The agreement will facilitate market access for producers, boost the competitiveness of agribusinesses, and increase productivity on farms through broader access to agricultural supplies in the Americas.

“The carnage of Dorian over three days taught our citizens lessons about climate change and global warming that years of international commentary on greenhouse gas emissions have not been able to teach," Pintard told the during the Conference of Ministers of Agriculture 2019, held in San José, Costa Rica, and organized by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).

In Costa Rica, ECLAC, FAO and IICA presented their most recent joint report on the agriculture and rural sectors in the Americas, during a conference that brought together the ministers of agriculture of the hemisphere.

Governments, international and civil society organizations, research entities, scientists and academics discussed key topics for the agriculture sector during the 2019 Conference of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas. The Director General of IICA commented on the diversity of the group, calling for ongoing dialogue between the ministers of Agriculture, Environment, Social Development and Telecommunications, with a view to strengthening agriculture.

Manuel Otero, Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), in opening the 2019 Conference of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas, emphasized the role of agriculture as an engine for economic and social development.

In opening the 2019 Conference of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas, the President of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado, and the Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Manuel Otero, appealed for agriculture to be accorded priority in public policies.