Madrid, 16 September 2025 (IICA) – The Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Manuel Otero, during a working visit to Spain, met with the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas; with authorities from Spanish universities with which the international organization is conducting joint initiatives; and with local legislators.
At the end of Otero’s mission in Spain, President of Universidad de Córdoba (UCO), Manuel Torralbo conferred the Abderramán III Medal on the Director General, in recognition of his extensive career and the more than ten-year collaboration between UCO and IICA in issues such as innovation, bioeconomy and digital agriculture.
Spain has been an IICA associate member since 2001 and the Institute’s Permanent Office for Europe is located in Madrid, operating out of the building of Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Thus, the Office will celebrate its 25th anniversary next year and is currently working with thirty-eight strategic partners.
During the meeting with Otero, Minister Planas highlighted his country’s close collaboration with IICA, for example, through successful joint initiatives on proper soil use and conservation. He also pinpointed other critical areas of collaboration with Latin America, namely risk management through agricultural insurance, water use, associative enterprises and the food production and marketing chain.
Planas celebrated the ratification of the European Union-Mercosur Agreement, which he said was “fast approaching” and would facilitate more equitable food trade between both blocs.
Otero also reflected on the close collaboration with Spain. In the same vein, he characterized the Institute’s technical cooperation as systemic, efficient and collaborative, providing benefits to more than ten million farmers and actively undertaking 358 projects to enhance food security and rural development.
At the end of the meeting, the Ministry paid tribute to Otero for his extensive career in fostering food security and rural well-being, interfacing with strategic partners from various sectors. Costa Rica’s Ambassador to Spain, Adriana Bolaños, was also present at the meeting.
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Spain, Luis Planas, alongside IICA Director General, Manuel Otero, after a meeting in which they emphasized Spain’s close collaboration with IICA on issues such as soil conservation, water management, agricultural insurance and the strengthening of agrifood chains.
A stop at Universidad de Córdoba
The President of Universidad de Córdoba, Manuel Torralbo, stressed the fact that during Otero’s almost eight-year tenure at the helm of IICA, he had led the far-reaching modernization of the Institute to enable it to fulfill its mission of promoting the agricultural and rural development of its thirty-four Member States.
Torralbo remarked that, “We are conferring the Abderramán III Medal on Manuel Otero in recognition of his longstanding career and IICA’s immense support for the Network for the Management of Innovation in the Agrifood Sector (Red INNOVAGRO), which the Universidad de Córdoba currently chairs. IICA has been instrumental in sustaining this network and its support for the creation and leading role of our university in this venture has promoted extensive collaboration and strengthened relations between both entities”.
The Abderramán III Award, named in honor of a historical figure who was instrumental in the establishment of Al-Andalus, recognizes visitors, individuals or institutions that have collaborated with Universidad de Córdoba.
Universidad de Córdoba and IICA formally established their partnership in 2015, aimed at the exchange of knowledge and scientific experiences, as well as the dissemination of scientific findings. The collaborative agreement was renewed last year, further reinforcing their commitment to cooperation in technical, cultural and scientific areas of mutual interest.
“I don’t view this act of recognition as a personal achievement, but as a tribute to agriculture in the Americas and to the collective effort that IICA has spearheaded to build bridges of cooperation between Spain and Europe”, remarked Otero, in conveying his appreciation.
The IICA Director General maintained that, “Agriculture is not a problem, but an essential part of the solution and the cooperation between our regions is the best seed that we can sow for the future”.
During his visit to Spain, Otero also visited the Congress of Deputies, which is the Spanish House of Representatives, where he met with members of the International Cooperation for Development Committee and by its President, Susana Ros, who spoke to IICA’s fundamental role in promoting agricultural innovation.
The Director General also visited Barcelona and met with Andrea Costafreda Quesada, Director General for Development Cooperation for the Government of Catalunya.
In Valencia, Otero signed an agreement between IICA and Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (UPV). The partnership between IICA and the university began in 2016, when the institutions signed their first agreement to foster interinstitutional collaboration, which has fostered the sharing of experiences and personnel in the spheres of education, culture and development cooperation.
The President of Universidad de Córdoba (UCO), Manuel Torralbo, conferred the Abderramán III Medal on IICA Director General, Manuel Otero, in recognition of his extensive career and the more than ten-year collaboration between UCO and the Institute in issues such as innovation, bioeconomy and digital agriculture.
More information:
Institutional Communication Division.
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int
