On October 20 took place in Mexico the opening of the Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas 2015, organized by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food of Mexico . During the ceremony, Arámbula Victor Villalobos, Director of IICA, presented a series of recommendations to enhance productivity in the region.
Among them, he listed strengthening the oversight role of the State in the field of agriculture; develop an agricultural framework; invest in a culture of innovation; consolidate the leadership of the region; promoting an entrepreneurial culture among small farmers, and strengthen international cooperation for productive, sustainable and competitive agriculture.
“Productivity is a prerequisite for competitiveness, we must increase yields per hectare, without pushing the agricultural frontier to limit further our industry must adapt to climate variability, as well as adequate risk management and disaster prevention” he added.
“It Demos fulfill the hopes of a more productive, sustainable and inclusive agriculture, make agriculture in the Americas a cornfield that allows us to produce more and feed everyone,” he added.
Inauguration by Peña Nieto
The President, Enrique Peña Nieto, opened the meeting. Under the slogan “Growing better, produce more, feed everyone”, the meeting aims to build a hemispheric agenda to strengthen a competitive and sustainable agricultural productivity and promoter of rural inclusion.
The event, which brings together delegates from 34 nations of the continent and invited international body, the challenges to increase productivity and sustainability are addressed, to ensure enough food and quality in Mexico and the world.
The Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food, José Calzada said that increasing productivity, improving profitability and optimizing the sustainability of farming enable a strong and clear link between agriculture and development, particularly in the most backward regions.
“The exchange of views on the experiences of each country and the different ways of facing the agricultural challenges of food supply and will allow you to define general criteria on the future of production in the Americas,” he said.
Calzada Rovirosa stressed that the framework of this meeting is also performed the Seventeenth Regular Meeting of the Inter-American Board of Agriculture (IABA), which “commits us to be an example for effective linkages between agriculture and social inclusion.”
International common agenda
The Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas, organized by IICA and SAGARPA, is a great opportunity to create a common agenda for international cooperation to ensure food supply, contribute to the sustainability of natural resources and promote development inclusive in the countries of our hemisphere.
On 22 October, the last day of the meeting, the Ministers of Agriculture issued a statement with commitments to promote a more productive and sustainable agriculture at the hemispheric level.
It should be noted that during the ministerial meeting also report Outlook for Agriculture and Rural Development of the Americas (2015-2016), analysis by IICA, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO will present ) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and the report of activities of the 2013-2014 IICA.
