Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

International Trade and Regional Integration

Open and transparent international agrifood trade, based on multilateral rules, is critical in enabling the Americas to fulfill its pivotal role in food security and agrifood system transformation.

Herein lies the importance of strengthening the multilateral trade system to allow the region to capitalize on its production and trade potential. As such, countries must make better use of opportunities afforded by the signing of trade agreements and by integration processes (trade policy, administration of agreements and trade promotion), to spur economic recovery and increased food security.

Moreover, in the current climate, there is a clear need to link the issues of trade and the environment. The region can capitalize on its wealth of natural resources and the efficiency of its production systems to increase its presence in international markets and to deepen integration processes to contribute to the supply of healthy, nutritious and safe food, produced in an environmentally responsible manner.

The International Trade and Regional Integration Program will continue to provide support to member countries to improve their access to international markets, deepen their regional integration and increase their contribution to agrifood system transformation. To this end, it will focus on two strategic lines of action:

  • Improving market access and implementing trade policies to promote openness, transparency and the free flow of international trade, while preventing or reducing trade barriers. To this end, it will implement actions to strengthen multilateral governance, in order to guarantee open, transparent and predictable international trade and to enable the region to fulfill its role in achieving food security and agrifood system transformation. It will also seek to support the effective participation of countries in international fora; improve regulatory frameworks governing international and regional trade; and increase the capacity of key stakeholders to administer trade agreements. Moreover, it will aim to improve market access and promote intraregional trade, with a view to diversifying trade partners and reducing the negative impact of shocks on international markets, while promoting regulatory convergence and trade facilitation.
  • Identifying and capitalizing on opportunities afforded by trade agreements and integration processes. Taking into account changes in trade flows and intraregional trade, the aim is to develop differentiated strategies, specific to markets, chains or products, and to strengthen the export capacities of companies and producer organizations. The program will also create forums to facilitate trade, through the use of new technologies, such as virtual business roundtables, e-commerce platforms, trade fairs and face-to-face trade missions; and promote linkages at the regional and global levels, as a means of improving access to export markets and contributing to food security and economic and social recovery, in response to markets shocks. As such, it will also promote rural tourism, in particular in countries in which tourism is a predominant sector, for example, in the Caribbean.

Specialist

Program Manager

 

Technical team

 

Advisory team

  • Felix Peña, Argentina
  • Martín Piñeiro, Argentina
  • Osvaldo Rosales, Chile

Contact us

Daniel Rodríguez Sáenz

Program manager

daniel.rodriguez@iica.int

Cooperación Técnica

dct@iica.int

Compartir

Multimedia

Explore our videos and discover IICA’s impact on agriculture and rural development throughout the region.

Canada

May 21, 2025

Accessing the Canadian Market: Keys to exporting Singani

Canada

May 21, 2025

Plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy

San Jose, Costa Rica

May 28, 2025

On a visit to IICA to deepen cooperation, Eastern Caribbean ministers of Agriculture and rural youth commend the community empowerment efforts of Director General Manuel Otero

The award was presented during a study and training mission to IICA Headquarters in San Jose, Costa Rica, by rural women and youth of the Caribbean, accompanied by various ministers of Agriculture of the region.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

San José, Costa Rica

May 28, 2025

Accompanied by rural women and young people, ministers of agriculture from the Eastern Caribbean make a historic visit to IICA Headquarters aimed at accelerating transformations and strengthening territorial communities

Ministers of agriculture, senior officials, and rural women and young people from the Eastern Caribbean nations began a historic joint work and study visit to the Headquarters of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), with the aim of accelerating collaboration in areas such as the digitalization of agriculture, entrepreneurship, and food security.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

San José, Costa Rica

May 27, 2025

The climate agenda should be a development agenda, said experts convened by IICA, who also called on the agriculture sector in the Americas to take advantage of COP30 in Brazil to demonstrate its profound transformation 

Participants in the debate—held in person at IICA Headquarters and virtually—highlighted the importance of the return of the COP, the world’s largest environmental forum, to the Americas after eleven years.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins