México será sede de encuentro regional de ministros caribeños sobre estrategias sustentables de desarrollo agrícola
Regional agriculture ministers to meet in Mexico
Agriculture ministers from the Caribbean will join their counterparts from the Americas in October for a five day meeting focussing on ways of achieving competitive and sustainable agricultural productivity in the hemisphere, while at the same time promoting rural inclusion.
The October 19-23 meeting will be held in Mexico under them theme “Grow better, produce more, feed everyone”.
The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) said its 34 members will discuss with Spain proposals aimed at strengthening agriculture in LAC at a time when the sector faces major challenges, such as feeding the world’s growing population.
The ministers’ discussions will be enriched by a document on agricultural productivity in the Americas, prepared by the two entities, and a technical forum on the subject with high-level international experts, the organizers said.
The coordinator of the report, the Institute’s Representative in the United States, Miguel García, says opportunities exist for making the Americas the next global breadbasket and reducing the inequalities between the agricultural sectors of countries in the region.
“Differences in agricultural productivity, access to technologies and international markets, and a number of other issues affect the countries and hinder regional integration, but there are opportunities for bridging those gaps and we should take advantage of them”, he said.
According to García, one of those opportunities is investment in innovation.
During the Mexico meeting, the Inter-American Board of Agriculture (IABA), comprising ministers of agriculture of IICA’s member countries, will also be meeting.
The IABA is the Institute’s highest-level governing body and the ministers will discuss mechanisms for the technical and financial strengthening of the organization.
