{"id":17773,"date":"2026-08-06T15:28:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T15:28:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/?p=17773"},"modified":"2026-08-06T15:28:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T15:28:19","slug":"countries-of-the-americas-express-strong-support-for-iicas-2026-2030-work-plan-designed-to-contribute-to-prosperity-poverty-reduction-and-the-strengthening-of-food-security-in-the-americas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/2026\/08\/06\/countries-of-the-americas-express-strong-support-for-iicas-2026-2030-work-plan-designed-to-contribute-to-prosperity-poverty-reduction-and-the-strengthening-of-food-security-in-the-americas\/","title":{"rendered":"Countries of the Americas express strong support for IICA\u2019s 2026-2030 work plan, designed to contribute to prosperity, poverty reduction, and the strengthening of food security in the Americas"},"content":{"rendered":"
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San Jos\u00e9, 22 July 2026 (IICA). The countries of the Americas expressed strong support for the work plan drawn up by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), which will run through 2030 and is designed to strengthen the continent\u2019s agrifood systems so they contribute to economic prosperity, poverty reduction, food security, environmental sustainability and resilience, and decent work.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The plan was presented during the annual meeting of IICA\u2019s Executive Committee, one of the organization\u2019s governing bodies, held in San Jos\u00e9, Costa Rica, which brings together ministers of agriculture and other senior agricultural officials from the Americas. Representatives of other international organizations, delegates from observer countries, members of the diplomatic corps in Costa Rica, and special guests also take part.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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During the opening session of the meeting, IICA Director General Muhammad Ibrahim gave an overview of the work carried out in his first six months in office, and formally presented the 2026-2030 Medium-Term Plan (MTP) to the ministers, which was prepared working closely with the countries and includes their needs and requirements.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Following the presentation, the representatives of the Member States were agreed that the organization\u2019s roadmap addresses the main challenges facing the region\u2019s production systems, and pledged to work together to achieve measurable concrete results.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Roberto Linares, Minister of Agricultural Development of Panama, was elected as Chair of the Executive Committee and referred to the importance of IICA\u2019s work for the benefit of agriculture in the Americas: \u201cThe fact that food security and sustainable development are currently strategically important issues on global agendas underscores the relevance of international cooperation even more. Therefore, this meeting represents an excellent opportunity to continue along the path of multilateral collaboration for the benefit of our countries\u2019 agricultural and rural sectors.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Ibrahim emphasized that during the first half of the year, the time it took to discuss and design the MTP, IICA continued to lead dialogues and provide solutions to the complex situations affecting the countries\u2019 agricultural sectors, such as fertilizer shortages and rising input and energy costs.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The four technical cooperation programs that are to be implemented are set out in IICA\u2019s MTP:<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u2022 Science, technology, and innovation for production development;<\/div>\n
\u2022 International trade, regional integration, and agribusiness;<\/div>\n
\u2022 Agricultural health, biosecurity, and food safety and quality;<\/div>\n
\u2022 Strategic natural resources for agrifood system productivity and resilience.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe plan is ambitious at a time of great challenges, and is tailored to the countries\u2019 requirements,\u201d Ibrahim said.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The IICA Director General explained that the work of the four programs will be coordinated to strengthen the hemisphere\u2019s agrifood systems and promote their economic, environmental, and social sustainability. The latter includes the development of incentives to empower women and youth in agriculture, and to mitigate migration from rural areas to cities.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe are going to work together to make agriculture an engine of development and thus attract the new generation of farmers we need in the Americas,\u201d he explained.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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In this regard, he stressed that one of the MTP\u2019s distinctive elements was that it called for the provision of technical cooperation adapted to the heterogeneous nature of the production systems of IICA member countries, in terms of both scale and production models and the use of science and technology.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Focus on science and technology<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Michelle Bekkering, Deputy Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), said that her country appreciated IICA\u2019s work plan, particularly with regard to its focus on the incorporation of science, technology, and innovation, and its emphasis on building smoother international trade in food, and on biosecurity issues. \u201cThis ambitious plan is going to be very successful,\u201d she suggested.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Cleber Soares, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of Brazil, the country that currently holds the chair of the Inter-American Board of Agriculture (IABA), IICA\u2019s highest governing body, said that in recent months he had visited several countries in the continent to discuss the guidelines of the MTP. \u201cThe countries shared their concerns and expressed their full support. This IICA roadmap includes modern, necessary issues, such as the incentive to work for the production of fertilizers, since today we depend to a large extent on imports and the world has put us in a very severe crisis,\u201d he observed.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Anthony Smith, Minister of Agriculture, Land, Fisheries, and Blue Economy of Antigua and Barbuda, pointed out that: \u201cAs a small, developing island state, we have vulnerabilities and we particularly appreciate IICA\u2019s work in support of resilience and food security. The plan is aligned perfectly with our needs.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe support the IICA Director General\u2019s vision, which is consistent with our own vision of agriculture, with emphasis on productivity and food health, quality, and safety. We also agree on the need to adapt cooperation to the new production models and new consumption trends,\u201d commented Raquel Sol\u00eds, Ecuador\u2019s Deputy Minister of Agricultural Productive Development.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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On behalf of the Government of Honduras, the Undersecretary of Agriculture, Jos\u00e9 Francisco Ord\u00f3\u00f1ez, also endorsed IICA\u2019s MTP: \u201cIt contains the issues that we consider to be the main ones, and we are pleased to see that the issues of family farming are included. In Honduras, we feel the need to teach our small producers to adapt to climatic difficulties, for example, by harvesting and managing water.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Agust\u00edn Tejeda, Undersecretary of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of Argentina, affirmed that his country\u2019s priorities were aligned with IICA\u2019s MTP and gave it his full support. \u201cIICA,\u201d he emphasized, \u201cis key to defending conditions of transparent market access for our agricultural products in international forums. We value IICA\u2019s work based on scientific evidence and technical excellence, which is necessary to deepen hemispheric cooperation and consolidate agriculture in the Americas as an engine of growth, inclusion, and development.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Tejeda underscored the Institute\u2019s role as a bridge between nations and regions within and beyond the hemisphere: \u201cIICA also has a very important role to play in representing the continent\u2019s voice in the world and in relations with other regions. The experience of the Africa-Americas Ministerial Summit focused on productivity and agrifood systems, organized in San Jos\u00e9 in 2022, was very positive, and a closer relationship should be developed.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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On that point, the Argentine delegate proposed to the Executive Committee that a second summit be held in October 2026 in Buenos Aires.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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On behalf of the Government of Mexico, V\u00edctor Manuel Vanegas Tapia, Head of his country\u2019s Office of the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development, recognized \u201cIICA\u2019s efforts to formulate a comprehensive and robust plan aimed at addressing the main challenges. Only cooperation enables us to develop common solutions to our problems.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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About IICA<\/div>\n
IICA is the specialized agency for agriculture in the Inter-American system, with a mission to encourage, promote and support its 34 Member States in their efforts to achieve agricultural development and rural well-being through international technical cooperation of excellence.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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More information:<\/div>\n
Institutional Communication Division.<\/div>\n
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int<\/div>\n
Press release online: https:\/\/iica.int\/…\/countries-of-the-americas-express…\/<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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