A touchstone for sustainable agriculture in Argentina and the region, the AAPRESID Congress is about to get underway, with IICA as a strategic partner

Buenos Aires, 7 August 2024 (IICA). The most important national and international leaders of science, technology and innovation in agriculture will meet at the Congress of the Argentine No-Till Farmers Association (AAPRESID), set to take place from Wednesday, August 7 to Friday, August 9 in Buenos Aires, with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) heavily involved.
 
AAPRESID is a farmers’ network that, for more than 30 years, has been promoting the use of sustainable food, fiber and energy production systems on millions of hectares of Argentinean farmland. The organization has a strategic partnership with IICA aimed at promoting the dissemination of good practices across the region, and the transfer of technologies for the regeneration of soils and the environment and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
 
Taking place in Buenos Aires for the first time, the event will feature more than 100 presentations over three days. It will also provide a space for interaction between farmers committed to sustainability and companies investing in cutting-edge technology in the agriculture sector. The content of the congress will focus on four central themes: production and the environment, and economic, social and technological aspects of sustainable agriculture.
 
International section
 
The special international section of the congress, entitled “The agrifood systems of the Americas: future perspectives and opportunities for the producer,” is a joint IICA-AAPRESID effort. Renowned speakers and prominent international figures will be taking part.
 
The first panel discussion will be “The future of agrifood systems in the Americas.” IICA Director General Manuel Otero will open the discussion by describing the main opportunities offered by agriculture in the Americas, pending issues, and the main technological, institutional, and trade-related drivers.
 
Professor Rattan Lal, 2020 World Food Prize Laureate, IICA Goodwill Ambassador and the world’s leading authority in the field of the soil sciences, will speak on the importance of soil health for food security and the approach to the climate crisis.
 
Isabella Teixeira, former Minister of Environment of Brazil and Special Advisor to IICA for the G20 and for the COP 29 and 30 climate change conferences, will address the question of the role that agriculture should play in promoting the planet’s environmental sustainability.
 
Kip Tom, a farmer from the US Midwest and his country’s former ambassador to the United Nations agencies in Rome, will deal with the subject of the role of public policies in promoting sustainability and innovation in agricultural production.
 
Renowned German scientist Joachim von Braun, from the University of Bonn, will speak about the potential of the bioeconomy and the agriculture of the future.
 
There will also be a series of discussions during the Congress in which IICA will present its vision for the transformation of agriculture that is already underway across the continent.
 
The panel “The Bioeconomy in the Americas: a strategic commitment” will feature Carina Pimenta, Brazil’s Secretary for the Bioeconomy; Hugo Chavarría, Manager of IICA’s Innovation and Bioeconomy Program; and Eduardo Trigo, an international consultant. The discussion will focus on regional and national visions for the bioeconomy, the progress made, and pending issues.
 
The panel “Digital innovation ecosystems: global experiences and visions” will analyze innovation and digital transformation processes at the international level. Lastly, a talk entitled “Carbon harvesting: advancing sustainable agriculture in the Americas” will focus on the experiences of farmers in the Americas with the development and implementation of climate-smart production systems.
 
The motto of the AAPRESID Congress will be “Everything is connected.” The aim is to serve as a catalyst, with the ultimate goal of farmers, governments, scientific institutions and companies committing to a form of sustainable agriculture that addresses present and future challenges with an approach based on science, technology and innovation.

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