Countries make final adjustments to declaration that will promote innovation in the region’s agricultural sector

San José, Costa Rica, October 18, 2011 (IICA). In Costa Rica, representatives of IICA’s Member States are preparing a declaration that will be signed at the Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas 2011, which begins on October 19 in San Jose.

The delegates are holding a two-day meeting to reach agreement on the text of the declaration at the Headquarters of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), in the Costa Rican capital. The meeting of ministers will be capped off on Friday, October 21 with the adoption and signing of the document by the representatives of the countries.

Victor M. Villalobos, Director General of IICA, highlighted the importance of innovation in agriculture in the hemisphere as a tool for increasing food production, improving producers’ income and reducing the agricultural sector’s impact on the environment, which, in turn, would bring about improvements in food security and well-being in rural territories.

“The objective of promoting agricultural innovation is consistent with the proposals that will be put forward at the next Summit of the Americas, due to take place in 2012 in Colombia, during which the heads of state and government will call for joint activities by the countries to achieve greater prosperity,” Villalobos said.

The preparatory meeting is being coordinated by the Costa Rican delegate, Martha Villegas. The Executive Director of the Summits Secretariat of the Organization of American States, Sherry Tross, is also taking part in the activity.

The Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas 2011 is being organized by the Government of Costa Rica, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Farming (MAG), and IICA. The motto of the event is “Sowing innovation to harvest prosperity.”

Delegations from IICA’s Member States, other technical cooperation agencies and financial institutions will be taking part in the meeting. Their goal will be to plan how, with innovation as the catalyst, the agricultural sector can be an engine for development in the Americas.

For more information, contact: 
hector.iturbe@iica.int
mvillegas@mag.go.cr