Colombian Minister of Agriculture Martha Carvajalino He called on the entire region to achieve productive and resilient fields that can confront the global environmental crisis.The official made the statement during the sessions of the Executive Committee of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), which met at the institute’s headquarters in San José, Costa Rica.
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“The Government of Colombia believes in this cooperation, it believes in the confluence of the countries of our America to advance in the transformation of the countryside and it is our America that is the power to face the climate crisis.“, he stressed.
Carvajalino added during his presentation that “we need to support regional trade relations, global trade, so that what small farmers, peasant communities, indigenous peoples and black communities produce has a value in the market, can circulate, transform and generate wealth for these families. This is where the technical cooperation that we want to demonstrate today and strengthen our relationship with IICA plays a decisive role.“.
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The head of the agricultural portfolio stated that the National Government has made available the possibilities of jointly building this technical cooperation. Carvajalino referred to the areas in which Colombia can receive support from international technical cooperation, such as the strategic and global commitment to the Amazon.
With respect to the areas in which IICA will be able to increase its technical cooperation services to benefit the agricultural sector and rural agrarian areas, He highlighted issues such as peasant, family and community agriculture and rural extension work.
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“This will allow communities to receive knowledge, to be subject to technological transformation and innovation to develop not only best practices, but to convert peasant agriculture into a source of food production.“Carvajalino stressed.
Martha Carvajalino, new Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Private file
The minister participated today in the 44th meeting of the Executive Committee of IICA, the governing body of the organization that meets for two days with the presence of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas and other senior officials of the sector.
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The opening of the sessions emphasized that the scenario of overlapping global crises – including climate change, armed conflicts and obstacles to economic growth – reinforces the continent’s value as a global food producer and supplier.
The focus was also on the serious impact that extreme weather events are having on the productivity of the region’s agriculture and It was noted that only on the basis of science will it be possible to retrace the path towards greater sustainability and resilience.
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The ministers gave strong support to IICA and its Director General, Manuel Otero, in their work in favor of a science-based transformation of the agri-food systems of the Americas, that puts farmers at the discussion table and recognizes agriculture as part of the solution to global challenges.
