Nature-based solutions have huge potential for climate change mitigation and adaptation, especially for the rural communities of the Caribbean and small island states. This was highlighted by experts at an event at COP29 organized by the Commonwealth of Nations, to which the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) was invited for its experience in projects aimed at improving the resiliency of agrifood systems.

The resilience of the country’s agriculture sector, which has some 6000 active farmers, is important not only for the island nation itself, but for the entire Caribbean region, since for decades much of its production has been exported to neighboring islands, explained Roland Royer, Dominica’s Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Blue and Green Economy.

The voices of the continent's producers, key players in global food security and the planet's environmental sustainability, were present in a debate that brought together the main political leaders of 197 countries.

The discussion took place at the Home of Sustainable Agriculture of the Americas, the pavilion installed by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) at the Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital city – the venue of COP 29.

The pavilion installed at the United Nations Conference in Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan, brought together farmers, private sector players and senior agricultural officials of the Americas to discuss the future of the sector, with a particular emphasis on the economic, social and environmental sustainability of animal production.

The impact of climate change on tropical agriculture and the need for science and innovation to play a leading role in protecting productivity were other key topics discussed.