In This Issue

Summary of the 2015 Meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas

USDA and IICA Signed for Additional Funds for IICA Projects and Programs

IICA Promotes Exchange on Climate Change Adaptation Plans for Agricultural Sector

Preserving and Using Genetic Resources to Adapt to Climate Change A Hemispheric Priority

CARIFORUM Countries Review International Standards for Plant Health and Agricultural Trade

Latin American Countries Enhance their Capabilities in Market Access and Trade Facilitation

FONTAGRO Promotes Innovations to Improve Natural Resources Management among Small Farmers

Launch of Project Grow More with Less Adaptation Validation and Promotion of SRI in the Americas as a Response to Climate Change

IICA Specialists and Members of Costa Ricarsquos CLIITAs Receive Training in how to Reduce Food Losses

IICA Supports Dialogue to Strengthen Agricultural Research and Advisory Services in the Americas

Optimizing Value Chains in Caribbean Agriculture The Role of Research and Capacity Development

LAC should make Risk Management an Integral Part of Agricultural Planning

Regional Workshop Agriculture Gender and Climate Change Where are we in Latin America

Virtual Course The Water Footprint Agriculture and Climate Change

The Potential of the Bioeconomy in LAC

Ecosystem-based Adaptation to Climate Change in the Central American Dry Corridor

Upcoming Events

From the Desk of the Representative Welcome to our fifth edition of 2015

As we approach the end of 2015 I would like to start by thanking you for your continued interest in IICA for your sup-port and encouragement This year has been an exciting year

The current issue of the IICA Office in the United States and CAESPA newsletter is a little different from our previous issues as we are including activities and events that have been led and conducted by other units of the Institute but that we believe are of interest to our partners and stakeholders in the United States of America With this we intend to highlight the relevance of IICA as a hemispheric institution for the sustainable and productive transformation of agriculture and the rural territories The period from October to December has been a very active period for IICA Without any doubt the most relevant of all institutional events and achievements during this period was the historic decision of the Ministers of Agriculture at the XVII Ordinary Meeting of the Inter-American Board of Agriculture to grant a quota increase for IICA This decision breaks an impasse of more than 20 years but more importantly reflects the trust that IICAacutes Member Countries have in the Institute and the recognition of the importance of IICA to promote a science-based transformation of agriculture and rural life We are certain that all of us that work at IICA and all of those who collaborate with us will double our efforts to continue to achieve the mission and vision of this noble institution and to move it forward to meet the challenges of the XXI Century During the Meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture 2015 the Ministers of Agriculture from the countries of the Americas signed a declaration containing eight commitments designed to improve agricultural productivity in the hemisphere which called for IICA to continue to provide technical cooperation in support to these goals Also during this meeting IICA FAO and ECLAC presented the report ldquoOutlook for Agriculture and Ru-ral Development in the Americas A perspective on Latin America and the Caribbean 2015-2016rdquo which shows that agriculture in the region continues to growth despite the slowdown of the economy the reduction in the demand and adverse climatic condi-tions This report also proposed a series of policy recommendations that we hope can help policy makers in the region Internationally this period has been witness to the launching of the Sustainable Devel-opment Goals by the UN and to the historic Paris Agreement to deal with the challeng-es of climate change recently reached in Paris France Both of these agreements will have unparalleled impacts in the way agriculture takes place All of us involved in the sector have the great responsibility of producing not only the food that the world de-mands but also the responsibility to protect our environment to reduce impacts on our climate and other earth systems and to continue to strive for food security and the eradication of poverty No doubt the future is more exciting than the past I cannot finish this introductory message to our newsletter without expressing to all of you and to my colleagues in the IICA USA Office and IICA at large my best wishes for the Holiday Season and my hopes that 2016 be a year of great success to all

Sincerely

Dr Miguel Garciacutea-Winder IICA Representative in the USA

Head of CAESPA

IICA Office in the USA NewslettermdashSeptembermdashDecember 2015

2

IICA Office in the USA NewslettermdashSeptembermdashDecember 2015

Summary of the 2015 Meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas

The Eighteenth Regular Meeting of the Inter-American Board of Agriculture (IABA) was held in Cancun Mexico from Oc-tober 19th to 23rd along with the Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas 2015 whose theme was ldquoSustaina-ble agricultural productivity and rural inclusionrdquo

Within the framework of the Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas 2015 agricultural specialists supported the min-isterial deliberations through a technical forum held on Oc-tober 21st organized by the Inter-American Institute for Cooper-ation on Agriculture (IICA) Ministers and secretaries of agriculture of the Americas meeting on the Riviera Maya in Quintana Roo Mexico engaged in an in-depth discussion of the technical docu-ment Toward Competitive Sustainable and Inclusive Productivity Opportunity for Agriculture in the Americas contributed by IICA with the aim of supporting the dialogue adopting commitments and requesting support from internation-

al cooperation agencies for the sustainable and inclusive development of the agricultural sector The Director General (DG) of IICA Viacutector M Villalobos explained that there were four basic reasons why the is-sue of productivity warranted such careful analysis the demand for food natural resources exclusion and cli-mate change ldquoIt is clear that we have overexploited our resources and there are indications that we can produce more and better with less rdquo he observed He also highlighted the need to strengthen international cooperation through agendas geared to the sustainable strengthening of agriculture with a view to closing the gaps in productivity that exist Additionally Ministers learnt about global and regional initiatives from Brazil and France Read more about this forum On October 22nd the DG of IICA Viacutector M Villalobos presented to the minis-ters of agriculture of the Americas during the Eighteenth Regular Meeting of the Inter-American Board of Agriculture (IABA) the organizationrsquos main achieve-ments during the period 2014-2015 in which IICA is spearheading 204 im-pactful initiatives on behalf of the agricultural sector of the Americas which shows the organizationrsquos commitment to the sectorrsquos development The initiatives in question are 158 externally funded projects involving financing of USD 116 million 41 rapid response actions that are enabling IICA to meet emerging needs in the member countries and 5 inter-American projects execut-ed with the Institutersquos own resources (See infographic of results) At the meeting the DG explained that under the new cooperation model adopt-ed by IICA in 2014 the institution was progressing toward results-based management and encouraging promoting and supporting agricultural development and rural well-being in the Americas ldquoThe Institute adds value to the work of governments academics the private sector and civil society in the Americas Thus thanks to its level of commitment and the results it achieves IICA is an important strategic partner of the agricultural sector and a go-to organization for agriculture in the regionrdquo he observed The results are related to seven overarching areas of work family farming agricultural chains agricultural health and food

Agricultural specialists supported the ministerial deliberations through a

technical forum

Director General of IICA Viacutector M Villalobos presented

the main results of the Institute to the Ministers

2

IICA Office in the USA NewslettermdashSeptembermdashDecember 2015

Summary of the 2015 Meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas

The Eighteenth Regular Meeting of the Inter-American Board of Agriculture (IABA) was held in Cancun Mexico from Oc-tober 19th to 23rd along with the Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas 2015 whose theme was ldquoSustaina-ble agricultural productivity and rural inclusionrdquo

