Annual Report 2018

Agriculture: A priority for sustainable development in the Americas

Manuel Otero

Manuel Otero

Message from the Director General of IICA

"The mission of this Director General is to ensure that agriculture in the hemisphere is prepared to seize existing opportunities to convert the agriculture sector into the potential guarantor of food security worldwide and of environmental sustainability on the planet. Taking advantage of this potential will yield enormous and positive opportunities for the Americas".
Address by Director General to the Permanent Council of the OAS

Summary of the report


In 2018, IICA’s technical cooperation focused on matters related to the health, safety and quality of food; the development of rural territories; trade integration; climate-smart agriculture; as well as gender and youth. Federico Villarreal - Director of Technical Cooperation of IICA

IICA in numbers

Main achievements 2018

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21

new partnerships and strengthened linkages with international research, funding and cooperation agencies

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67 actions

were funded with institutional resources

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188

initiatives were funded with external resources, representing more than USD 154 million

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USD 300 thousand

were invested in rapid response actions in 15 countries

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Virtual PVS

A virtual version of the Performance, Vision and Strategy tool was launched to improve AHFS system

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250

agricultural authorities and technical specialists from Latin America and the Caribbean increased their awareness of the bioeconomy

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4

countries are currently implementing processes aimed at improving rural extension services for family farming

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4000

women, young people and members of indigenous and Afro-descendant populations in Latin America and the Caribbean strengthened their organizational capabilities

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54

officials in 7 countries completed the international module of the Regional Virtual School for Plant Health Inspectors (ERVIF)

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13

institutional macro processes were defined and are being optimized

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10%

reduction in expenditures related to travel, consultancy services and operating costs

Knowledge management

More than 1000 stakeholders, 140 institutions s and 34 countries strengthened their risk management capabilities in agricultural health and food safety.

More than 300 professionals, 24 food companies and 888 producers from several countries in the Americas became more familiar with the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act.

Close to 500 agricultural exporters, traders and other stakeholders from 11 countries became more proficient in matters related to trade integration and promotion, market linkages and investment profiles.

Close to 300 agents from 18 agricultural chains and 100 related institutions received training in the areas of value adding as well as business, associative and commercial management.

More than 150 government agencies received assistance in establishing frameworks, policies and mechanisms that foster inclusion in family faming.

About 260 technical specialists from 20 countries received training in the design, monitoring and evaluation of public policies and their instruments in a differentiated way for family farming.

Strategic partnerships

In 2018, linkages were established and strengthened with at least 21 international organizations, such as the WTO, IFAD, IDB, the World Bank, CAF, the European Union and several research centers. The Institute also signed agreements with Microsoft and Bayer in order to carry out actions related to digital transformation and sustainable development in agriculture, respectively.

Key cooperation Actions

Under the banner of the EU-funded PROCAGICA program, technological models were implemented in 4005 coffee production units, for the purpose of boosting their profitability. The program is being implemented in Central America and the Dominican Republic.
In Paraguay, under the Itaipú Binacional-IICA agreement, the implementation of 1197 reforestation subprojects resulted in the planting of more than a million trees of native, exotic and forest species, while more than 1500 hectares of new forest cover was planted.
In Peru, with resources from the Energising Development Program, the IICA-implemented project entitled “Fund for Sustainable Access to Thermal Renewable Energy” provided close to 50 thousand rural inhabitants with access to energy technologies for use in the home, while enabling close to 1150 enterprises to have access to energy for productive uses, leading to a 4727-tonne reduction in CO2e emissions
The INNOVA-AF project was approved and launched, thanks to a USD 2 million donation by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The project will be executed during the 2018-2021 period.