Uruguay, with the support of IICA, is collaboratively devising an agricultural development strategy for the coming decades

Montevideo, 13 September 2022 (IICA) – Uruguay is making strides in collaboratively devising a sustainable agricultural and agroindustrial development strategy for the coming decades, with the support of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).

The Government and various sectors that have been working together on the plan since 2021 provided a progress update at a presentation in Montevideo, which included the presence of Fernando Mattos, Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries of Uruguay and Manuel Otero, Director General of IICA.

The event unfolded in front of a packed house at the Expo Prado 2022 agricultural fair – one of the most important shows of its kind in the world. In addition to Minister Mattos, three former Uruguayan agriculture ministers—Tabaré Aguerre, Álvaro Ramos and Martín Aguirrezabala—were in attendance, which is an indication of the widespread political support for the discussion process. 

Uruguay’s National Agricultural Strategic Development Plan “SENDA” seeks to establish long-term agricultural policies, based on a common vision of the future, while also incorporating different perspectives and ideas.

The intention is to develop a framework that will be able to drive sustainable agricultural and agroindustrial development in this South American country, which although a leading food producer, still has vast untapped potential in its wealth of natural resources.

The initiative stems from the premise that the global agriculture sector will have to produce more food and fiber in the future to meet the demands of a growing population. Moreover, this increased production will have to be achieved through greater productivity and efficiency in the use of inputs, given the limited availability of agricultural land and the context of climate change and increased pressure on natural resources.

Minister Mattos stressed that, “We are not developing future agricultural policy from scratch. We have accumulated decades of experience, which is a source of enrichment and pride for Uruguay. Using a pluralistic approach, we are drawing on what we have created in the past, while also recognizing the need to rethink the country’s agricultural institutional framework. Although this framework has been one of our strengths, it was designed for another era”.

“In order to incorporate various perspectives,”—he added—“we are opening up the discussion to include producers, sector associations and academia. We are encouraged by the fact that IICA and the former ministers in this area have come on board.  IICA will play a fundamental role, given its experience. We are imagining a future, which will always be uncertain”.

Mattos explained that the plan includes six strategic dimensions: international market access for Uruguayan agriculture; agroecosystem sustainability; production and social development, infrastructure and logistics; information technology for agriculture; institutional capacities and public-private sector collaboration.

Food security and trade

Otero stated that, “Food security is unquestionably at the top of the global agenda. That reality calls on us to adopt a systemic vision, from production to consumption. Trade is the defining factor of our food security”.

The IICA Director General stated that, in the aftermath of the global crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, today societies view agriculture in a much more positive light. He also outlined a roadmap with some elements that will be imperative in designing an agricultural development strategy.

For example, he mentioned the urgency of aiming for increased development of the bioeconomy – an industrialization model based on biological resources that will facilitate diversified production, while also reducing fossil fuel consumption and contributing to environmental protection.

“For at least thirty years, the bioeconomy has been booming in Europe. Uruguay and our entire region must recognize that we possess an enormous supply of available biomass that must be processed”, Otero said.

He stressed that, “IICA believes that we must support Uruguay’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries in this strengthening and modernization process, so that we may jointly respond to the demands and challenges facing the agroindustrial sector. It is imperative that we develop an agricultural development strategy that takes into account the next 30 years of development of the sector and the country”, he said.

Former minister Ramos underscored that fact that the greatest challenge lies in improving the competitiveness and productivity of Uruguayan agriculture, while stating that this could be achieved through political discourse and technical excellence. He also referred to the opportunities that new technologies provide to foster “the generational succession that will encourage young people to remain in the rural environment”.

“We must find a way to intelligently determine the place we wish to assume in the world”, said Tabaré Aguerre, while emphasizing the need to appreciate the value of water, which is an abundant resource in the country. He insisted that, “Water is not just like any other production resource; it may be the most important. It is our main resource. In my view, it is Uruguay’s petroleum and we are not exploiting it as we should”.

On the other hand, Martín Aguirrezabala insisted that the agricultural development plan is for all Uruguayans, not only the sector. “We need to raise awareness in the society that agricultural activity could fuel Uruguay’s development, substantially boost its GDP and ensure greater well-being.

Sustainable livestock experience  

The widely acclaimed Expo Prado 2022 fair also included a presentation on the status of a pilot project aimed at generating best practices for the livestock industry, within the context of climate change.  

Two leading Uruguayan institutions involved in research and extension services—the National Institute for Agricultural Research and the Agricultural Plan Institute, respectively—are spearheading the pilot initiative, in collaboration with the Rio Negro Rural Society (SRRN) and IICA.

Based on a concrete example of a rural estate in coastal Argentina, where work has been taking place since 2021, the aim is to assess the environmental, economic and social sustainability of integrated crop-pasture-livestock systems, in order to determine management best practices that will enhance soil organic carbon and primary nutrient cycling. This will lay the foundation for the creation of a sustainable livestock model that promotes technology transfer at the local and regional level.

Minister Mattos underscored the importance of the project, highlighted the value of IICA’s input and stressed that the livestock production that is practiced in Uruguay and the other countries today is sustainable, although there is room for improvement, from an environmental perspective.

“We are being blamed for things that we have not caused. We are not doing anything harmful to nature or to ourselves. This project will allow us to generate scientific and concrete information about the true environmental impact of the livestock industry, which is an industry of which we are extremely proud”, said Mattos.

More information:

Institutional Communication Division

comunicacion.institucional@iica.int