Within the framework of the Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas 2015 agricultural specialists supported the min-isterial deliberations through a technical forum held on Oc-tober 21st organized by the Inter-American Institute for Cooper-ation on Agriculture (IICA) Ministers and secretaries of agriculture of the Americas meeting on the Riviera Maya in Quintana Roo Mexico engaged in an in-depth discussion of the technical docu-ment Toward Competitive Sustainable and Inclusive Productivity Opportunity for Agriculture in the Americas contributed by IICA with the aim of supporting the dialogue adopting commitments and requesting support from internation-

al cooperation agencies for the sustainable and inclusive development of the agricultural sector The Director General (DG) of IICA Viacutector M Villalobos explained that there were four basic reasons why the is-sue of productivity warranted such careful analysis the demand for food natural resources exclusion and cli-mate change ldquoIt is clear that we have overexploited our resources and there are indications that we can produce more and better with less rdquo he observed He also highlighted the need to strengthen international cooperation through agendas geared to the sustainable strengthening of agriculture with a view to closing the gaps in productivity that exist Additionally Ministers learnt about global and regional initiatives from Brazil and France Read more about this forum On October 22nd the DG of IICA Viacutector M Villalobos presented to the minis-ters of agriculture of the Americas during the Eighteenth Regular Meeting of the Inter-American Board of Agriculture (IABA) the organizationrsquos main achieve-ments during the period 2014-2015 in which IICA is spearheading 204 im-pactful initiatives on behalf of the agricultural sector of the Americas which shows the organizationrsquos commitment to the sectorrsquos development The initiatives in question are 158 externally funded projects involving financing of USD 116 million 41 rapid response actions that are enabling IICA to meet emerging needs in the member countries and 5 inter-American projects execut-ed with the Institutersquos own resources (See infographic of results) At the meeting the DG explained that under the new cooperation model adopt-ed by IICA in 2014 the institution was progressing toward results-based management and encouraging promoting and supporting agricultural development and rural well-being in the Americas ldquoThe Institute adds value to the work of governments academics the private sector and civil society in the Americas Thus thanks to its level of commitment and the results it achieves IICA is an important strategic partner of the agricultural sector and a go-to organization for agriculture in the regionrdquo he observed The results are related to seven overarching areas of work family farming agricultural chains agricultural health and food

Agricultural specialists supported the ministerial deliberations through a

technical forum

Director General of IICA Viacutector M Villalobos presented

the main results of the Institute to the Ministers

3

IICA Office in the USA NewslettermdashSeptembermdashDecember 2015

safety inclusive agriculture and area-based management resilience efficient water use and capacity building Read more about this presentation and view the publication of results for 2014-2015 Harvesting results (2014-2015)

Specialists from IICA FAO and ECLAC presented an analysis of the challenges faced by and opportunities for agriculture in the region during a high-level technical forum on Oc-tober 22nd Agriculture in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) has developed within a challenging mac-roeconomic context however thanks to increases in productivity it has managed to grow more than the other sectors of the economy in recent years That is the conclusion of the fourth edition of the document ldquoOutlook for Agriculture and Rural Development in the Americas 2015-2016 A Perspective on Latin America and the Carib-beanrdquo prepared jointly by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and IICA

The slowdown in Europe and some of the emerging economies has led to a decline in world demand Coupled with the fall in international prices of oil and raw materials this will affect global economic growth which is expected to be only 35 in 2015 Growth in LAC is also expected to contract by 03 the lowest level since the 2009 crisis Within that challenging panorama however Latin American and Caribbean agriculture is growing faster than the economy as a whole Given the limited possibilities of incorporating new land into crop production ECLAC FAO and IICA are agreed that in-creasing total factor productivity is the best way to achieve the growth equity stability and sustainability of the sector in LAC To do so the specialists recommend among other things Strengthening public policies for agriculture and intersectoral cooperation Enhancing educational management and human resource capabilities Increasing investment in research development and innovation (RampDampI) Strengthening trade policy Read more about the presentation of this report The Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas 2015 ended on Oc-tober 22nd in Mexico with a declaration containing eight commitments de-signed to improve agricultural productivity in the hemisphere with tech-nical support from IICA The cooperation agenda that was agreed upon seeks to strengthen the participation of the ministries of agriculture promote a modern education system that is inclusive and respectful of traditional knowledge help increase the capacity of innovation systems to achieve sustain-able agriculture adapted to climate change and support cooperation on interna-tional trade in agricultural products The ministers also pledged to maintain a dialogue with the representatives of the agricultural sector promote efforts to raise public awareness of the importance of agriculture and propose policies programs and instruments to encourage productivity investment innovation infrastructure science and technology agri-cultural health and food safety and climate change adaptation and mitigation with special emphasis on family and small-scale farming Read more about what happened at this meeting and the Declaration of Ministers

Signing of the Declaration of the Heads of Delegation of

El Salvador Grenada and Ecuador

Miguel Garciacutea IICA USA Representative

and coordinator of publication for IICA

4

IICA Office in the USA NewslettermdashSeptembermdashDecember 2015

USDA and IICA Signed for Additional Funds for IICA Projects and Programs

The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Inter-American In-stitute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) signed an amendment to the Cooperative Agreement Joint Technical Coopera-tion Projects Training and Workshops Additional funding of $555000 is to finance Codex Colloquiums and Coordinated Codex Meeting attendance the Cartagena Biosafety Protocol and Synthetic Biology Project training for professionals in use of trade data and market information and the strengthening of human resources in the Market Information Organiza-tion of the Americas (MIOA) member countries The projects are to be initiated in the remainder of calendar year 2015 and in years 2016 and 2017 USDA and IICA signed another amendment within the framework of the General Agreement for Cooperation which pro-vides an additional $400000 in funding for the Agricultural Science Leadership Training Program offered through IICA to support 10 additional CATIE scholarships

IICA Promotes Exchange on Climate Change Adaptation Plans for the

Agricultural Sector

Environment and agriculture officials from 10 countries in Latin Ameri-ca shared their experiences in the formulation and development of new plans for adapting to climate change during a meeting in Pana-ma supported by IICA Participants involved in the development and implementation of agricultural sector adaptation plans were from Chile Costa Rica Honduras Argentina Mexico Brazil Panama Par-aguay Peru and Uruguay In response to the impact that agriculture faces due to the severe changes in climate many countries have begun to develop adapta-tion plans for the sector The adaptation plans form a countrys guide where concrete actions are proposed for the agricultural sector to be better prepared to cope with the impacts of climate change The participation of various national and local stakeholders in this process is critical said project coordinator Ronny Cascante The meeting was organized by the IICA EUROCLIMA Project an initiative that aims to facilitate the integration of adapta-tion and mitigation of climate change in public policies and development planning More information kellywitkowskiiicaint

