Technology specialists will develop projects aimed at strengthening agricultural market information systems in the Americas
San Jose, January 28, 2020 (IICA) – With a view to generating projects to boost market transparency and strengthen the technological capabilities of agricultural market information systems (MIS) in Latin America and the Caribbean, specialists from several countries across the hemisphere will participate in a meeting in Costa Rica, at the Fab Lab (digital fabrication laboratory) of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).
The meeting, which will be held from January 28 to 30, is being organized by IICA with support from Cenfotec University, Accenture company, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the National Animal Health Service (SENASA) of Costa Rica.
The meeting will bring together representatives of MIS from Canada, Chile, Ecuador, the United States, Guatemala and Saint Lucia, which are member countries of the Market Information Organization of the Americas (MIOA, which has 33 member countries throughout the hemisphere) and form part of the MIOA’s advisory panel on information and communication technologies.
Meeting participants will develop a regional work plan in this area, with a view to strengthening MIS. They will also identify opportunities and work areas to develop projects that could contribute to resolving country needs with respect to agricultural information, while also establishing a roadmap for the MIOA.
The purpose of the activity will be to develop proposals for various tools to assist market reporters (who are responsible for collecting information on agricultural products) in data collection and processing, as well as tools for the various services delivered by MIS. Participants will also seek to develop a platform or program for disseminating reports, as well as strategies to obtain feedback from producers.
“The development of these proposals will generate greater market transparency and enable users to make more informed decisions with respect to production and marketing,” stated Terry Long, MIOA President.
More information:
Helena Ramírez, MIOA Technical Coordinator.