In This Issue Specialists Share Infor-

mation about the Outlook for U.S. Agriculture and the Possible Implications for LAC

Inventories of Climate Change and Agriculture efforts undertaken in Carib-bean

IICA releases two publica-tions on how agriculture is included in the INDCs sub-mitted from LAC

Partnership will Promote the Sustainable Develop-ment of Family Farming in LAC

OAS Recognizes the Re-sults of IICA’s Technical Cooperation in the Hemi-sphere

Countries Analyze Possible Implications of New Trade Provisions

Competition Promotes Climate-Smart Agriculture in the Eastern Caribbean

Commercialization Strate-gies that Add Value and Facilitate Market Access for Agricultural Producers

IICA Meets with the Private Sector to Explore Partner-ship Opportunities

Innovations Contributing to Climate Change Adaptation: Lessons from Smallholders in Latin America

Capacity Development at IICA to Assists Latin Ameri-can Countries Achieve the SDGs

FDA’s Judicious Use Policy for Medically Important Antimicrobials

Upcoming Events

From the Desk of the Representative

Welcome to our second edition of 2016!

By all accounts, 2016 has been a very exciting and busy year for IICA around the hemisphere as we are reaching the mid-point of the implementation of our current

Medium Term Plan; but most importantly, because everyone at IICA continues to work to produce significant transformations to advance a competitive, sustainable and inclusive agriculture in our hemi-sphere. As part of these efforts during the first half of April, the Institute conducted our IV Institutional Management Meeting: “Toward strengthening the technical cooperation model”, in which all the pro-fessionals and authorities of the Institute analyzed progress, identified obstacles and set a plan of ac-tion to ensure that we will meet all the goals defined in our Medium Term Plan 2014-2018. Also in April, our Director General presented to the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States, the Institute´s report for 2015. From this report, here are some highlights of our significant achievements: “Assessment, design, and formulation of innovative policies and strategies for agricultural and rural

development, aimed specifically at facilitating business activities and promoting innovation, partici-patory management, inclusion, and family farming.

Development and linking to markets of at least eleven agricultural chains in ten countries, through the creation of committees for competitiveness; training in management, entrepreneurship, associa-tive enterprises, and value added; and the operation of market information systems.

Promotion of technological and commercial innovations aimed at improving agroecological produc-tion, agroindustry, fish farming, beekeeping and water resource management and reducing food loss. The improvements adopted can be seen in products such as rice, vegetables, poultry, cacao, coffee, flowers, avocadoes, tomatoes, potatoes, and cassava.

Agricultural health and food safety assurance in the Americas through the training of sanitary offi-cials, the harmonization of processes to gain access to markets, the use of good agricultural and production practices, emergency response actions, and the management of risks, particularly those associated with climate change.

Increase in 16 countries of public sector capabilities for integrated water resource management, the use of irrigation systems and water harvesting, waste management, and the implementation of measures to combat soil degradation.

Coordination of institutional efforts designed to achieve climate-smart agriculture, promoting capaci-ty development within the ministries of environment and agriculture, the development of plans for climate change adaptation in agriculture, and the integration of the gender perspective to address the threat that climate change poses.

Increased use of agricultural insurance, thanks to the implementation of training activities in at least 11 countries and studies on the performance of insurance markets.

Promotion of knowledge-intensive agriculture through networks, grants, and information systems. Of special importance were the approval of 301 grants to enable students to take master’s and doctoral degree courses under the program with Mexico’s National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT), and the enrollment of 121 students in the master’s degree program in food security operated by the Open and Distance University of Mexico.”

As you will read in this newsletter, this Delegation and the professionals assigned to it have also had a very busy last two months, participating in national and international meetings and also conducting several webinars to share knowledge in relevant issues to agriculture, agricultural policy and trade. To close this introduction I want to especially thank all of the private sector organizations that took the time to join us for a conversation with our Director General on April 19th. I am sincerely confident that this is a first step towards finding new and innovative ways in which we can work together to advance agriculture in our hemisphere. As in previous occasions I hope you will enjoy this newsletter and please feel free to share with us any comments or suggestions that you consider pertinent. Thanks for your support and we look forward to continued work with you.

Sincerely, Dr. Miguel García-Winder, IICA Representative in the USA, Head of CAESPA

*The opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the authors and they do not reflect the position of the Institute on the topics presented.

