Science, technology and innovation is the cornerstone of agrifood system transformation, say international experts and authorities, attending a meeting at IICA Headquarters

San Jose, 8 May 2023 (IICA) – International authorities and experts attending a high-level meeting convened by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers (CGIAR) and the World Bank, argued that the development of science, technology and innovation will be decisive in defining a path for the already ongoing transformation of agrifood systems in Latin America and the Caribbean.
 
Proceedings at the two-day event, taking place at IICA Headquarters in San Jose, Costa Rica, have demonstrated the vital need for public and private sector collaboration to strengthen the region’s agrifood systems, given the current challenges and opportunities.
 
Key priority needs that were identified include the promotion of innovation networks; alignment of public policies; the design of strategic research and development agendas; strengthening of institutional and human capacities, support services and incentives; the promotion of regulatory changes; and the funding of national and regional innovation systems.
 
More than 100 specialists have come together for this event - the Regional Dialogue on Science, Technology and Innovation in Agrifood Systems of Latin America and the Caribbean, including representatives from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, CGIAR (a global research partnership for a food-secure future, dedicated to transforming food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis), the World Bank, FAO, IICA and other international organizations.

The participants include members of the scientific community and executive secretaries of cooperation mechanisms for science, technology and innovation in agrifood systems of the Americas, such as the Cooperative Program in Agricultural Research and Technology for the Northern Region (PROCINORTE), the Cooperative Program for Agrifood and Agroindustrial Technology Development in the Southern Cone (PROCISUR), the Regional Forum for Research and Technology Development (FORAGRO), the Regional Fund for Agricultural Technology (FONTAGRO) and the Regional Cooperative Program for the Technological Development and Modernization of Coffee Production (PROMECAFE).
 
Also in attendance were authorities from national agricultural research and technology institutes in the Americas and representatives of farmers’ organizations that play an active role in innovation systems, among them, Argentina’s Regional Consortium of Agricultural Experimentation (CREA) and the Argentinian Association of Direct Seeding Farmers (AAPRESID).

The role of agrifood systems
 
Diego Arias, Practice Manager at the World Bank; Joaquín Lozano, CGIAR Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean; and Manuel Otero, Director General of IICA, presided over the opening session of the meeting.
 
Arias pointed out the various gaps in innovation investment in the agriculture sector, indicating that, “The first relates to the type of agriculture. We have a very dynamic private sector, investing in innovation for commercial purposes, but the major challenge is to support family farming”.
 
“The second is a question of geography. There is tremendous investment in innovation in places with a greater concentration of farmers and production, but the problem is how to reach more remote areas. Finally, there is also money in export chains that earn foreign exchange, but the same situation does not obtain in chains targeting the local market”, he added.
 
“Today, agriculture is being called on to address various objectives simultaneously and that is the challenge. At the World Bank, when we are thinking about these issues, our focus is on economic health, planetary health and human health”, said Arias.

Joaquín Lozano maintained that food systems are one of the primary engines of global economic development, but more so in Latin America and the Caribbean, where the value added provided by the sector as a percentage of the overall GDP is currently at its highest level since 1995.
 
He pointed out that, “We are the most important food exporting region in the world, and we are obliged to play a critical role in tackling world hunger. This challenge will continue to grow, because the number of people suffering from hunger is estimated to reach 670 million by 2030”.

In discussing agrifood system changes, based on science, technology and innovation, Lozano stressed the importance of identifying technology needs and obtaining resources to support these transformations, to create resilience and to ensure genetic innovation amidst the climate crisis.
 
On the other hand, Manuel Otero emphasized the need to strengthen science, technology and innovation institutional structures, which he felt will be decisive for the future of the Americas and the world.
 
“Profound changes are unfolding”, he said. “Today agriculture is faced with increasing challenges, tackling food and nutrition security, in addition to other issues, such as environmental sustainability and energy security”.

The Director General of IICA remarked that changes are already underway in the region but insisted that these transformations require greater direction and purpose. “They need not come from abroad to tell us how to change agriculture in our hemisphere”, he remarked.
 
Otero stressed that Latin American and Caribbean agrifood systems are not failed systems, pointing out that, “We are already practicing more sustainable agriculture and we must realize that this region is doing an excellent job in tackling the agricultural challenges that we face”.
 
In closing, he declared that, “IICA has science, technology and innovation in our DNA.  We are convinced that this will be critical in building a new future for our hemisphere and positioning it within the world”.
 
The importance of the public sector

Martín Piñeiro, IICA Director Emeritus and Director of Agriculture of the Argentine Council for International Relations (CARI), stressed that technology is the primary transformative force in the world.  
 
Piñeiro gave a keynote address, in which he pointed out that despite the growth in the private sector, the public sector continues to play a leading role in developing international public goods and in defining the public policy framework for science and technology.
 
“We believe that this has been declining in Latin America—he said—since today the budget of research institutes is less than 1% of the agricultural GDP. There are enormous challenges, but also enormous opportunities to rethink science and technology structures in agrifood systems in our region, in order to adapt them to the new reality and to ensure significant development”.

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