Washington’s AgForestry foundation and IICA agree that environmental protection and the strengthening of agrifood systems are key to revitalizing the economy in the Americas

El Subdirector General del IICA, Lloyd Day, expuso en el encuentro el interés de crear lazos de cooperación técnica con el sector educativo y resaltó la relevancia de compartir los conocimientos y proyectos de tecnología e innovación en el campo de la agricultura, en los que el Instituto está participando. — During the meeting, IICA Deputy Director General Lloyd Day expressed his interest in engaging in technical cooperation with the education sector, and underscored the importance of sharing knowledge and technology and innovation projects in the field of agriculture in which the Institute is involved.

San Jose, 31 January 2024 (IICA)- During a meeting held in San Jose, Costa Rica, representatives and students of the Washington Agriculture and Forestry Education Foundation (AgForestry) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) agreed that strengthening agrifood systems and protecting the environment are key actions to create sustainable natural ecosystems, for the benefit of economic development in the Americas.

During a visit to IICA Headquarters, AgForestry members participated in a meeting to share knowledge and experiences related to agriculture, natural resources and food markets. They concluded that protecting nature is key to mitigating the effects of climate change on agriculture in the region.

Lloyd Day, Deputy Director General of IICA, participated alongside other Institute staff members in the meeting with the U.S. organization.

AgForestry is an educational foundation in Washington whose main program is geared towards developing adult leaders in natural resources. It seeks to provide participants with key skills to foster growth, sustainability and economy in industries.

Madi Roy, agricultural economist at the Washington State Department of Agriculture and spokesperson for AgForestry, commented that these meetings foster the sharing of experiences, which enables students to expand their knowledge of the work being carried out in the agriculture sector of the Americas and of the role played by IICA.

En su visita a la sede central del IICA, los representantes y estudiantes de AgForestry visitaron los diferentes espacios de la iniciativa de IICA de Puertas Abiertas, entre ellas el Centro de Interpretación del Mañana de la Agricultura (CIMAG), donde se demuestra cómo las tecnologías digitales pueden transformar los sistemas agroalimentarios del hemisferio y que procura revalorizar la agricultura como actividad profesional moderna y rentable. — During their visit to IICA Headquarters, AgForestry representatives and students toured the IICA of Open Doors, which included a visit to the Interpretive Center for Tomorrow’s Agriculture (CIMAG), a space that demonstrates how digital technologies can transform the hemisphere’s agrifood systems and seeks to revalue agriculture as a modern and profitable professional activity.

“We are interested in establishing close rapport with institutions like ours that focus on environmental protection, risk management in this field, territorial development, family farming and agricultural health and safety”, added Roy.

Lloyd Day expressed his interest in engaging in technical cooperation with the education sector, and underscored the importance of sharing knowledge and technology and innovation projects in the field of agriculture in which the Institute is involved.

“IICA works together with its partners to ensure that agrifood systems of the Americas are able to provide the nutrition that all countries around the world need. We take on this task through joint work with the private, public and academic sectors. This meeting with AgForestry inspires us to further joint work with the academic sector”, remarked Day.

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