IICA Delegation in the USA Newsletter — March—April 2016

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IICA Delegation in the USA Newsletter — March—April 2016

Specialists Share Information about the Outlook for U.S. Agriculture

and the Possible Implications for LAC

IICA facilitated a meeting to discuss the conclusions of the Agricultural Outlook Forum, an event organized by the U.S. De-partment of Agriculture (USDA) that attracted more than 1600 participants from all parts of the world. Specialists from the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agri-culture (IICA) shared details of the USDA’s forecasts for the agricul-tural sectors of the U.S. and the rest of the world, and considered the possible implications for the sector in Latin America and the Car-ibbean (LAC). A virtual workshop was held at the end of March to allow specialists of the IICA Delegation in the U.S. and the Center for Strategic Analy-sis for Agriculture (CAESPA) to share the main results of the USDA’s Agricultural Outlook Forum, which took place during the last week of February. “Given the importance of the U.S. in global agricultural production and trade, the Agricultural Outlook Forum has become a default source of information for the governments of other countries and firms that participate in global agricultural markets,” pointed out Miguel García, IICA’s Representative in the United States and coordinator of CAESPA. In addition to the analysis performed by the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) to forecast the outlook for the world’s leading agricultural producers, exporters, and importers, renowned experts from academia, governments and pri-vate enterprise discussed the most important issues involved in the current state of the world’s agriculture. The virtual workshop, webcast to the authorities, decision-makers, and specialists of IICA’s 34 member countries, facilitat-ed a wide-ranging discussion of the issues addressed in the Forum, which are of great importance for Latin America and the Caribbean. The Agricultural Outlook Forum began with an expert presentation on the economic outlook for U.S. agriculture in 2016. Parallel sessions were then held to discuss the forecasts for the core U.S. agricultural commodity markets, such as grains, cereals, oilseeds, sugar, dairy products, livestock, etc., and the outlook for the issues on the agricultural agenda of the country’s public and private sectors. The issues of conservation, climate change, and natural resources sparked particular interest during the event. Emphasis was placed on organic farming’s contribution to sustainability and the role of climate smart agriculture as a strategy for miti-gating and offsetting the effects of climate change. Read more about what was discussed by the panelists during this virtual workshop. The presentations made during the USDA’s Agricultural Outlook Forum can be accessed at http://1.usa.gov/21POjsL. The presentation made by IICA’s specialists during the virtual forum can be accessed at http://bit.ly/1omMNRE. The latter contains information that IICA’s specialists regard as important, but does not reflect the position of the USDA).

More information: miguel.garcia@iica.int

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IICA Delegation in the USA Newsletter — March—April 2016

Inventories of Climate Change and Agriculture efforts undertaken in Caribbean

At the second meeting of the Caribbean Climate Smart Agriculture Forum held in 2016, 13 coun-tries worked to develop a baseline of climate change and agriculture related initiatives to help identify where greater synergies or coordination can be promoted. The exercise, undertaken in early April by a wide group of stakeholders, will help donors, develop-ment agencies, and other actors in the countries to better understand the landscape and the op-portunities to fill gaps and channel resources effectively. The information from each country will be compiled and synthesized into a user-friendly format that the countries’ actors can keep up to date to guide climate related efforts and investment in the sector.

The Caribbean Climate Smart Agriculture Forum, sponsored by GIZ and IICA, is a collective effort to promote coordina-tion, sharing and learning at both the national and regional levels in the Caribbean to ensure a resilient agricultural sector. More information: kelly.witkowski@iica.int

IICA releases two publications on how agriculture is included in the Intended National Determined Contributions (INDCs) submitted from

Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) has recently published analyses that look at how agriculture was in-cluded in the INDCs of the 15 countries in the Caribbean Region and of the 17 countries in Latin America that have submitted their INDCs by early April. The large majority of countries prioritized actions in agriculture as part of their plan, demonstrating the importance of climate action to enhance resilience in the sector, and the significant contributions the sector can make towards mitigation. The two publications can be found at the links below:

View publication: El sector agropecuario en las contribuciones previstas y determinadas a nivel nacional de Amé-

rica Latina (English version will be released soon)

View publication: Intended Nationally Determined Contributions in the Caribbean: Where does agriculture fit? More information: kelly.witkowski@iica.int

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IICA Delegation in the USA Newsletter — March—April 2016

Partnership will Promote the Sustainable Development of Family

Farming in Latin America and the Caribbean

In early April, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agri-culture (IICA) and the World Rural Forum (WRF) signed a tech-nical cooperation agreement to promote the sustainable develop-ment of family farming and increase its contributions to food and nutritional security and the rural economy in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The Director General of IICA, Víctor M. Villalobos, and the Presi-dent of WRF, José María Ceberio, signed the agreement in Costa Rica, formalizing a three-year partnership. The entities identified common areas of interest, allowing them to focus their cooperation efforts on:

drafting guidelines for the governance of agrarian systems based on family farming;

promoting the permanence of family farming in order to drive the creation of public policies and institutional frameworks in favor of its sustainable development;

attaining recognition of the vital role of women and youth in family farming and of their specific rights; and

promoting participatory research and studies on the sustainable development of agrarian systems prevalent in family farming.

