Innovation in agriculture as a response to challenges posed by climate change, food security and rural poverty will be the focus of discussions among the ministers at a hemispheric meeting to be held at the Headquarters of the IICA.
San Jose, Costa Rica, July 15, 2011 (IICA). As the most recent meeting of the IICA Executive Committee came to a close on July 14, the Institute issued a call to all its member countries to participate in the Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas 2011, which will be held in Costa Rica on October 19-21 of this year.
The Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Farming of Costa Rica, Gloria Abraham, and the Director General of IICA, Victor M. Villalobos, extended the invitation to the delegates of the 15 Member States who were in Costa Rica to attend the Executive Committee meeting from July 12-14.
Minister Abraham chaired the Executive Committee meeting and Simeon Pinder, from the Bahamas, served as Rapporteur.
The main theme of the Meeting of Ministers will be “Innovation for competitive, sustainable and inclusive agriculture” and the motto “Sowing innovation to harvest prosperity.”
In early July, a concept paper was distributed to the member countries, which were asked to make comments or recommendations, with a view to ensuring that their positions are addressed in the declaration expected to emerge from the ministerial meeting.
The declaration will be submitted to the Heads of State and Government who will be participating in the Summit of the Americas in April 2012 in Cartagena, Colombia.
“The declaration will include issues of great importance to agriculture in the hemisphere and for enhancing technical expertise at IICA, such as strategic alliances, in the hope of meeting the needs of the Member States,” said the Director General of the Institute.
Villalobos also announced that the Director- General-elect of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Jose Graziano da Silva, would also be attending the October meeting. “It will be a good opportunity for FAO and IICA to hear the countries’ proposals for working together,” he added.
An endorsement of innovation
According tothe Minister of Agriculture of St. Kitts and Nevis, Timothy S. Harris, “The hemispheric meeting must produce concrete results, examples of good practices in agricultural innovation that can be replicated in nations such as those in the Caribbean.”
One of the delegates from Argentina, Daniela Raposo, referred to one such example: the intelligent agriculture program recently implemented in her country, which is aimed at promoting sustainable production processes.
She noted “We know that innovation will be at the heart of our actions to strengthen agriculture in coming years.”
The agenda for the October meeting is being prepared by the Ministerial Delegates of the hemisphere, who will meet in Costa Rica on October 18 to reach agreement on a final declaration, said Abraham.
The Inter-American Board of Agriculture (IABA), IICA’s governing body, will also meet within the framework of the Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas 2011.
The President of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla, has offered to inaugurate this important event.
For more information, contact
lars.pira@iica.int
