THE Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture (IICA) celebrated its 80 years of existence with the official opening of the Plaza of Agriculture of the Americas, a public space constructed at the front of the organisation’s headquarters in San Jose, Costa Rica.

The new plaza, which was declared a site of public interest by the Government of Costa Rica, seeks to highlight the value of agriculture, the rural world and biodiversity in an urban setting.

The commemoration ceremony was attended by  Stephan Brunner, Vice-President of Costa Rica; Lydia María Peralta, acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship; Jannixia Villalobos, Vice-Minister of Science, Innovation, Technology and Telecommunications;  Rolando Méndez;  Mayor of Vázquez de Coronado; Saboto Caesar, Minister of Agriculture of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Manuel Otero, Director-General of IICA; as well as numerous specially invited guests, including parliamentarians from Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly, members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of international organisations, private sector executives and residents of Vásquez de Coronado – the canton where the institute’s headquarters is located.

The plaza was launched as one of the activities to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the organisation whose mission is to spur agricultural and rural development in the hemisphere. IICA was established on 7 October 1942, under the name Inter-American Institute of Agricultural Sciences. The ceremony also launched “The Soul of Rurality”, a book that recounts stories of the men and women who are making a difference in rural areas of the Americas, while also paying tribute to the Directors General Emeritus of IICA.

The ceremony recognised the institute’s founder, Henry Wallace, who was a US agronomist that also once served as his country’s Secretary of Agriculture and Vice-President. Moreover, the book paid tribute to former IICA Directors General Armando Samper, José Emilio Araujo, Francisco Morillo, Martín Piñeiro, Carlos Aquino, Chelston Brathwaite and Víctor Villalobos.

The commemorations featured a video message by celebrated Argentinian composer and singer León Geico, who was one of the popular musicians who took part in a 2020 IICA campaign to recognise and thank the farmers and food chain workers whose toil in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic guaranteed the food supply for the countries of the Americas.

CENTRAL ROLE OF AGRICULTURE
“Have you ever asked yourself what our lives would be without those men and women who work the land?  I don’t think so,” Bruno reflected, in reference to the particularly challenging situation that farmers are now facing, given the impact of the war in Eastern Europe, the high prices of agricultural inputs and climate change.

“IICA—said Brunner—has been one of the key partners for farmers in Costa Rica and the Americas. Its programmes, studies and publications have assisted millions of people.  Not only has it become a benchmark for good production practices, but is also a forum in which research and international co-operation come together to foster food self-sufficiency and food security.”

The plaza covers a total surface area of 455 square meters, surrounded by green zones. It has a linear-meter water trail running along its promenade, designed to depict a watershed. It also contains planting beds featuring the varied topography of the Americas, with designs symbolising rectangular, flat, orderly, as well as curved and terraced farms. The vegetation is also representative of the countries of the Americas.

The plaza boasts a mini-amphitheater that can accommodate cultural, artistic and commercial activities for the entire population, particularly for small farmers and artisans from Coronado, which is considered as one of the most rural municipalities of Costa Rica.

Manuel Zamora, a Vásquez de Coronado resident, remarked that, “The canton is overjoyed at IICA’s decision to open up a space for the public to facilitate recreation and to strengthen relations with the community, as part of its social responsibility and humanistic vision.”

Similarly, Rolando Méndez, Mayor of Vázquez de Coronado, congratulated IICA on opening its doors to the community and expressed the canton’s pride in having “housed the Institute for several decades, during which time we have witnessed the perhaps silent but productive efforts that have made a significant impact on agriculture throughout the Americas”. (IICA)