“Family farming is a strategic topic for IICA: we recognize its importance for the comprehensive and sustainable develop-ment of rural territories and our countries. Therefore, any partnerships that entail gaining allies and partners for driving actions that contribute to food security are gratifying,” stated Villalobos. Ceberio stated that it was critical for producers to receive good technical assistance and training. He also highlighted the partnership’s emphasis on supporting rural youth. “Young people must prepare to face the great challenges ahead of them. We must make agriculture appealing to them and ensure that it will allow them to earn a decent living, comparable to that of other individuals. Any actions taken to im-prove on a technical level, in terms of market presence and different aspects of family farming, will play a critical role,” he stated. Some of the activities that will be carried out by IICA and WRF within the framework of the agreement are international forums, project management, technical missions, knowledge management, and coordination of stakeholders. More information: breno.tiburcio@iica.int

The Director General of IICA, Víctor M. Villalobos (left) and the President of

the World Rural Forum, José María Ceberio, were satisfied by the alliance

between the two institutions, as it will benefit family farming in Latin Ameri-

ca and the Caribbean.

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IICA Delegation in the USA Newsletter — March—April 2016

Organization of American States (OAS) Recognizes the Results of

IICA’s Technical Cooperation in the Hemisphere

The members of the Permanent Council recognized the transcendence of the Institute’s actions in the countries, and reaf-firmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation on agricultural matters. On April 20th, 2016, the Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Víctor M. Villa-lobos, presented the 2015 IICA´s Annual Report to the Perma-nent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS). The report details the results of the technical cooperation actions im-plemented by the Institute during 2015. At the regular meeting the Permanent Council, held at OAS head-quarters in Washington D.C., Council delegates acknowledged IICA’s contributions to key issues related to economic develop-ment in the hemisphere, such as food security, agricultural com-petitiveness, family farming, the inclusion of women and youth in the field, agricultural heath, the adequate management of natural resources, and climate change. “In the future, successful agriculture will be based on an intensive use of scientifically-founded knowledge and the imple-mentation of various technologies; macroeconomic decisions will continue to have a definitive impact on what is produced and how it is produced...” stated Villalobos. The delegations of Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, El Salva-dor, Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, Dominica, Paraguay, Haiti, Belize, Uruguay and Saint Kitts and Nevis endorsed the statements made by Villalobos. The delegates agreed that the Institute was mindful of the challenges faced by the agricultural sector. They acknowledged the positive impacts of the technical cooperation the Institute provided in their countries, and highlighted the need to main-tain this level of success. The delegates also stated that they were committed to and appreciative of the high level of technical cooperation the Insti-tute provided to address the various needs of agriculture throughout the region. The Director General provided the ambassadors with a report of the main results achieved in each country. During his presentation, he stated that the economic growth of Latin America and the Caribbean, as a region, is expected to remain low, and that, as a result, it is important to analyze the role of agriculture as a linchpin for development and social cohe-sion. “It is time to make decisions for Latin America; in the agricultural sector, these decisions must be urgent and purposeful,” he stated. The Permanent Council of the OAS is composed of one representative from each member state of the organization. IICA, as the specialized agency for agriculture within the Inter-American System of the OAS, delivers a report each year to the OAS in which it accounts for its progress, thus guaranteeing the transparency of the actions it implements in the hemi-sphere. More information: evangelina.beltran@iica.int 2015 Annual Report (English downloadable version available) Audio: Speech by the Director General and comments by the delegates (Spanish only)

The Director General of IICA, Víctor M. Villalobos (second from left) pre-

sented the 2015 Annual Report to the Permanent Council of the OAS.

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IICA Delegation in the USA Newsletter — March—April 2016