5

IICA Office in the USA NewslettermdashSeptembermdashDecember 2015

Preserving and Using Genetic Resources to Adapt to Climate Change

A Hemispheric Priority

No single country has all the genetic resources to adapt to climate change and ensure food security According to the International Panel on Climate Change agricultural productivity is set to decline in several areas of the Americas as temperatures rise and rainfall decreas-es threatening the food security of the poorest populations With this reality in mind gene-bank managers from North and Central America and the Caribbean met in Mexico to exchange information on their efforts to conserve im-portant plant and animal genetic resources Specialists from Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba the Dominican Republic El Salva-dor Guatemala Honduras Mexico Nicaragua and Panama presented their results and shared potential joint projects Much progress has been made in Mexico and Central America where the ex situ facilities conserve beans maize toma-toes squash peppers and many other important native crops Many of these programs also work with plant breeders and farmers to develop more productive and resilient crops Successful examples from participatory breeding of cacao and maize in Mexico highlighted the importance of working with farmerrsquos communities

It is well known that Latin America houses the worldrsquos largest biological diversity and wil-derness areas including the Amazon However this diversity is threatened by conversion of natural ecosystems and once this is lost genetic variation is irretrievable This is why preserving seeds in specialized facilities is crucial at complementing efforts by local farm-ers The specialists discussed how climate change also poses a threat to the control of pest and disease invasions Faced with the appearance of new pests the plant breeders must go back to older varieties or closely related wild species to find resistance genes Exam-ples of this type of research were mentioned for Guatemala Mexico and Nicaragua

The meeting was organized by the national agricultural research institute in Mexico (INIFAP) with support from the Gov-ernment of Japan The Genetic Resources Network of the Northern Region (NORGEN) was represented by Brad Fra-leigh from Agriculture and AgriFood Canada He presented Canadarsquos strategy to conserve and sustainably use these resources with a strong emphasis on germplasm documentation and exchange David Williams from IICA presented the strategic action plan for the conservation and sustainable use of Mesoamerican plant genetic resources and motivated the audience to work together to improve both ex situ and in situ conservation Finally Priscila Henriacutequez from IICA presented the results of successful projects supported by IICA to improve family ag-riculture with the use of agrobiodiversity This meeting was a space of dialogue for people who normally do not work together to discuss how to make the most out of the biological diversity that they have at their disposal and that they can get from other places indicated Henriacutequez For more information on IICArsquos work in genetic resources contact davidwilliamsiicaint and priscilahenriqueziicaint

6

IICA Office in the USA NewslettermdashSeptembermdashDecember 2015

CARIFORUM Countries Review International Standards for Plant Health

and Agricultural Trade

CARIFORUM Countries were given the opportunity to review draft International Standards on Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs) which are critical for the trade of plants and plant products Representatives from 13 countries participated in the Interna-tional Plant Protection Convention IPPC workshop which was held in Trinidad and Tobago in early October The IPPC is recognized under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) for setting international standards and guidelines on plant related issues for international trade in agriculture Along with the revision of the draft standards participants were exposed to several resource tools and materials that will enable increased understanding and greater implementation of areas such as pest risk analysis surveillance and pest reporting They were given the opportunity to review and comment on two draft ISPMs and upload these comments on the IPPCrsquos Online Comment System (OCS) Individual countries will also post national comments on the OCS based on the discussions that took place at the workshop The IPPC Secretariat and the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) Pro-ject being implemented by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) jointly funded this workshop ldquoThis regional consultation on draft ISPMs is one of those opportunities in which as a region we can influence the final product It is therefore important that countries in our region are involved in the standard setting process so that we can have a say in the formulation of these international standardsrdquo said Gregg Rawlins IICA Representative in Trinidad and Tobago Presenting remarks on behalf of the European Union Ulrich Thiessen EU Delegation of Trinidad and Tobago stated that the contribution of the 10th EDF SPS Project is one avenue through which the EU continues to support the CARIFORUM region in the implementation of the commitments undertaken under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) He further noted that the EU is grateful for the regionrsquos participation in this process The overall objective of the 10th EDF SPS Project is to strengthen agricultural health and food safety systems in CARIO-RUM States so as to increase production and trade in agriculture and fisheries which meet international standards while protecting plant animal and human health and the environment More information carolthomasiicaint

Participants from the 13 CARIFORUM States and facilitators of the Workshop

7

IICA Office in the USA NewslettermdashSeptembermdashDecember 2015

Latin American Countries Enhance their Capabilities in Market Access and Trade Facilitation

Government officials from 19 Latin American countries acquired new expertise in market access and trade facilitation thanks to a workshop in Costa Rica organized by IICA the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Inter-American De-velopment Bank (IDB) The 49 participants in the meeting which was held from 6-8 October at IICA Headquarters learned about multilateral standards concepts regard-ing tariffs lists of concessions and tariff negotiations and familiarized themselves with the WTO databases on tariffs and trade ldquoActivities such as this help us to improve trade understand and apply international trade standards better and construct a knowledge network to facilitate access to information and enable us to advise the authorities of our countries about ways of achieving increasingly fairer and more trans-parent trade that is better for agriculturerdquo commented the Director General of the Institute Viacutector M Villalobos during the opening of the event General information was also presented about the provisions and imple-mentation of WTO agreements governing rules of origin customs valua-tion import licensing procedures and trade facilitation Counsellor Alejandro Gamboa of the WTOrsquos Market Access Division Roberta Lascari a trade policy analyst with the same division and statistics official Thomas Verbeet who works for the integrated database unit of the WTOrsquos Economic Re-search and Statistics Division facilitated the training event ldquoGovernment officials in Latin America need to be trained properly to meet the challenges they face in relation to issues such as market access and growth for the benefit of their peoples This will also enable them to play a bigger and more active role in international trade negotiations especially given the latterrsquos importance and significant impact on the WTO negotiationsrdquo Gamboa pointed out The expert emphasized the proliferation of different trade agreements in the region the advantages they have enjoyed and the difficulties faced in implementing and utilizing them properly The participants also learned how they could improve their countriesrsquo engagement with the multilateral trade system and shared experiences regarding the situation of other Latin American countries ldquoOur objective is to facilitate tools to support regional integration and trade facilitation as well as the development of infra-structure with a regional perspective a key aspect of regional integration and global competitiveness for Latin America and the Caribbeanrdquo explained Cinthya Alfaro of the Trade and Investment Unit of the IDBrsquos Trade and Integration Sector based in Costa Rica More informationadrianacamposiicaint

