G/AG/GEN/171  
18 September 2020  
(20-6308) Page: 1/6 
Committee on Agriculture  Original:  Spanish  
 
  
COVID -19 AND AGRICULTURE:  
CONTRIBUTION OF THE INTER -AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR  
COOPERATION ON AGRICULTURE (IICA)  
SUBMISSION BY THE IICA  
The following submission, dated 17 September 2020, is being circulated at the request of the 
Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).  
 
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The purpose of this document is to inform Member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) 
about some of the activities carried out by the IICA in 20201 to support Latin Am erican and Caribbean 
(LAC) countries with analysing and monitoring C OVID -19 response measures for agriculture.  
 
The IICA is the specialized agency for agriculture within the Inter -American System and provides 
technical cooperation. The IICA supports 34 co untries in the Americas in areas such as international 
trade and regional integration; family farming; agricultural health and food safety and quality; the 
bioeconomy; and climate resilience.  
 
Some of the actions undertaken by the IICA in response to C OVID-19 at the hemispheric, regional 
and national levels are listed below. All these actions are listed on the IICA website  in the COVID -19 
section.  
 
1  HEMISPHERIC ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE IICA  
1.1.  Since 31 March 2020, the IICA has created a series of instruments to help public - and 
private -sector decision -makers tackle the challenges they face in the context of the pandemic. These 
instruments, listed below, prov ide information and facilitate dialogue and inter -agency coordination .   
1.1  Advisory Council for Food Security in the Americas  
1.2.  On 31 March 2020, the IICA established the Advisory Council for Food Security in the Americas, 
which includes leading professionals  from eight countries in the hemisphere who have made 
significant contributions to the agri -food sector, both in the political and academic spheres. The 
Council monitors the impact of the new coronavirus on food security in the region with a view to 
offering analyses and recommendations that may inform the decision -making processes of various 
public - and private -sector entities. It also carries out dynamic analysis exercises with respect to the 
situation and offers outlooks on food security in the Americas,  in light of the pandemic triggered by 
the new coronavirus, which is creating challenges for the region's agricultural economy. It also 
assists the IICA in its technical cooperation efforts , which are being redirect ed to address new and 
more urgent demands from the countries, which have arisen as a result of the pandemic, thereby 
contributing to the development of a new institutional roadmap.  
1.2  Advisory Committee on Communication for Agriculture and Food Security  
1.3.  Advisory Committee on Communication for  Agriculture and Food Security:  The 
Committee is initially formed by 10 members from 7 countries, all of whom are opinion leaders who 
 