Countries Analyze Possible Implications of New Trade Provisions

On April 21st, 2016, over 20 countries in the Americas participated in a virtual meeting to analyze how the decisions adopt-ed at the Ministerial Conference in Nairobi could affect their trade policies. The Ministerial Conference in Nairobi, held in late 2015, culminated in the adoption of a “package” of ministerial decisions on agriculture with various implications for countries in the Americas, which underscores the critical role the World Trade Organization (WTO) plays in global trade governance. The Declaration of Nairobi establishes a special safeguard mechanism for developing country members and preferential treatment for Least Developed Countries (LDCs), as well as rules for public stockholding for food security purposes and rules for export competition. With the aim of strengthening knowledge of this topic, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), which manages the WTO Reference Center at the regional level, organized a global forum, attended by representatives from over 20 countries in the hemisphere. The forum was organized in recognition of the broad range of economies and levels of development across the American continent and of the need for countries to analyze the possible implications of these decisions for the development of trade policy and international business. The Declaration of Nairobi reinforces the commitment made by governments at the Doha Round to eliminate export subsi-dies for agricultural exports; although these subsidies were more common in the past, their elimination is critical to reduc-ing distortions in global trade. In the case of developed countries, these subsidies would be completely eliminated by the end of 2023. The LDCs and Net Food-Importing Developing Countries agreed to eliminate the subsidies by 2030. “The Nairobi decisions also include an agreement to expand trade, ranging from agriculture, development and treatment of least developed countries, to trade in information technology products. These decisions are international commitments in which governments agree to generate reforms in order to improve trade and reduce distortions in the market,” stated Nadia Monge, WTO Reference Center technician. “Countries that will eliminate the use of export subsidies, guarantees or credits must also worry about macroeconomic pol-icies, such exchange rates, which could significantly affect the competitiveness of the agricultural sector,” stated Joaquín Arias, IICA Specialist in Policies and Sectoral Analysis, who served as the event moderator. Monge added that changes in trade and trade rules also required governments and businesses in developed countries to build up their technical and strategic capacities for negotiating, managing, and implementing international trade and other agreements, in order to consolidate positions and benefit from trade. The analysis of the implications of the Nairobi Package was presented by renowned experts at the national and regional levels. Ulla Kask, Counsellor with the Agriculture Division of the WTO Secretariat, gave the main presentation of the forum. Eugenio Díaz Bonilla, of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI); José María García Álvarez-Coque, of the Polytechnic University of Valencia; Timothy E. Josling, of the University of Stanford; Débora Cumez, of the Office of the Guatemalan Mission in Geneva before the WTO; Alex Rafael Salazar, of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food of Guatemala; and James French, Nadia Monge and Joaquín Arias, IICA specialists, were among the participants. Held in the form of a virtual meeting, the IICA forum received support from the WTO Reference Center Program in Gene-va, the WTO Reference Center at the Ministry of Economy of Guatemala, as well the IICA Delegations in the United States and Guatemala and the IICA Permanent Office in Europe. The initiative is also part of the actions implemented by the IICA Flagship Project “Competitiveness and Sustainability of Agricultural Chains.” More information: nadia.monge@iica.int Information about the event: goo.gl/Z24pKq

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IICA Delegation in the USA Newsletter — March—April 2016

Competition Promotes Climate-Smart Agriculture

in the Eastern Caribbean States

Organized by IICA, the initiative seeks to reward and disseminate success stories of sustainable agricultural practices that foster adaptation and food security in the face of climate change. Through a competition entitled “Climate Smart Agriculture: Stories from Farmers in the Eastern Caribbean States,” the In-ter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Ministries of Agriculture from the Eastern Caribbean States seek to identify successful cases of on-farm climate-smart practices in the six countries of the ECS: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grena-da, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grena-dines. Participating stories must demonstrate their contribution to the three objectives of climate-smart agriculture: increasing productivity and food security, fostering processes for adapting to climate change, and reducing agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions (when possi-ble). Entries should focus on the resilience aspect of their stories. The competition is open to public or private organizations that are able to document the cases and are interested in more broadly dis-seminating their experiences. Government entities, international or-ganizations (either nonprofit or for-profit), and their employees are not eligible to participate in the competition; however, they can en-courage the organizations they support to document and submit their stories. The application period began on March 30 and will end on May 30. Applicants must submit their stories by filling out the online entry form available at https://iicawash.typeform.com/to/feWelE. The terms and conditions can be found there as well. An expert jury will evaluate all of the submissions. The first-place winner and runner up will be awarded with a professional documen-tary about their story as well as a publication, and will be able to par-ticipate in an awards ceremony in their home country. The win-ners will also receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the regional awards ceremony that will be held in St. Lucia in early Au-gust. Additional national level prizes, being provided by generous partners, will also be awarded to the top stories from each country. This competition is part of the activities being organized within the framework of the Caribbean Forum on Climate-Smart Ag-riculture. Since 2015, this forum has provided an opportunity for participants to share experiences and knowledge. Its main objective is to promote actions in the Caribbean Region that encourage the use of agricultural systems that are more pro-ductive, generate less emissions, and are adapted to climate change. More information: kelly.witkowski@iica.int

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IICA Delegation in the USA Newsletter — March—April 2016

Commercialization Strategies that Add Value and

Facilitate Market Access for Agricultural Producers

Following an event organized in Peru reported on our previous newsletter, IICA continued working on the definition of com-mercialization strategies that facilitates market access with better conditions for small and medium sized producers, and in the identification of success factors, determinants and case studies for the promotion and implementation of each strategy. In this issue we are sharing the developments related to the definition of the proposed marketing strategies: local foods (short supply chains), agricultural supply chain linkages, and differentiated products. The first step was to define five criteria to find common elements to characterize the strategies: producers organization, to classify producers as unorganized, informally organized or formally organized; product differentiation, to classify products as generic, fresh or processed products with low added value; differentiated

without third-party certification and differentiated with third-party certification. economic distance, related to number of intermediaries between producers and consumers, to classify the distance as

short, maximum one intermediary, or long, two or more intermediaries. social proximity, in the sense of social connections, mutual exchange and trust between producers and consumers; to

classify proximity as close, when there is contact, trust, affinity and sensitivity, or distant when there is no relationship between the producer and the final consumer.

Type of agreement and formality of relations between producer and buyer, related to the existence or not of prior agree-

ments and if they are legally binding or not, to classify relations as without prior agreements (spot market) or with prior agreements, informal if they are not legally binding and formal when they are.