The meeting was attended by 49 officials and members of the

government sector from 19 countries in Latin America

8

IICA Office in the USA NewslettermdashSeptembermdashDecember 2015

FONTAGRO Promotes Innovations to Improve Natural Resources

Management among Small Farmers

At its XIX meeting in Almeriacutea Spain FONTAGRO approved three regional projects to introduce technological innovations to mitigate the effects of drought in Central America and strengthen crop and livestock systems in the Southern Cone With the new initiatives FONTAGROrsquos Board of Directors reinforced its commitment to improve natural resources management and climate change adaptation among small-scale farmers The project winners included the national agricultural research institutes of Chile Argentina Paraguay and Uruguay and agricultural universities and farmers organizations from Honduras and Nicaragua FONTAGRO also provided seed money to assist organizations of its 15 member countries in the preparation of projects to be co-financed with other organizations and donors This year three platforms lead by the national institutes of Colombia Spain and Argentina were approved on the themes of protected agriculture bioeconomy and project impact indicators respectively

A project to improve FONTAGROrsquos knowledge management strategy supported by the Government of Korea will also be implemented Previous to their meeting the Board members had participated in the XIV Meeting of the Ibero-American NARs System to establish a closer collaboration between these two mechanisms The technical theme addressed was intensive and protected horti-culture and the potential for its implementation among small farmerrsquos organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean During the field visits carried out Spanish experts explained how more than half of Europersquos demand for fresh vegetables are supplied by greenhouses in the Almeriacutea coast fueling the economy by $15 billion in annual revenue The region boasts the

largest concentration of greenhouses in the world covering 40000 hectares producing tomatoes cucumbers peppers and zucchinis among other crops There are many synergies between FONTAGRO and the Ibero-American NARs System to promote technological innova-tions such as greenhouses for the benefit of small farmers in Latin America indicated Jose Luis Repetto President of FONTAGRO Since 1998 FONTAGRO has financed 100 projects developed by consortia comprised of researchers universities inter-national research centers private sector entities and farmersrsquo organizations who jointly have provided solutions for agricul-ture particularly for the small farmers The amount allocated to projects exceeds US$83 million and has benefited 25 countries More information priscilahenriqueziicaint

9

IICA Office in the USA NewslettermdashSeptembermdashDecember 2015

Launch of Project Grow More with Less Adaptation Validation and

Promotion of SRI in the Americas as a Response to Climate Change

A consortium of partners including the Dominican Institute of Agricultural and Forestry Research (IDIAF) the Dominican Council of Agricultural and Forestry Research (CONIAF) the National Federation of Rice Producers (FEDEARROZ-FNA) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) are executing a project to validate the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in the Dominican Republic and Colombia with financial support from the Regional Fund for Agri-cultural Technology (FONTAGRO) The launch of the project and the first training took place in October in the Dominican Republic 15 participants visited rice fields to see SRI in practice and to view machinery available in the country to support rice production SRI is an innovation practiced by 95 million producers on over 34 million hectares in 50 countries Instead of a prede-termined technological package SRI utilizes flexible practices based on four fundamental principles Favor early and healthy plant establishment Minimize plant competition Build fertile soils rich in organic matter and soil biota Manage water carefully for ideal plant development avoiding flooding and water stress In Latin America and the Caribbean the principles of SRI have been tested with positive results in several countries However many of these initial efforts have not been properly monitored evaluated and documented These initial experi-ences have however identified high cost of labor required for transplanting individual seedlings as a challenge for scal-ing SRI in the hemisphere This two year project will validate SRI in Dominican Republic and Colombia to help reduce the vulnerability of small rice farmers to climate change The project is being implemented under FONTAGROrsquos 2014 Call for Proposals Innovation for the Adaptation of Family Agriculture to Climate Change in Latin America and the Caribbean Supported by FONTAGRO and the Global Environ-ment Facility (GEF) the call supports innovation platforms and coordination mechanisms that foster competitiveness and sustainability More information kellywitkowskiiicaint

10

IICA Specialists and Members of Costa Ricarsquos CLIITAs Receive Training

in how to Reduce Food Losses

Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) accounts for six percent of global food losses and the region wastes fifteen percent of its available food each year These figures were shared by specialist Hala Chahine of the Postharvest Education Foundation at a workshop held in early November organized by the Inter-American Institute for Coopera-tion on Agriculture (IICA) to raise awareness of the issue among the international agencyrsquos senior technical personnel and special-ists and members of the Local Consortia for Agricultural Technol-ogy Innovation and Research (CLIITAs) of the Regional Program for Research and Innovation in Agricultural Value Chains (PRIICA) in Costa Rica ldquoWith agriculture being asked to feed 73 billion people we can hardly afford to waste food We need to collaborate create synergies and revisit this issue especially since IICA was a pioneer in this field for many yearsrdquo observed Miguel Aacutengel Arvelo IICArsquos Representative in Costa Rica during the opening ceremony of the event The 22 participants were trained in the use and application of the Commodity Systems Assessment Methodology for Prob-lem and Project Identification (CSAM) a systematic method for identifying and measuring the factors that lead to posthar-vest losses and detecting problems related to the quality of a product in a specific location ldquoIt calls for a team effort aimed at finding solutions With this methodology people are equipped to identify the problems and causes of food losses such as selection of the wrong product or inadequate handling packaging or transportation Producers also end up losing income and the price of the product rises in the marketplacerdquo pointed out Chahine who was responsible for teaching the methodology At the workshop held at the beginning of November the participants developed skills they can now share with national stakeholders who will be able to apply the methodology learned The participants also learned how to draw up proposals for making chains more efficient and reducing food losses The event was organized by two of IICArsquos flagship projects - Competitiveness and Sustainability of Agricultural Chains for Food Security and Economic Development (ldquoAgricultural Chainsrdquo) and Productivity and Sustainability of Family Agriculture for Food Security and the Rural Economy (ldquoFamily Agriculturerdquo) as part of their scheduled activities for 2015 PRIICA an action program in Central America and Panama coordinated by the Institute and financed by the European Union (EU) al-so took part ldquoThere are beneficiaries of PRIICA who are losing more than 20 or 30 percent of their production right on their farms So we can apply the methodology and obtain concrete regional data about what is happening as well as possible options for im-proving the situationrdquo said PRIICA coordinator Miguel Altamirano The activity concluded with a field trip The participants visited the tomato farm and packing plant of the National Associa-tion of Agricultural Organizations (ASOPROCONA) located in Heredia Costa Rica More information karolalpizariicaint miguelarveloiicaint miguelaltamiranoiicaint Photo gallery

IICArsquos Representative in Costa Rica Miguel Aacutengel Arvelo specialist of the Postharvest Education

Foundation Hala Chahine and PRIICA coordinator Miguel Altamirano during workshop opening