1 The 2020 period starts in March 2020 and ends in September 2020.  G/AG/GEN/171  
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  have made significant contributions to the agri -food sector throughout their career s and are experts 
in public and institu tional communication. It will continuously call attention to the strategic 
importance of agriculture and its logistical and marketing chains. Within the framework of the current 
pandemic, the Committee will also seek to prioritize farming and the extensive  agricultural chain 
that surrounds this activity. The Committee will share information and analyses that may facilitate 
decision -making by various public - and private -sector institutions. Additionally, it will provide public 
stakeholders in the member coun tries with recommendations on how to address certain needs 
through more efficient communication.  
1.3  Meetings with Ministries of A griculture to strengthen the response of the Americas to 
the C OVID -19 pandemic  
1.4.  Meetings with agricultural authorities of the Ameri cas and international 
organizations:  In April and July this year, the IICA and the FAO responded to the Government of 
Chile's request and brought together  authorities from Ministries and Secretariats of  Agriculture from 
34 countries in the Americas so that they could share the ir policies, actions and plans for tackling 
the impact of the C OVID -19 pandemic on food security, agriculture, food systems and rural areas. 
During the virtual meetings, several countries, including Mexico, called for t he promotion of free 
trade and the removal of barriers that could affect food supplies.  
1.4  Food Security Monitor for the Americas  
1.5.  Food Security Monitor:  This weekly publication identifies trends and provides information, 
with analysis, figures and decisions taken by the departments of agriculture in the region. It also 
presents key information related to production, logistics, marketing and food sourcing. The 
publication is available on the IICA website ( https://www.iica.int/en/monitor ) and is distributed 
through social media, email and other messaging services.  
1.5  IICA blog: Cultivating tomorrow's agriculture today  
1.6.  This blog offers insights and outlooks on the C OVID -19 health emergency from renowned 
agricultural specialists. The blog contains five main sections of information and analysis that are 
available at blog.iica.int : 
a. Food Vulnerability Index:  The IICA produced an index to approximate food vulnerability 
levels in the countries of the Americas in the context of C OVID -19. Countries' possible 
coronavirus transmission channels and response capacities were an alysed, then the index 
was created using the following variables or transmission channels:  
• Net income per capita:  indicative of the economic well -being and the purchasing power 
of consumers before the crisis. Countries with lower income will be more affect ed by 
an economic deceleration or recession.  
• Net food imports and exports per capita:  indicative of the country’s level of 
dependence on international markets, and therefore, its capacity to meet its domestic 
food demands.  
• Prevalence of undernourishment:  indicative of what percentage of the population is at 
a higher risk for COVID -19, due to the fact that their basic food needs were not being 
met before the crisis.  
• Net fiscal status of governments (income minus expenditures):  indicative of the 
response capa city or level of preparation of countries to provide direct support to the 
most vulnerable sectors, design stimulus plans and reactivate economic activity.  
• Current account balance (% of GDP):  net exports of goods and services plus net 
investment income plu s payments of transfers, thus indicating the purchasing power 
of government, businesses and private individuals for goods and services (including 
food).  
b. Impact on agriculture:  a COVID -19 impact section with IICA experts and partners from 
various parts of the Americas analysing trends in agri -food trade during the pandemic and 
information on the overall situation of the economy and the agri -food sector.  G/AG/GEN/171  
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  c. Country responses : This section provides an update on : (1) the measures and policies 
that countries are adopting to mitigate the impact of C OVID -19 on the agri -food sector, 
and (2) the preparatory measures they are taking to accelerate the recovery and ensure 
the continuity of agri -food activity once the spre ad of the virus has been contained. The 
measures fall into four groups: (1) macroeconomic and social policies: fiscal, monetary 
and financial measures; (2) trade policies; (3) horizontal policies to support the sector 
(inputs, credit, marketing and investm ent); and (4) agri -food chain policies. This section 
also contains a graph showing how the measures have performed and opinions from 
experts with  close ties to the IICA. The Monitor also considers measures notified to the 
WTO and displayed in the WTO's C OVID-19 tool.  
d. Perspectives:  Different people have shared their opinions on bioinputs, labour and 
migration, food market stability, transparency in the multilateral system, rural youth, and 
technology and food security, among other topics. The IICA invites W TO specialists from 
observer organizations to the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Sanitary 
and Phytosanitary Measures , as well as  delegations , to participate through their 
contributions  in this section .  
1.6  Webinars, dialogues and roadmaps  
1.7.  The IICA blog and website provide access to high-level seminars and dialogues , with 
regional and sector -level outlooks . The IICA has placed special emphasis on dialogue with the private 
sector, academics , civil society and departments  of agriculture . Bring ing in a range of high-level 
experts, the webinar series, entitled " Reflections on the World and Food Security in Latin America 
and the Caribbean post -COVID -19", is designed to anticipate possibl e solutions and the requisite 
policies to contribute to food security, economic reactivation and trade in the aftermath of the 
pandemic. Former President of the Inter -American Development Bank Enrique Iglesias and former 
Ibero -American Secretary -General Re beca Grynspan  are among the high -profile international trade 
experts from the Americas who have participated in these seminars to  discuss the challenges of 
multilateralism.  
1.8.  Noteworthy dialogues include that of  the IICA Director -General with Luis Planas, S panish 