Based on established criteria a characterization of each strategy was made. It is important to note that considering the het-erogeneity of marketing strategies, it is not always possible to apply all the criteria strictly. To facilitate analysis and com-parison between strategies a description of “traditional" market approach was also included. Commercialization strategies main characteristics by established criteria

In our next issue we will share success factors and determinants for each strategy. This information will be used to develop internships and exchanges to strengthen the capacity of institutions that support the chains prioritized by IICA´s “Competitiveness and Sustainability of Agricultural Chains” flagship project. More information: daniel.rodriguez@iica.int

Commercialization strategy

Producers organization

Product differentiation

Economic distance

Social proximity

Type of agreement formality of relations

Traditional unorganized generic long distant without prior agreement

Local foods unorganized or informally orga-nized

differentiated with-out certification

short close without prior agreement

Agricultural sup-ply chain linkages

organized informal-ly or formally

generic long distant with prior agreement informal or formal

Differentiated products

formally organized differentiated with certification

short or long close with prior formal agreement

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IICA Delegation in the USA Newsletter — March—April 2016

IICA Meets with the Private Sector to Explore Partnership Opportunities

“The challenge that agriculture faces are significant and IICA cannot do it alone” stated Director General of IICA, Víctor M. Villa-

lobos. On April 19th, 2016, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) convened a meeting with members of the private sector to offer IICA as a platform to work together to address the challenges of agriculture. The Director General of IICA, Víctor M. Villalobos, the Deputy Director General of IICA, Lloyd Day and IICA’s U.S. Representative to the USA and Head of the Center for Strategic Analysis for Agriculture (CAESPA), Miguel Garcia Winder provided an overview of what is IICA and how IICA works to create a competi-tive, inclusive and sustainable inter-American agriculture. During the meeting IICA’s Director General stated that it is not an easy task to provide technical assistance to all 34 member countries. He emphasized that the advancement of the agriculture sector relies on working with the private sector. He asked attendees of the meeting to suggest ways in which IICA could advance in this important task with them. For those already working with IICA, he thanked them for considering IICA as a partner in projects and activities that have been exe-cuted in various countries. He expressed hope to do more to increase working together. The Director General stated that the Institute understands the challenges agriculture faces and IICA has the capacity to respond to this internally, but externally IICA recognizes the many limitations of the institute and needs strong alliances with partners. Villalobos also shared that IICA has made changes in how the institute functions moving from traditional practices of providing technical assistance to a modern practice through the use of projects. Through this system, IICA is now more efficient to respond rapidly to IICA member countries. IICA operates projects that produce concrete results, through the effective and transparent use of all human, financial and infra-structure resources in each country. The Director General listed the institute’s flagship projects: 1. Competitiveness and sustainability of agricultural chains for food security and economic development 2. Social Inclusion in agriculture and rural areas 3. Resilience and comprehensive risk management in agriculture 4. Productivity and sustainability of family agriculture for food security and the rural economy 5. Animal and Plant health and food safety. Similarly, he explained other areas through which the institute operates: Externally funded projects, whose technical or administrative management is assigned to IICA by one or more of its partners. Rapid response actions to address specific situations as they arise, for which IICA mobilizes its technical capabilities in an-

swer to a request for short-term support from a member country. Pre-investment initiatives, aimed at securing and mobilizing complementary financial resources. IICA’s Deputy Director General, Lloyd Day shared support with the Director General stating that the innovation that occurs in agri-culture can be more easily accomplished by working with the private sector. He added that the opportunity for IICA to work with the private sector will help to create more science based policies for member countries. He proposed the creation of a Friends of IICA consultation group with the private sector to work on issues that are important to both parties. He shared that international aid for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) agriculture is quite small since most of it goes to other regions. He encouraged the members of the private sector to view LAC as the breadbasket to feed the world. More information: miguel.garcia@iica.int

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IICA Delegation in the USA Newsletter — March—April 2016

Innovations Contributing to Climate Change Adaptation:

Lessons from Smallholders in Latin America

Climate change is making the challenge of ending hunger and malnutrition even more difficult. Its effects on ecosystems are widespread and can be very severe, and while some of the problems are emerging gradually, action is urgently needed now to build resilience. The new climate scenarios are already severely impacting farmers and their families in Latin America and the Caribbean, making it necessary to work in partnership to minimize its effects and the negative social consequences they bring, such as migration and displacement. The Regional Fund for Agricultural Technology (FONTAGRO) and its sponsors, the Inter-American Institute for Coopera-tion on Agriculture (IICA) and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) sought to identify innovations that contribute to the adaptation of family agriculture to climate change. To this effect, FONTAGRO carried out an open competition supported by the project “Mechanisms for Technology Transfer and Climatic Networks in Latin American and the Caribbean” funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

Forty nine cases were received, demonstrating that farmers and their sup-porting organizations are developing, adapting and adopting climate smart technologies and practices. Five cases were selected as winners in three categories and will be recognized at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. in May 17th. The winning cases represent a wide range of innovations to improve pro-duction, manage agroecosystems and natural resources, and improve local organization to positively change attitudes and behaviors in light of the challenges posed by increasing temperatures.

