At this year’s Regional Water Dialogues meeting, Latin American and Caribbean countries presented the projects they are implementing to tackle the water crisis

San José, March 13, 2024 (IICA). Senior government officials and representatives of international organizations meeting at the Headquarters of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) described how agriculture, in addition to producing food, can make a significant contribution to water production. In fact, several Latin American and Caribbean countries have already launched policies and projects along these lines to help alleviate the water crisis.

In a high-level panel discussion during the fourth edition of the Regional Water Dialogues in Latin America and the Caribbean, organized by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and IICA, the participants gave details of the actions being implemented in the region to address the issues related to water access.

One of the goals of these Dialogues is to reach agreement on a joint message from the Latin American and Caribbean countries to be presented to the next World Water Forum, due to take place from May 18-25 in Bali, Indonesia. The theme of this year’s meeting, the most important global event dealing with water issues, will be “Water for Shared Prosperity.”

The Regional Dialogues meeting is a three-day event designed to promote innovations, foster cooperation, and leverage funds for tackling the water crisis. Working with the FAO, ECLAC and IICA organized a session entitled Water, Agriculture and Ecosystems. It focused on the pathways to improving the conditions and capacities of countries for well ordered, sustainable, competitive and inclusive water resource management, aligned with the agricultural and ecosystem challenges facing the region.

The main speaker was Manuel Otero, while the high-level panel members included Víctor Carvajal Porras, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of Costa Rica; Laura Suazo, Secretary of State for Agriculture and Livestock of Honduras; Renata Bueno Miranda, Secretary for Innovation, Sustainable Development, Irrigation and Cooperatives of the Ministry of Agriculture of Brazil; Nick Kenner Estrada Orozco, Deputy Minister of Rural Economic Development of Guatemala; Rossana Polastri, Regional Director of the Latin America and Caribbean Division of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); Franz Rojas, Director of the Water and Sanitation Division at CAF-Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean; and Mario Lubetkin, FAO Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Carlos de Miguel, the head of ECLAC’s Policies for Sustainable Development Unit, gave the presentation, while his colleague Mónica Rodrigues, Economic Affairs Officer of ECLAC’s Agricultural Development Unit, served as the moderator and delivered the closing remarks.

Innovative technologies for water

“In addition to producing food, agriculture in our region can make a significant contribution to water production, for which we have to harness totally innovative technologies,” Otero remarked.

“It is vital that the new technologies be geared to strengthening the transformation of agrifood systems, and the use of water is a key issue,” Otero added. He acknowledged that water needed to be used much more efficiently in Latin America and the Caribbean, and improving the situation by means of public-private collaboration was a matter of urgency.

“When we talk about the water crisis and limited water availability, we see the agriculture sector as a key player in the search for a solution,” affirmed Carvajal Porras, who described the projects being carried out in Costa Rica, involving irrigation and reservoirs, to supply water to farmers who have limited resources available.

Laura Suazo also stressed the importance of irrigation, and mentioned the fact Honduras was working on a national master plan aimed at extending the positive experiences of some districts to other parts of the country.

“In a new 20-year State policy for the agrifood sector, we have recognized that irrigation is key and we are already drafting a bill under which funds will be allocated for this purpose every year in the national budget,” she explained.

Renata Bueno Miranda described how in a matter of years Brazil became one of the world’s biggest food producers: “We changed the situation, because we had acid soils with low fertility. We had to transform those soils, and the lesson we learned is that every country needs to appreciate the value of local science and share the knowledge generated at that level, because they can transform the situation.” The Brazilian official also gave details of the results of the ABC Plan for low-carbon agriculture.

Nick Kenner Estrada Orozco told the panel members that in the second week of April Guatemala will be launching its national irrigation policy, which calls for the construction of infrastructure for 45,000 hectares. “We are convinced that this is the moment to invest in peasant farmers, and we’ll be channeling our resources in that direction. Irrigation and access to water are social justice issues, so the cost is not an issue. Indigenous peoples need infrastructure and we aim to provide it,” he said.

Rossana Polastri described the work that IFAD has been carrying out in the Central American Dry Corridor: “We’ve been making excellent progress on the issue of water management and access to water. We have to act quickly because the challenges posed by climate change are enormous.”

Mario Lubetkin emphasized that “water is one of the most valuable resources in the world and vital for agriculture. More than 95% of food is produced on land, using soils and water.”

Franz Rojas pointed out that only one third of the region’s irrigable land is currently under irrigation, and a series of policies are needed to improve the situation. “It is crucial that the issue of water and agriculture be placed on the public agenda. At CAF we’re going to approve four billion dollars in water initiatives. For water to continue to be the driving force of sustainable development, we need good planning and good governance.”

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