Suriname's agriculture sector contributes to the preparation of IICA’s work plan
Paramaribo, March 2018. Stakeholders from a wide cross section of the agriculture and rural sectors in Suriname congregated to make their contributions to the formulation of the Medium Term Plan (MTP) 2018- 2022 of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the document that guides the work conducted by this international organization for the benefit of local agriculture.
The event was held at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries and participants included representatives from line ministries, private sector, youth and women organizations, academia, producer organizations, agricultural research organizations as well as embassies and international organizations.
There was active participation in discussions at the event and a very positive response to the message from IICA’s Director General, Dr. Manuel Otero, on his vision for technical cooperation by IICA within the hemisphere.
Some of the key trends highlighted, which stakeholders believe should be addressed directly by IICA, include climate change adaptation, agricultural health and food safety, vertical integration of rural products into main stream value chains, food security, youth and women participation in agriculture and the policy environment to facilitate greater participation of agriculture in national development.
Stakeholders overwhelmingly stated their desire to participate in the operationalization and subsequent execution of the 2018-2022 MTP through the formulation of the national country strategy, when the process begins later this year.
With respect to these sessions, the Director General of IICA, Manuel Otero, stated that the participants’ recommendations would be crucial in the development of a road map aimed at meeting country needs.
“When we understand the way our countries think and what their priorities are, we are able to efficiently target and distribute our resources, while working together to address national demands. This process guarantees IICA’s institutional strengthening moving forward,” he stated.
On the other hand, Diego Montenegro, Director of Management and Regional Integration of IICA, stated that the participatory preparation of the new MTP began with an internal consultation process involving Institute personnel. The second phase consists of a broad consultation process with counterparts that work with IICA’s Delegations.
“In addition to the consultation processes currently underway in each of the Member States, we have identified the Delegations that work closely with the regional integration mechanisms, and have requested their input in order to develop the MTP’s regional scope,” he stated.
The 18 participants in this consultation process represented public and private sector entities as well as educational institutes and farmer groups.
The consultation process will be replicated in all other IICA Member States, to ensure that each country’s vision is taken into account in the preparation of national and regional plans.
More information:
Curt Delice, IICA Representative in Suriname.