Two cases won in the category Associations of Producers, Processors, Traders, and NGOS. The first case, Adapta Sertaõ, features an efficient coalition of organizations that assist small farmers deal with the severe drought that continues to affect the Brazilian Sertaõ. The community based adaptation approach used empowers farmers to find their own solutions with-out undue reliance on government interventions. The implementation of a climate smart production system called MAIS, is bringing about distinguishable impacts. For instance, the producers now make two minimum salaries a month, above the region’s average; income from producing and marketing non-traditional crops such as vegetables increased by 30%; and women spend less time fetching water and tending their cattle. The second case, from Bolivia, was carried out jointly by the Center for Agricultural Promotion and the Association of Fish-erwomen in the Integrated North. Traditionally in the area, farmers- especially women farmers- cultivated rice in monocul-ture. However, this crop is highly vulnerable to changes in weather and market fluctuations, rendering the local families more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. As a response to this threat, two hundred Quechua families switched from rice production to fish farming. The alliance strengthened capacity, provided new technology and undertook participa-tory research with the new women fish farmers. This activity has increased the supply of fish from 50 to 400 tons per year, of which 70% is consumed locally and the remaining 30% is consumed in other regions of the country. An innovative system for producing native goats in Río Negro, Argentina that has given renewed hope to 90 families of Mapuche origin, won in the category of national research organizations. The initiative was carried out by the National Agri-cultural Technology Institute (INTA) with support of the Ministry of Family Agriculture and the local government to empower farmers who were becoming increasingly vulnerable to more frequent droughts that affect the area.

Photo credit: Alejandra Bartoliche

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IICA Delegation in the USA Newsletter — March—April 2016

Furthermore, this initiative was launched two years after the eruption of Puyehue Volcano that prompted the youth to leave the area in search for a better life. IN-TA reintroduced native goats and developed the production systems rescuing the knowledge of the local producers. Two years into the project, 40% of the needs for meat consumption have been satisfied, replacing frozen poultry that was usually obtained from outside the region. In addition, these rustic goats are bred and fed local fodder, reducing the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the transportation of meat and grain from other areas. Two cases will be awarded in the category of international research organiza-tions. The first one was carried out by the International Potato Center (CIP) and the Research Center for Natural Resources and Environment (CIRNMA), both in Peru. Recognizing that 68% of the rural population of the Peruvian Altiplano lives in extreme poverty and face high climate variability, these organizations are working with farmers to diversify liveli-hoods and improve food security and household incomes. The results included improvements in the productivity, quality and availability of food crops such as cañihua and quinoa, and diversification of the local diet with nutritious food such as milk and fish. The case also included school gardens that produced as many as 18 different organic crops, coupled with nutri-tional education for 500 mothers. The second case in this category was executed by the Latin American Fund for Irrigated Rice (FLAR) and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) from 2008 to 2012. These organizations launched a pilot initiative changing rain-fed to irrigation farming through rainwater harvesting, as an alternative in order to increase farmers yields and rural income through diversified irrigated crop production systems, as well as fish farming. Through the construction of pilot reservoirs in smallholder farms, different irrigation systems were installed and agronomical practices for high productivity were validated, which allowed producers to double, and even triple, their crop yields. The rainwater harvesting project had a strong compo-nent of training and technology transfer, during and after the construction of reservoirs, which involved producers, techni-cians, state agencies, and other organizations that found in rainwater harvesting a solution to be productive throughout the year. Finally, the Board of FONTAGRO decided to award a special mention to recognize an innovative case of intensification of livestock systems in Costa Rica, carried out by the Chorotegan Agroforestry Association. The top eleven cases emanating from the contest will be featured in a publication that will be used to train and inspire others in the use of different technologies and practices to adapt family agriculture to climate change. In supporting FONTAGRO’s efforts, IICA is contributing to make agricultural innovation a priority in Latin America, and en-couraging more investment in research and development, technology transfer and adoption, education and training, and advisory services, to achieve sustainable productivity growth in the region. More information: priscila.henriquez@iica.int

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IICA Delegation in the USA Newsletter — March—April 2016

Capacity Development at IICA to Assist Latin American Countries

Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

By Dr. Priscila Henríquez, Specialist in the Management of Technological Innovation, IICA,

priscila.henriquez@iica.int

For more than seventy years, IICA has been contributing to agricultural development and improving the wellbeing of the rural inhabitants in the Western Hemisphere through a variety of initiatives. IICA’s collaboration is provided through four mechanisms: the flagship projects, externally funded projects, rapid response actions and the projects financed by the Technical Cooperation Fund. The components of IICA’s technical cooperation model aligned with the institution’s Medium Term Plan 2014-18, aim at contributing to the major transformations expected to occur in agriculture in the countries of the Americas. All activities have one thing in common: in one way or another, they contribute to developing capacities and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), particularly those of zero hunger, good health and well-being, affordable and clean energy, climate action, and responsible consumption and production. Capacity development is at the core of the coopera-tion, as activities focus on developing and strengthening multi-stakeholder fora that catalyze a smooth translation of poli-cies and instruments into action. IICA understands the complexity and diversity of actors in agriculture and works in collaboration with a wide arrange of public and private organizations, from national and local governments, the private sector, international organizations and civil society. Some of the concrete results of the work that IICA and its partners are doing in our 34 member countries that are contrib-uting directly or indirectly to the achievement of the SDGs include: In Guatemala, nearly 1,500 small and medium-scale producers in the Q’eqchi’ territory will receive information on cli-

mate, prices, production technologies, pest and diseases, and other related topics both in Spanish and the Q’eqchi’ language to improve their agriculture systems and nutrition. The information is delivered through the TOTOGEO plat-form, which is managed jointly by the Universidad Rafael Landívar, the Universidad de San Carlos, the Guatemalan Radiophonic Education Federation, the Verapaces Federation of Cooperatives, and the Association of Cardamom Pro-ducers, with financial support from the FAS/USDA and IICA.

Technological innovation plays an important role for improving agricultural productivity. Therefore, with funding from the

European Union, the Regional Program for Research and Innovation by Agricultural Value Chains (PRIICA) has made available more than 25 agriculture technologies and to 4,000 smallholders, members of 24 local innovation consortia in six Central American countries. In Panama alone, 836 producers were trained in the role played by women in food se-curity and nutrition, contributing to bridging the gender gap in many rural areas.

Under the framework of Central American Strategy for Rural Area-based Development (ECADERT), IICA and partners

are providing 25 families with training in vegetable production of community kitchen gardens, the construction of eco-logical stoves, solid waste management and disposal, production of handcraft goods, gender and entrepreneurism. Similarly in El Salvador, the project enhanced smallholder farmers’ technical skills and access to innovations that ena-bled them to improve their income and food security.

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In Mexico, capacity for organization and joint action were increased to support 21 excluded groups in territories of La Selva Lacandona, Chiapas to achieve economic integration. IICA, with support from the government and civil society, is implementing ten projects designed to stimulate family farming and rural development in that area.

The Caribbean is not only one of the most vulnerable regions to the effects of climate change, but is also a land of

opportunities for activities linked to agriculture, such as agro-tourism. IICA strengthened the management and associ-ative capabilities of the national chapters of the Caribbean Network of Rural Women Producers (CANROP). As a re-sult, the Network of Women Producers in The Bahamas has a strategic plan and at least 100 women have been trained in agro-tourism, backyard farming, food security, and sustainable development. Also, Jamaica’s Network of Women Producers improved its finances and the ability to secure loans with auditing processes and training in good recordkeeping implemented with the Institute’s assistance.

IICA also works at the policy level, influencing good governance and assisting countries in developing the design of

policies, plans, and agreements on agricultural, rural development and food security, which included the facilitation of small agribusiness operations, value added, and sanitary and phytosanitary measures. Examples include work in Belize, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, Panama, and Paraguay.

Finally, IICA is also addressing the needs of new agricultural professionals to be better equipped with a set of skills re-quired to tackle the constantly emerging challenges in the sector. The ‘new professional’ should, for example, be better able to work across different disciplines and in partnership with different stakeholders, and understand the value chain and potential for profit and entrepreneurship at different stages. The Institute manages a grant from Mexico’s National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) that has provided over 300 scholarships for young professionals to pur-sue masters and doctoral degrees in agricultural related disciplines in Mexico. Some of the thesis work done by the scholars pertains to food and nutritional security in the student’s countries. Once they return to their countries of origin, these professionals will become members of IICA’s extensive network of professionals. IICA is continuously aligning and expanding its partner network to ensure the greatest collective support reaches the agri-cultural producers, processors, traders and rural communities in the hemisphere. Sound partnerships that include public and private entities at hemispheric, regional and local levels, will ensure that the agricultural potential of Latin America and Caribbean helps to meet the challenge of feeding nearly 10 billion people at mid-century.

