Federico Bert, Manager of IICA’s Agrifood Digitalization Program; Romina Ordóñez, Senior Specialist in Rural Development at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB); Manuel Otero, Director General of IICA; Rosa Gallardo Cobos, Director of the International Chair of Artificial Intelligence and Agriculture at the University of Córdoba (Spain); Carolina Rueda Buitrago, Representative in Costa Rica of the CAF-Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean; and Mario Regidor, President of Costa Rica’s National Vocational Training Institute (INA).
San José, 23 September 2025 (IICA). The key stakeholders in the digital transformation of agriculture in the Americas have underscored the need to tap the potential of new technologies to improve the quality of life of rural dwellers, at the start of the main regional forum where stakeholders come together to discuss the subject.
This is the fourth edition of Digital Agriculture Week (DA Week), which is being held at the Headquarters of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) in Costa Rica. The participants include representatives of leading startups, investment funds and accelerators, national agricultural research institutes, universities, government agencies, and multilateral organizations.
DA Week advocates an approach that connects digital solutions with the real challenges of agriculture in the Americas. It features an intensive four-day program of activities, including keynote addresses, presentations of digital solutions and cases of digitalization, panels and discussion groups on specific topics, networking activities, and side events.
As many as 21 AgTechs from 15 countries in the Americas are among those taking part. Selected through a competitive process from among 142 candidates from 23 countries, these startups have market-ready solutions. Other participants include AgTechs selected for the three previous editions.
During the opening ceremony, senior officials from the strategic partners that teamed with IICA to organize the event—the IDB, the CAF, Bayer, PROCISUR, the University of Córdoba, and AWS—highlighted its importance. IICA’s Director General, Manuel Otero, and the Manager of the Agrifood Digitalization Program, Federico Bert, also took part in the opening session.
Manuel Otero, Director General of IICA, emphasized the wide range of strategic partners that share the commitment to advancing together in the digital transformation of agriculture, and reaffirmed that IICA is focused on building the future of the sector.
“We have seen that the growth of agricultural productivity has slowed in recent years in the countries of the region. This is because most producers have failed to take maximum advantage of new technologies. We need to support them, because the potential for increasing productivity through digital solutions is enormous,” said Romina Ordóñez, Senior Specialist in Rural Development at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). She emphasized that participating in IICA’s DA Week allows farmers to “be part of key discussions” and learn about “promising” AgTechs.
Federico Garat, Industry Affairs Lead for the Southern Cone at Bayer Crop Science, underlined that digitalization is the essential enabler for deepening the sustainability of production systems and noted that, among other benefits, it permits natural resources to be used correctly, improves market access, and fosters the establishment of rural communities. “IICA and Bayer have a strong connection to agricultural development, and that’s why we’re here,” he said.
“We are delighted to be part of this new edition of Digital Agriculture Week. We share with IICA and the rest of our partners the conviction that digital transformation is essential to address the current and future challenges facing the region’s agriculture, particularly the need to improve productivity, competitiveness, and sustainability,” said Carolina Rueda Buitrago of CAF-Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, who thanked IICA for its leadership.
Spreading the word about what is being achieved
Manuel Otero emphasized the number and diversity of IICA’s strategic partners who share a commitment to working together, and highlighted the fact that the hemispheric organization is looking to the future: “Digitalization is changing absolutely everything in agriculture. We are witnessing a revolution that is going to intensify, but it could become a problem if we fail to move forwards and ensure that everyone benefits. We need to emerge stronger from this meeting and take steps in the right direction. Latin America and the Caribbean cannot afford to waste this opportunity.”
Rosa Gallardo Cobos, Director of the International Chair of Artificial Intelligence and Agriculture at the University of Córdoba in Spain, emphasized the opportunity that digital technologies represent. “We must focus not on technology, but on the people who live and work in this sector. The technological revolution is being built with people, not over people. If it is to be useful, the transformation must be inclusive,” she stressed.
Alex Santana, of Amazon Web Services (AWS), said that entrepreneurs are key players who can ensure the agricultural industry benefits from technology and digital solutions. “Collective efforts are required,” he explained, “if technology is to generate the change we want to see in society.”
As many as 21 AgTechs from 15 countries in the Americas are taking part. Selected through a competitive process from among 142 candidates from 23 countries, these startups have market-ready solutions.
Mario Regidor, from Costa Rica’s National Vocational Training Institute (INA), emphasized the importance for his agency of participating in IICA’s DA Week for the first time, and called for efforts to step up collective action: “We need everyone on board and efforts in every possible area. Together we can make things happen. We are all aligned behind sustainable and regenerative production.”
Cecilia Gianoni, Executive Secretary of PROCISUR, explained that her cooperative program has been working with IICA and public agricultural research institutes in the Southern Cone for a number of years on digital transformation with national agendas. “The events held in the countries leading up to DA Week have been very important this year, allowing us to get the word out about what we have achieved and involve more stakeholders in the issue. The key thing is to ensure that no one is left behind,” she suggested.
More information:
Institutional Communication Division.
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int
