Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

Agriculture Information and communication technologies Innovation

Nobel prize winner Michael Kremer will participate in an IICA seminar on responding to COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean through the digitalization of agriculture

Tiempo de lectura: 3 mins.

Michael Kremer, recipient of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics for his efforts to combat and alleviate poverty, will speak to the Director General of IICA, Manuel Otero, during the seminar entitled “Opportunities for Digital Agriculture in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Prompt Response to COVID-19”.

ichael Kremer, Nobel de Economía 2019 y titular de la cátedra Gates de la Universidad de Harvard

San Jose, 9 June 2020 (IICA). During a webinar organized by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Michael Kremer, recipient of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics and professor at Harvard University, will present a roadmap for effectively combating poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean through digital agriculture.

Entitled “Opportunities for Digital Agriculture in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Prompt Response to COVID-19”, the webinar will be held on Wednesday at 7 a.m. Costa Rica time (13 hours GMT). It will be broadcast in English (original audio) on IICA’s virtual conference room (www.iica.int) and Facebook live (www.facebook.com/iicanoticias).

Kremer and the Institute’s Director General, Manuel Otero, will discuss the opportunities available to increase agricultural productivity through the use of digital tools: a fundamental way to support the sector within the context of the current pandemic as well as transform rural areas into areas of progress that generate job opportunities.

“Covid-19 has not only created a health crisis, but also an economic crisis in the long term. For many people, the pandemic is also generating a food security crisis. In the midst of this situation and the emergency measures that have been adopted, we must look ahead and find opportunities to shape the future”, explained Michael Kremer ahead of his conversation with IICA’s Director General.

“Our job is to provide Latin American and Caribbean countries with proposals to enable them to overcome the effects of the pandemic on agriculture and, at the same time, reposition agriculture as a sector that guarantees food security, generates jobs and drives economic recovery”, remarked Manuel Otero.

Information on the seminar

Opportunities for Digital Agriculture in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Prompt Response to COVID-19

Panelists

Michael Kremer, Professor of Economics at Harvard University and recipient of the 2019 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics

Manuel Otero, Director General of IICA

Date and time

Wednesday, 10 June 2020, 7 a. m. Costa Rica time (10 a.m. Brazil, 10 a.m. Argentina, 13 hours GMT).

Live broadcast

www.iica.int and Facebook Live (www.facebook.com/iicanoticias).

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

 

Share

Related news​

Panama City

January 23, 2026

Panama, with IICA’s support, discusses adding ethanol to its fuel mix, creating new opportunities for the agro-industrial sector

IICA is providing technical support in the discussion of the initiative, based on the premise that ethanol and other liquid biofuels—fuels produced from biological sources—represent a major opportunity for Panama and for the rest of the countries of the Americas, given the wide availability of biomass both in the isthmus and in the region.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

San José, Costa Rica

January 22, 2026

President of EMBRAPA highlights IICA’s potential to enable rural producers to access innovative technologies more quickly

During the inauguration of Guyanese agronomist Muhammad Ibrahim as the new Director General of the Institute, Silvia Massruhá emphasized the importance of regional cooperation in providing access to technologies, sustainability and digital inclusion in rural areas.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

San José, Costa Rica

January 21, 2026

Caribbean countries hope to strengthen joint work with the new Director General of IICA to boost regional agriculture and reduce dependence on food imports 

Caribbean countries expect that the new administration of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), led by Guyanese agronomist Muhammad Ibrahim, will help reduce their dependence on food imports and strengthen their food security.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins