world, and I am convinced that our countries are part of the solution to global challenges. We must prove this through our own scientific research and also by speaking as one voice”.

“There are more and more issues arising that are complicating international trade and the trend towards protectionism has increased in many countries ever since the COVID-19 pandemic. We must therefore work together to tackle this trade restriction agenda. The region must position itself by generating its own science-based information, addressing sustainability concerns in their totality.  We cannot allow them to put us on trial for environmental issues and we must take the offensive”, said Mattos. The Uruguayan minister, who is the current Chair of the Inter-American Board of Agriculture (IABA)—IICA’s highest governing body, comprising the agriculture ministers of the Americas—stressed that agriculture is the only production activity that has the capacity to sequester carbon and thereby to contribute to climate change mitigation.

Minister Valenzuela indicated that the decision is in line with what was proposed at the First Ministerial Conference on Low-Emission Food Systems, held last year in Chile, in which 24 countries of the five continents committed to position agriculture as a relevant sector to offer innovative solutions to the climate crisis.

The resolution tasked the Working Group on Public Policies for Climate Change—a regional technical support mechanism within CAS—to prepare and present a proposal on how to improve the estimated GHG emission and sequestration levels in the agriculture sector during the first six months of this year. IICA was also asked to provide technical support in this effort.

During Expoagro, the CAS ministers also met with authorities from the Group of Producing Countries from the Southern Cone (GPS), the Argentinian Association of Direct Seeding Farmers (AAPRESID), the Regional Consortium of Agricultural Experimentation (CREA) and other private sector producer associations, who agreed on the need to work in collaboration with the public sector at the regional level to harmonize systems to measure GHG emission and sequestration in agriculture.

Authorities from the Pan-American Association of Agricultural Engineers (APIA), who were also present at the meeting, signaled their willingness to assist in finetuning systems to quantify the environmental impact of production.

Vilella, new President of CAS

During the meeting in San Nicolás, Vilella assumed office as the new pro tempore President of CAS, highlighting the work that his predecessor, Minister Mattos, had accomplished to position the regional forum and to present a common regional vision to the major international forums. Vilella emphasized that the CAS member countries have enormous potential to continue providing the world’s food with environmentally friendly production systems that boast a low carbon footprint.

The CAS ministers also endorsed the candidacy of Argentinian Luis Barco for the position of Director General of the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH). The Paris-based organization, as a leader in global health governance, is responsible for coordinating the response to global animal health emergencies and for the prevention and control of animal diseases.

International Congress on Animal Health, in Paraguay

The Minister of Paraguay, Carlos Giménez, gave his CAS colleagues details on the International Congress on Animal Health, slated to take place on 10-11 April, during the WOAH centenary celebrations in Asunción. The event will bring together experts and delegates from 57 countries and will reinforce Paraguay’s role as an authority on animal production.

Other topics discussed in the meeting were the negotiations on the Mercosur-European Union Agreement, the latest developments with respect to the implementation of EU Regulation 1115 on Deforestation-Free Products and the resolutions of the recent Ministerial Meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Abu Dhabi. Authorities from the Plant Health Committee (COSAVE) and Permanent Veterinary Committee of the Southern Cone (PVC)—regional organizations dealing with plant and animal health control—were also present and shared the latest news from their organizations.

More information:
Institutional Communication Division.
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int