IICA Office in the USA NewslettermdashSeptembermdashDecember 2015

11

IICA Office in the USA NewslettermdashSeptembermdashDecember 2015

IICA Supports the Dialogue to Strengthen Agricultural Research and

Advisory Services in the Americas

The Forum for the Americas on Agricultural Research and Technology Development ndashFORAGRO has reinforced its role as a space for discussion and agreement on agri-cultural research and innovation in the Americas The XV meeting of FORAGROrsquos Executive Committee held in Brasilia in mid-November was convened by IICA the Regional Fund for Agricultural Technology- FONTAGRO and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation ndashEMBRAPA Private and public research organizations farmersrsquo organizations NGOsrsquo academia and young scientists agreed on a plan to strengthen FORAGRO based on an extensive consultation Innovation is key to end hunger achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture which is the second of the Sustainable Development Goals A profound change of the global food and agriculture system is need-ed to nourish todayrsquos 795 million hungry and the additional 2 billion people expected by 2050

Dr Victor Villalobos IICArsquos Director General opened the meeting stressing the importance of FORAGRO to share and discuss issues relevant to improve productivity and competitive-ness in the agricultural sector of the hemisphere The group discussed the strategic themes -including financing that impact FORAGROrsquos sup-port for agricultural innovation processes in the Hemisphere The importance of defining na-tional priorities for research and of increasing public investment was stressed by all groups In Latin America public investment in agricultural research and development accounts for only 114 of gross domestic product much lower that it is in other regions The new institutional requirements and approaches for research and development within innovation systems were discussed with Dr Gilles Saindon Associate Assistant Deputy

Minister of Canadarsquos Science and Technology Branch stressing the importance of partnerships for a strong innovation agenda ldquoTrust and commitment underpin all aspects of partnerships Scientific capacity is not uniform partnerships allow the broader research community to effectively address issuesrdquo- indicated Saindon Also the crucial role of human talents in the innovation process was also addressed because having motivated staff pro-vide research organizations with a competitive advantage FORAGRO was created in 1997 by the Inter-American Board of Agriculture the decision making body of the Ministers of Agriculture in the Americas Since its creation FORAGRO has supported discussion on a wide range of topics of im-portance for agriculture in the Hemisphere such as adaptation to climate change conservation and use of genetic re-sources biotechnology and agribusiness FORAGRO is a member of the Global Forum for Agricultural Research ndashGFAR For more information contact muhammadibrahimiicaint or priscilahenriqueziicaint

Dr Victor Villalobos IICArsquos Director General opened

the meeting (IICA Brazil photo)

Attendees at meeting (IICA Brazil photo)

12

IICA Office in the USA NewslettermdashSeptembermdashDecember 2015

Optimizing Value Chains in Caribbean Agriculture The Role of

Research and Capacity Development

Program managers policy makers scholars and members of the private sector engaged in an open exchange to improve profits in the agricultural sector at the Invest Caribbean 2015 conference held in Washington on November 19th 2015 The program includ-ed an overview of the current environment for the agribusiness sector in the Caribbean Region The participants explored the implications of climate change for agriculture in this vulnerable region where unpredictable rainfall patterns water scarcity heat stress and increased climatic varia-bility are creating uncertainty for food production Participating on behalf of IICA Priscila Henriacutequez indicated that new climate risks require changes in agricultural technologies and approaches to improve the lives of those still suffering from food insecurity and poverty Public and private investment in knowledge and innovation can help develop concrete solutions to the problems and lead to informed decisions she explained IICA is currently engaging with governments NGOs farmersrsquo organizations and the private sector in planning for adapta-tion especially of small farmers in the Caribbean region Henriacutequez also presented two mechanisms supported by IICA to promote research and innovation the Regional Fund for Agricultural Technology (FONTAGRO) and the Forum for the Americas on Agricultural Research and Technology Develop-ment (FORAGRO) that can support innovation in the Caribbean For decades IICA has worked with its Caribbean partners to promote innovations that improve agriculture for local con-sumption and export Examples include work with the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) to enhance the value-added processing of roots and tubers improving the mango value chain in Haiti and supporting the Carambola Fruit Fly Surveillance program in Suriname Invest Caribbean 2015 addressed how to make agriculture more attractive as a career for the youth A worrying trend is that the pool of Caribbean scientists is aging and some countries have failed to address it with initiatives to hire and train younger scientists To help address the generation gap IICA has partnered with Mexicorsquos National Board for Science and Technology (CONACYT) to provide scholarships for young professionals to carry out graduate studies at centers of excellence in Mexi-co To date 301 agricultural professionals have been awarded scholarships in 50 universities For more information contact priscilahenriqueziicaint

Priscila Henriacutequez IICA International Specialist- Management of

Technological Innovation in Agriculture presents during the conference

13

Latin America and the Caribbean should make Risk Management an Integral Part of Agricultural Planning

One of the tasks facing agriculture in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is the need to ensure that risk management is an integral part of agricultural planning in order to correct anticipate and prevent possible economic and environmental impacts and make the sector more resilient This was emphasized by experts of IICA the United Nations Food and Agri-culture Organization (FAO) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Car-ibbean (ECLAC) in a new bulletin published in mid-November According to the experts the implementation of risk management strategies and mecha-nisms to address current risks assist in recovery from disasters and gain experience for coping with similar challenges in the future can reduce losses and the negative impact on the agricultural sector Most efforts of this kind currently consist of actions undertaken in response to natural disasters followed by reconstruction but the experts believe that a new approach is required ldquoActions aimed at reducing and preventing risks are less expensive than the losses to which the sector is exposed by unmitigated disasters and are much more effective We need to sensitize people to the benefits and options offered by integrated risk management The adoption of this vision is one of the biggest challenges facing the regionrdquo commented the coordinator of IICArsquos Center for Strategic Analysis for Ag-riculture (CAESPA) Miguel Garciacutea According to the document family agriculture accounts for 40 of LACrsquos total production with some 60 million people working on 17 million small farms ldquoFamily agriculture is of great economic importance to LAC It is one of the sectors in the region with the least favorable social economic and productive conditions making it more vulnerable to lossesrdquo explained Joaquin Arias an IICA special-ist in policies and sectoral analysis He believes that adopting technological innovations and promoting the support of the State commercial and development banks insurers and reinsurers and the private sector are essential for the development of comprehensive policies on the topic Risk transfer (eg harvest and disaster insurance) is only efficient and viable when they are part of a comprehensive management strategy that includes measures aimed at disaster preparedness anticipation adaptation and protection ldquoThe use of risk transfer instruments alone equates to poor risk management with inefficient interventions that make them economically unviable for the private sector and unsustainable for governmentsrdquo Arias explained The recommendations made in the document are intended to contribute to the establishment of effective and comprehen-sive risk management systems that include among other things the purchase of cover to reduce losses risk transfer through insurance or other mechanisms as well as recovery and adaptation measures Some of the mechanisms proposed by risk management entities are the promotion of climate-smart agriculture integrated pest management the use of agrobiodiversity and technology the coexistence of different production systems income di-versification and early warning systems The specialists also recommend conducting climate risk zoning studies to facilitate agricultural planning implementing mixed production systems that assist in adaptation to climate change and providing tools to enable farmers to keep finan-cial records and maintain an adequate level of liquidity thereby ensuring that they do not overextend themselves More information miguelgarciaiicaint - joaquinariasiicaint Technical bulletin

