–leaders highlight IICA’s experience, work in the fields of science, health and co-operation in the Americas
A DOZEN business, political, diplomatic, academic and social leaders from the Americas signed a letter highlighting the efforts undertaken by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) to drive agricultural production and trade, support farmers and guarantee food security in the region.
The letter underscores the importance and achievements of IICA’s actions. It also describes the Institute’s history promoting scientific and technological advancements since its creation at the Inter-American Conference of Agriculture, held in 1942 in Maryland, United States, to discuss the repercussions of World War II on trade and production.
“After World War II, IICA supported the scientific and technological innovations of the ‘Green Revolution’, which largely emerged in the Americas. Those technological advances led to remarkable declines in hunger worldwide and were the foundation for the emergence of the continent as the leading net food exporting region, becoming a crucial anchor for global food security”, states the letter.
The letter was signed, among others, by Senator Tereza Cristina, former Minister of Agriculture of Brazil; Ambassador Kip Tom, Vice Chair of Rural Policy at the America First Policy Institute (AFPI); Ambassador Kevin Edward Moley, former Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of International Organization Affairs of the U.S. Department of State; and Roberto Perosa, President of the Brazilian Meat Exporters’ Association (ABIEC).
Gustavo Idígoras, President of CIARA-CEC and the Argentinian Agro-industrial Chamber; Hipólito Mejía, former President of the Dominican Republic; Susana Balbo, Argentinian businesswoman and oenologist; Jack Bobo, Executive Director of the Rothman Family Institute for Food Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA); Chelston Brathwaite, Director General Emeritus of IICA and former Senator of the Parliament of Barbados; Rattan Lal, professor at The Ohio State University and World Food Prize laureate; Mari Llorens, livestock businesswoman from Paraguay; and Keithlin Caroo-Afrifa, Executive Director of Helen’s Daughters Inc., also signed the letter.
“One of the Institute’s distinctive strengths is its ability to facilitate co-operation among different sectors. In a context where agricultural and food challenges increasingly require coordination among the public sector, farmers, private enterprises, academia, civil society, and international organizations, IICA is uniquely positioned to provide a neutral and credible institutional space for substantive dialogue”, adds the letter.
The letter goes on to note that IICA has consistently advocated for science-based trade practices to counter non-tariff barriers that limit agricultural exports from the Americas.
It explains that the Institute also supports countries in implementing scientifically grounded standards and systems to combat animal and plant diseases in the Americas, as exemplified by its efforts to mitigate the transboundary movement of the New World screwworm (NWS) between Mexico and the United States.
In the letter, the signatories state that “Strengthening the role of IICA is a strategic decision.
It involves investing in integrated technical solutions, promoting science as an ally of agricultural production, and reinforcing the Americas’ capacity to respond to global challenges with innovation, improving animal and plant health, while promoting policies that facilitate production, diversified and fair agricultural trade, the private sector and markets, and the well-being of rural populations on our continent”. (IICA)