IICA Delegation in the USA Newsletter — March—April 2016

Photo source: http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/#prettyPhoto

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IICA Delegation in the USA Newsletter — March—April 2016

FDA’s Judicious Use Policy for Medically Important Antimicrobials

By Dr. Horrys Friaça, Agricultural Health and Food Safety Specialist, IICA, horrys.friaca@iica.int

Over the past several years, the US Government has taken important steps towards fundamental change in how medically important antibiotics can be legally used in feed or water for food-producing animals. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is moving to eliminate the use of such drugs for production purposes (i.e., growth promotion and feed efficiency) and bring their remaining therapeutic uses in feed and water under the supervision of licensed veterinarians. The Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) is an important part of the agency’s overall strategy to ensure the judicious use of medically important antimicrobials in food-producing animals. It’s the legal instrument to enforce the implementation of FDA’s Guidances # 209 and # 213 at the end of 2016. The VFD outlines the process for authorizing use of VFD drugs (animal drugs intended for use in or on animal feed that require the supervision of a licensed veterinarian) and provides veterinarians in all states with a framework for authorizing the use of medically important antimicrobials in feed when needed for specific ani-mal health purposes. Medically important drugs are those listed in the FDA’s Guidance 152, and include such compounds as penicillins, tetracyclines, macrolides and streptogramins. Compounds like ionophores, which are not used in human medicine, or bacitracin, which is used for minor human uses, are not covered by this new policy. This policy covers only in-feed and water uses of these medically important compounds. Veterinarians play an important role in animal and human health and their oversight, as an integral part of the VFD process, will help ensure that medically important antimicrobial drugs will be used in feed according to label directions and only when appropriate to meet specific animal health needs. Currently, none of these medically important antimicrobial drugs that fall under the FDA’s judicious use strategy are VFD drugs and do not require veterinary oversight or involvement. After the changes outlined in the judicious use strategy are made, medically important antimicrobials approved for use in animal feed will fall under the VFD regulation. Aligned to the VFD, the full implementation of FDA’s Guidance #213 in December 2016 will significantly change the way medically important antibiotics have been used in animal agriculture for decades. Once the changes are fully implemented, it will be illegal to use these medically important antibiotics for production pur-poses, and animal producers will need to obtain authorization from a licensed veterinarian to use them for pre-vention, control or treatment of a specifically identified disease. All the affected drug sponsors have committed to implementing the changes described in Guidance #213 by the December 2016 target date.

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IICA Delegation in the USA Newsletter — January —February 2016

The FDA’s Guidance #213 outlines the process whereby a sponsor, or company, can withdraw growth claims from the label of products containing medically-important antibiotics. It also describes how a sponsor can ap-ply for a prevention claim, or therapeutic claim, on those same compounds. Application for a prevention claim in this case generally follows the process of a supplemental new animal drug application, and requires the sponsor to submit data demonstrating the drug is safe and effective at a specified dose against a targeted pathogen or a targeted disease. In the case of disease prevention, the FDA believes it is important such use is appropriately targeted to animals at risk for a specific disease and the use duration is limited and risk-based. In summary: All changes are being phased in by December 2016, with additional action by FDA detailed in the VFD

rule.

For all medically important antibiotics used in feed, these products will be moved to VFD status. For all medically important antibiotics used in water veterinary prescription status would apply.

For all medically important antibiotics used in feed, growth promotion claims will be eliminated.

FDA intends this to be done by December 2016. On compounds where growth claims exist without prevention claims, sponsors could seek new prevention

claims but this would require new data to be submitted to FDA. Once this policy is fully implemented, all medically important antibiotics used in animal feed or water will

be used only for the therapeutic purposes of disease treatment, disease control or disease prevention un-der the supervision of a licensed veterinarian.

Contact Us IICA Delegation in the USA 1889 F Street, N.W., Suite 360, Washington, D.C. 20006 Phone: 202-458-3767 Fax: 202-458-6335 Website: www.iica.int/unitedstates Email: iica.us@iica.int Twitter: @IICA_USA

May 10th -13th, 2016 - Training of Extensionists on Integrating Climate

Change into Development Planning, Quillota, Chile

May 16th, 2016 - Youth for Sustainable Food Award 2016, World Bank,

Washington, D.C., USA

May 16th-20th, 2016 - USDA/U.S. Codex Office, CODEX Partnering Program

Workshop, Washington, D.C., USA

May 17th, 2016—FONTAGRO Award Ceremony- Competition for Success-

ful Cases of “Innovation in Family Farming Adaptation to Climate Change", IDB, Washington, D.C., USA

May 24th—26th, 2016—Workshop on Sustainable Performance of Agricul-

tural Chains, ODEPA, Chile

June 5th—7th, 2016—AIARD's 52nd Annual Conference, From the Ground

UP: Generating Meaningful Local Solutions, Washington, D.C., USA

June 14th—17th, 2016— Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agricul-

ture Annual Forum, Rome, Italy

June 15th-17th, 2016— 19th Annual Conference on Global Economic Analysis

"Analytical Foundations for Cooperation in a Multipolar World", World Bank, Washington D.C., USA

June 21st, 2016—GMA Webinar on The new system “Hazard Analysis and

Risk Based Preventive Controls” (HARPC) (In Spanish)

August 23rd—24th, 2016—Executive Committee Meeting, IICA HQ,

Costa Rica

October 12th—14th, 2016— 2016 "Borlaug Dialogue" International Symposi-

um, Des Moines, Iowa, USA

IICA Delegation in the USA Newsletter — March—April 2016