IICA Office in the USA NewslettermdashSeptembermdashDecember 2015

14

IICA Office in the USA NewslettermdashSeptembermdashDecember 2015

Regional Workshop Agriculture Gender and Climate Change

Where are we in Latin America

A Regional Exchange on the topic of Gender Agriculture and Climate Change was held in San Jose Costa Rica in late November Participants discussed their own experiences and lessons learned working in this nexus identifying the strengths on which to capitalize in the region in addition to the barriers to moving forward The workshop followed the release of a study IICA recently conducted to better understand the regionrsquos experiences and participantsrsquo viewpoints with regards to the planning execution monitoring and evaluation of gender sensitive research projects and programs focused on climate change adaptation in the agricultural sector The results provide information on the state of knowledge attitudes practices and policies of the ministries and organizations in Latin America to better understand their efforts and strategies regarding the inclusion of gender in actions to help the agricultural sector cope with climate change While many institutions acknowledge that climate change has differentiated impacts on men and women in part due to women having less adaptive capacity as a result of more limited access to information credit services and technology much more needs to be done to ensure that current inequities are not perpetuated or new vul-nerabilities are not created Ensuring that the benefits of climate resilience and adaptation actions are accumulated in a balanced way between women and men will help to capitalize on the ability of women to be positive agents of change in the face of climate change More information kellywitkowskiiicaint

Virtual Course The Water Footprint Agriculture and Climate Change

A virtual course entitled ldquoThe Water Footprint Agriculture and Climate Changerdquo was launched in late November through IICArsquos e-learning campus Almost 200 people from 21 countries participated representing both the public and private sector as well as academ-ia The course was given free of charge The 10 hour course enabled participants to understand the concept of the water footprint in the context of the agricultural sector learn how the tool can be used to inform policies and agribusiness strategies and how to apply the water footprint tool in the agricultural sector in Latin America The course was developed in partnership with The World Bank Institute the Water Foot-print Network and Good Stuff International with the financial support of the IICA EUROCLI-MA Program an initiative that aims to facilitate the integration of adaptation and mitigation of climate change in public policies and development planning

More information kellywitkowskiiicaint

15

The Potential of the Bioeconomy in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)

By Hugo Chavarriacutea Specialist in Quantitative and Sectoral Analysis IICA CAESPA

In recent decades concern has grown about the sustainability of the development model that has prevailed since the In-dustrial Revolution whose capacity to meet the needs of current and future generations has been called into question for a number of reasons Population growth rising middle-class incomes and changes in consumer preferences especially in the developing coun-tries (IDB-GHI 2014) will generate significantly higher demand for food fibers and energy in the years ahead The coun-triesrsquo need to make a bigger contribution to the worldrsquos supply of food and energy will oblige them to devise strategies aimed at making more efficient and sustainable use of natural resources One such strategy proposed initially by several European countries in the mid-2000s advocates the knowledge-based pro-duction and use of biological resources to provide products processes and services in all economic sectors within the framework of a sustainable economic system (definition adopted by the German Governmentrsquos Bioeconomy Council) This concept now known around the world as the ldquobioeconomyrdquo proposes new ways of achieving sustainable economic growth by incorporating science into activities based on biological resources In 2009 the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) proposed a series of requirements that countries should meet in order to use their biological resources efficiently to satisfy food and energy needs In the docu-ment ldquoThe Bioeconomy to 2030 Designing a Policy Agendardquo the OECD established among other things the need to pro-mote research on applied biotechnologies especially in agriculture and industry which are expected to provide 75 of the bioeconomyrsquos contributions to development promote the development of markets of sustainable environmental products and the number of participants in them reduce the obstacles to innovation and promote the integration of biotechnology research and commercial applications create a permanent dialogue among governments companies and civil society in order to increase their knowledge of the technologies and their participation in the development of new solutions and in-crease preventive research to identify potentially harmful technologies and reduce their impact (OECD 2009) Convinced of the bioeconomyrsquos potential over the last five years a large number of countries outside LAC have developed national strategies and plans to promote its contribution to national development (ECLAC 2015) Those countries include Germany (2010 2013) the Netherlands (2010) Finland (2011) the United Kingdom (2011) Canada (2011) Sweden (2012) the United States (2012) Russia (2012) Malaysia (2012) Austria (2013) South Africa (2013) and India (2014) As LACrsquos natural resources and biodiversity are among the most abundant in the world the bioeconomy should be a cor-nerstone of the regionrsquos development model As well as boosting LACrsquos participation in international markets and enabling the region to participate in them more effectively improving the use made of the natural resource base and biodiversity by economic social and academic sectors would help to reduce poverty and improve income distribution within countries

IICA Office in the USA NewslettermdashSeptembermdashDecember 2015

16

According to the World Bank (2005) given the important role played by natural resources in the productive structure (and especially exports) and the fact that 37 of the regionrsquos poor live in rural areas and most of them are engaged in farming the impact of activities based on natural resources on the growth of GDP and on poverty reduction is equivalent to roughly dou-ble agriculturersquos contribution to GDP The bioeconomy has broad economic and social potential but this is not reflected in the regionrsquos political agenda or decision-making processes The contribution of activities based on renewable natural resources is usually interpreted only as the sum of agricultural and agroindustrial activities (which account for only 1453 of GDP in the region) ignoring the contribution made by biodiversity in the activities of other sectors such as industry health chemistry and mining among others (IICA 2004) Given the issuersquos low profile in the region before implementing strategies designed to strengthen the role of the bioeconomy in production trade employment or income in LAC (as the OECD recommends) it is essential to raise awareness of the sectorrsquos potential Greater understanding of and belief in the positive impact of the bioeconomy on development would help boost its importance in public policies Although a wide range of methodologies are available at the international level for quantifying the contribution of bio-based sectors to value added and even the direct and indirect effects on income and em-ployment the fact is that they have been applied very little in LAC Data compiled by IICA-CAESPA (Zuacutentildeiga Trejos and Ari-as) in Nicaragua and Costa Rica confirms this point Action is needed to convince people of the bioeconomyrsquos potential LAC should take steps to adopt a clear measurable defi-nition of the bioeconomy that will raise the profile of national industries and capitalize on their comparative advantages in-crease the value attributed to environmental goods in national accounts and lead to the updating of the methodologies used to detail the flows and transactions of the economic systems of each country (social accounting and input-output matrices) and the adaptation of the economic models employed to estimate the socioeconomic and environmental linkages and im-pacts that result from increased bio-based activities The generation of scientific knowledge about the bioeconomyrsquos potential contribution to development in LAC would make it possible to exert much greater influence and position the issue on the agendas of the regionrsquos decision-makers and then plan how to devise strategies to promote it Bibliography consulted Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)-RUTAL 21 2015 Bioeconomiacutea nuevas oportunidades para la agri-cultura Production Development Series June Available at httpbitly1OJjpRe Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and Global Harvest Initiative (GHI) 2014 The Next Global Breadbasket How Latin America Can Feed the World Available at httpbitly1OJjt3t Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) 2004 More than food on the table agriculturersquos true contribution to the econ-omy Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 2009 The Bioeconomy to 2030 Designing a policy agenda OECD International Futures Project Available at httpbitly1EMS7Wl World Bank 2005 Beyond the city Available at httpbitly1ophluC Zuacuteniga C and R Trejos 2013 Medicioacuten de la contribucioacuten de la Bioeconomiacutea Caso Nicaragua IICA (working document) Zuacutentildeiga-Arias G 2013 Bioeconomiacutea impacto y medicioacuten Caso de Estudio Costa Rica IICA (working document)

IICA Office in the USA NewslettermdashSeptembermdashDecember 2015

16

According to the World Bank (2005) given the important role played by natural resources in the productive structure (and especially exports) and the fact that 37 of the regionrsquos poor live in rural areas and most of them are engaged in farming the impact of activities based on natural resources on the growth of GDP and on poverty reduction is equivalent to roughly dou-ble agriculturersquos contribution to GDP The bioeconomy has broad economic and social potential but this is not reflected in the regionrsquos political agenda or decision-making processes The contribution of activities based on renewable natural resources is usually interpreted only as the sum of agricultural and agroindustrial activities (which account for only 1453 of GDP in the region) ignoring the contribution made by biodiversity in the activities of other sectors such as industry health chemistry and mining among others (IICA 2004) Given the issuersquos low profile in the region before implementing strategies designed to strengthen the role of the bioeconomy in production trade employment or income in LAC (as the OECD recommends) it is essential to raise awareness of the sectorrsquos potential Greater understanding of and belief in the positive impact of the bioeconomy on development would help boost its importance in public policies Although a wide range of methodologies are available at the international level for quantifying the contribution of bio-based sectors to value added and even the direct and indirect effects on income and em-ployment the fact is that they have been applied very little in LAC Data compiled by IICA-CAESPA (Zuacutentildeiga Trejos and Ari-as) in Nicaragua and Costa Rica confirms this point Action is needed to convince people of the bioeconomyrsquos potential LAC should take steps to adopt a clear measurable defi-nition of the bioeconomy that will raise the profile of national industries and capitalize on their comparative advantages in-crease the value attributed to environmental goods in national accounts and lead to the updating of the methodologies used to detail the flows and transactions of the economic systems of each country (social accounting and input-output matrices) and the adaptation of the economic models employed to estimate the socioeconomic and environmental linkages and im-pacts that result from increased bio-based activities The generation of scientific knowledge about the bioeconomyrsquos potential contribution to development in LAC would make it possible to exert much greater influence and position the issue on the agendas of the regionrsquos decision-makers and then plan how to devise strategies to promote it Bibliography consulted Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)-RUTAL 21 2015 Bioeconomiacutea nuevas oportunidades para la agri-cultura Production Development Series June Available at httpbitly1OJjpRe Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and Global Harvest Initiative (GHI) 2014 The Next Global Breadbasket How Latin America Can Feed the World Available at httpbitly1OJjt3t Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) 2004 More than food on the table agriculturersquos true contribution to the econ-omy Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 2009 The Bioeconomy to 2030 Designing a policy agenda OECD International Futures Project Available at httpbitly1EMS7Wl World Bank 2005 Beyond the city Available at httpbitly1ophluC Zuacuteniga C and R Trejos 2013 Medicioacuten de la contribucioacuten de la Bioeconomiacutea Caso Nicaragua IICA (working document) Zuacutentildeiga-Arias G 2013 Bioeconomiacutea impacto y medicioacuten Caso de Estudio Costa Rica IICA (working document)

IICA Office in the USA NewslettermdashSeptembermdashDecember 2015

17

Ecosystem-based Adaptation to Climate Change in the Central American Dry Corridor

By Dr Priscila Henriacutequez IICA Specialist in the Management of Technological Innovation

Although Central America is located in the tropics the large dry region known as the Dry Corridor is affected by extreme hazards including frequent droughts The Dry Corridor defines a group of ecosystems in the eco-region of dry tropical for-ests in the lowlands of the Pacific coast and most pre-mountain areas of Chiapas in Mexico Guatemala Honduras Nica-ragua and northern Costa Rica as well as Panamarsquos Arco Seco The historical social and environmental vulnerabilities of the Dry Corridor are aggra-vated by the negative effects of climate change threatening subsistence agriculture and food security in one of the poorest areas of Latin America From the estimated 105 million people living in rural areas in the region close to 60 live in poverty and an estimated 1 million families rely on subsistence rain-fed farming for their live-lihoods The most traditional agricultural system in the region is the maize-beans tandem which together with coffee intensive small-scale irrigated vegetable production low productivity pasturelands and seasonal migration of wage labor to lowland and cof-fee estates are the main sources of farm income Currently the prolonged dry weather associated with the El Nintildeo phenomenon has severely reduced this yearrsquos cereal out-puts as the Dry Corridor tries to recover amidst ongoing dryness This is the second consecutive year that the regions main season cereal harvest has been negatively affected by severe dry weather related to El Nintildeo This state of affairs prompted the agriculture ministers in the affected countries to declare a state of alert in September after hundreds of thou-sands of subsistence farmers suffered the partial or total loss of their crops planted for the main grain season that runs from May to September

The impacts of climate change are aggravated by the large scale of land deg-radation in the region Although official statistics are not available for the Dry Corridor it is presumed that at least 12 million hectares in Guatemala and one million in El Salvador are degraded Unsustainable land management such as deforestation land clearing overgrazing and bush burning are among the ma-jor causes of this degradation Also steep slopes- a common feature of the regionrsquos topography - are very vulnerable to soil erosion Since fertile soils are a non-renewable resource ndashin terms of human time spans- as their formation and renewal could take thousands of years action against degradation is extremely urgent Reversing land degradation trends makes both economic sense and has multiple social and environmental bene-fits A recent publication of the International Food Policy Research Institute has demonstrated that on average one US dollar invested into restoration of degraded land returns five US dollars

IICA Office in the USA NewslettermdashSeptembermdashDecember 2015

18

Despite the severe challenges faced by the Dry Corridor there are signs of progress in adapt-ing small-scale agriculture to climate change through ecosystem-based adaptation which also contributes to reversing land degradation This approach aims at reducing human vulnerabilities through the provision of ecosystem services For instance agroforestry systems have been implemented for more than 30 years including livestock production systems and perennial crops such as coffee and cocoa These systems have the potential to sequester carbon and as part of a larger conservation strategy can pro-vide functional links between forest fragments and other critical habitats Home gardens have been established to diversify diets and generate income providing envi-ronmental services and improving family nutrition Many rural communities are already protect-ing and planting more trees harvesting water and composting In some areas barriers consist-ing of stone and pine suckers are built to protect the soil from erosion The Dry Corridor can become a climate-smart territory provided there is clear leadership collective action and effective nat-ural resource management A wide range of measures are necessary to achieve these goals among them 1 Make landscape restoration a national priority at the highest political level Solitary efforts by local farmers or individual

government agencies while valuable are not sufficient to drive far-reaching change By definition landscape restoration initiatives are multi-sectorial and multi-stakeholder

2 Invest in innovation and technical knowledge Most research focuses on increasing crop productivity not restoring eco-system services at the landscape level Information-sharing- including the knowledge safeguarded by indigenous com-munities should become a high priority National research institutes and universities working with rural communities could generate the relevant knowledge and contribute to evaluate the impacts of restoration policies

3 Strengthen extension and advisory services for farmers Stronger and more effective extension services should be part of integrated approaches that combine flexible financing risk management and new technologies NGOs and multilat-eral organizations can and should play a critical role in helping replicate effective extension models across the region

4 Secure land and forest rights A critical number of small and family agricultural producers do not have tenure or man-agement rights over lands soils forests and other natural resources Well-designed public policies can facilitate land regulation and improve access to land leasing contracts in such a way that reforms agricultural practices and restores ecosystem services

5 Invest in national and local social capital and collective action Top-down and bottom-up governance approaches must be linked to enable large-scale mobilization and strengthen local institutions To be really effective efforts must involve those who are actually affected by the landscape degradation and the negative impacts of climate change

6 Link farmers to niche and other markets Small and medium size farmers are the largest investors in agriculture and need support to build profitable businesses by growing and marketing their crops Contract farming for value added products for example implies the need to improve farmersrsquo ability to satisfy contractual agreements with buyers as well as meet international standards crucial to access export markets Supporting the development of agribusiness can be an incentive for small farmers to invest in conserving their natural resources particularly soil and water

Healthy ecosystems can have an important role in increasing resilience and helping people adapt to climate change through the delivery of ecosystem services The wide assortment of initiatives such as those already implemented are exciting op-portunities for improving agriculture and contribute to the wellbeing of the rural poor in the Dry Corridor

IICA Office in the USA NewslettermdashSeptembermdashDecember 2015

Contact Us

IICA Office in the USA

1889 F Street NW

Suite 360

Washington DC 20006

Phone 202-458-3767

Fax 202-458-6335

Website wwwiicaintusa

Email iicausiicaint

Twitter IICA_USA

February 25th ndash26th 2016 - USDA 2016 Agricultural Outlook Forum Arlington Virginia USA

IICA Office in the USA NewslettermdashSeptembermdashDecember 2015

18

Despite the severe challenges faced by the Dry Corridor there are signs of progress in adapt-ing small-scale agriculture to climate change through ecosystem-based adaptation which also contributes to reversing land degradation This approach aims at reducing human vulnerabilities through the provision of ecosystem services For instance agroforestry systems have been implemented for more than 30 years including livestock production systems and perennial crops such as coffee and cocoa These systems have the potential to sequester carbon and as part of a larger conservation strategy can pro-vide functional links between forest fragments and other critical habitats Home gardens have been established to diversify diets and generate income providing envi-ronmental services and improving family nutrition Many rural communities are already protect-ing and planting more trees harvesting water and composting In some areas barriers consist-ing of stone and pine suckers are built to protect the soil from erosion The Dry Corridor can become a climate-smart territory provided there is clear leadership collective action and effective nat-ural resource management A wide range of measures are necessary to achieve these goals among them 1 Make landscape restoration a national priority at the highest political level Solitary efforts by local farmers or individual

government agencies while valuable are not sufficient to drive far-reaching change By definition landscape restoration initiatives are multi-sectorial and multi-stakeholder

2 Invest in innovation and technical knowledge Most research focuses on increasing crop productivity not restoring eco-system services at the landscape level Information-sharing- including the knowledge safeguarded by indigenous com-munities should become a high priority National research institutes and universities working with rural communities could generate the relevant knowledge and contribute to evaluate the impacts of restoration policies

3 Strengthen extension and advisory services for farmers Stronger and more effective extension services should be part of integrated approaches that combine flexible financing risk management and new technologies NGOs and multilat-eral organizations can and should play a critical role in helping replicate effective extension models across the region

4 Secure land and forest rights A critical number of small and family agricultural producers do not have tenure or man-agement rights over lands soils forests and other natural resources Well-designed public policies can facilitate land regulation and improve access to land leasing contracts in such a way that reforms agricultural practices and restores ecosystem services

5 Invest in national and local social capital and collective action Top-down and bottom-up governance approaches must be linked to enable large-scale mobilization and strengthen local institutions To be really effective efforts must involve those who are actually affected by the landscape degradation and the negative impacts of climate change

6 Link farmers to niche and other markets Small and medium size farmers are the largest investors in agriculture and need support to build profitable businesses by growing and marketing their crops Contract farming for value added products for example implies the need to improve farmersrsquo ability to satisfy contractual agreements with buyers as well as meet international standards crucial to access export markets Supporting the development of agribusiness can be an incentive for small farmers to invest in conserving their natural resources particularly soil and water

Healthy ecosystems can have an important role in increasing resilience and helping people adapt to climate change through the delivery of ecosystem services The wide assortment of initiatives such as those already implemented are exciting op-portunities for improving agriculture and contribute to the wellbeing of the rural poor in the Dry Corridor

IICA Office in the USA NewslettermdashSeptembermdashDecember 2015

Contact Us

IICA Office in the USA

1889 F Street NW

Suite 360

Washington DC 20006

Phone 202-458-3767

Fax 202-458-6335

Website wwwiicaintusa

Email iicausiicaint

Twitter IICA_USA

February 25th ndash26th 2016 - USDA 2016 Agricultural Outlook Forum Arlington Virginia USA

IICA Office in the USA NewslettermdashSeptembermdashDecember 2015

Contact Us

IICA Office in the USA

1889 F Street NW

Suite 360

Washington DC 20006

Phone 202-458-3767

Fax 202-458-6335

Website wwwiicaintusa

Email iicausiicaint

Twitter IICA_USA

February 25th ndash26th 2016 - USDA 2016 Agricultural Outlook Forum Arlington Virginia USA

IICA Office in the USA NewslettermdashSeptembermdashDecember 2015