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, on the challenges faced by the agri -food sector in the 
Americas and post -pandemic horizontal cooperation , as well as the dialogue with Michael Kremer,  
2019 Nobel Laureate in Economics and Gates Professor at Harvard University, who presented a 
roadmap for effective poverty reduction in Latin America and the Caribbean through digital 
agriculture at the event Opportunities for Digital Agriculture in Latin America and the Caribbean: 
Rapid Response to COVID -19.  
1.9.  Series of forums with relevant groups in agriculture, such as women and rural youth, 
as well as  academic s and research ers. Between  April and July, women and youth from the 
production sector shared ideas on how the private sector, the public sector and international 
cooperation could develop more inclusive and sustainable production systems when building 
post-COVID  agriculture. Furthermore, in September a series of forums analysing food security in the 
Americas  were held , with the participation of academics , offering perspectives on aspects of trade 
policy, innovation, intra-regional and international trade, nutriti on and health  and contributing to 
building post -pandemic agriculture.  
1.7  Promoting the transparency of the trade measures taken by countries in response to  
COVID -19 so that they do not become barriers to trade  
1.10.   Joint technical cooperation proposals to streng then agricultural trade policy:  
Through its blog, the IICA provides information on the types of measures and instruments that are 
used and the trade measures that are adopted by member countries and their main trading partners. 
As an observer organization of the WTO Committee on Agriculture, the IICA analyses and shares 
discussions on measures affecting agricultural trade. In addition , the diagnostic study on technical 
requirements for agricultural trade policy in the Americas  analyses member countries' needs and 
proposes technical cooperation activities designed to improve information and the dissemination of 
trade measures and foster greater predictability in agricultu ral trade , especially in times of crisis , 
such as during the C OVID -19 pandemic.  G/AG/GEN/171  
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  1.8  Promoting international trade to drive economic recovery and well -being during and 
after C OVID -19 
1.11.   Virtual agribusiness fairs:  Through its International Trade and Regional Inte gration 
Programme, the IICA, together with its domestic and regional strategic partners, carries out actions 
to support the economic recovery of the Americas by increasing exports, enhancing regional 
integration and diversifying agri -food markets and goods . The most significant of these actions is 
the hemispheric virtual agribusiness fair organized in partnership with the Central American 
Economic Integration Secretariat, the Food and Agricultural Organization and the Latin American 
Integration Association (LAIA). Some 600 enterprises participated, with intended business totalling 
almost USD 4.7 million.  
2  REGIONAL AND NATIONAL IICA ACTIONS IN RESPONSE TO COVID -19 
2.1.  The IICA's actions can cover anywhere between one and five of its regions (Northern, Central, 
Caribbean, Andean and Southern). They can also cover only one country or several countries. Some 
of the regional, multinational and national actions are listed below.  
2.1  Capacity -building to take advantage of the opportunities generated by trade 
agreements and  integration processes and to accelerate the economic recovery  
2.2.  Training for small and medium -sized agricultural enterprises to support their 
internationalization in Latin American countries:  Through its International Trade and Regional 
Integration program me, the IICA develops export capacity -building processes for people and 
organizations involved in agri -food and small and medium -sized agribusinesses, enabling them to 
take advantage of the trade opportunities available in the export markets. These include  the 
hemispheric cycle of seminars entitled " Training for the internationalization of SMEs 2020 ", 
developed in conjunction with LAIA, and national actions developed in Argentina, the Plurinational 
State of Bolivia, Ecuador and other countries.  
2.2  Use of techn ology platforms and production and marketing campaigns in response to 
COVID -19 
2.3.  Costa Rica and Central Region:  Given the immediate impacts of the C OVID -19 pandemic, 
the European Union (EU), the IICA and the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Educatio n 
Center (CATIE) reinforced their alliance to support food security in the communities of Turrialba and 
Vázquez de Coronado through a food bank. Initially, the food bank will have white maize, beans, 
cassava, sweet potatoes, plantains, squashes, bananas an d highly nutritious fruits such as soursop, 
citrus and guavas, as well as some minor species, including poultry and tilapia. This food production 
and diversification model will also be adapted to Central American countries working on projects in 
conjunctio n with the EU, giving family family -run small -scale food producers access to research and 
innovation that will allow them to address  food security and nutrition problems.  
2.4.  Chile:  A campaign entitled "The countryside looks after itself" by ANASAC and UNIFRUT TI, 
supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, uses  videos in Spanish and Creole to raise awareness of 
the basic self -protection measures that agribusiness workers should follow to prevent C OVID -19 
infection. The IICA  in Haiti helped with reviewing and translating the material, which was essential 
to ensure the continuity of the supply chain, since more than 70% of Chile's fruit and vegetable 
production is exported and many agri -food workers are of Haitian origin. All of the campaign material 
is available at elcamposecuida.cl . 
2.5.  Ecuador:  To connect producers and consumers during the C OVID -19 crisis, in July, the IICA 
and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock invited Ecuador's youth to develop software that could 
maintain the supply chain under strict health standards and foster short distribution channels.  
2.6.  Central Region, Mexico and the Dominican Republic:  In response to the C OVID -19 health 
emergency, the Central American Progr amme for the Comprehensive Management of Coffee Rust 
(PROCAGICA)  – a joint initiative between the IICA and the EU  – implemented a strategy to provide 
technical support to family coffee producers through WhatsApp, including information on preventive 
measure s to protect their health and prevent the deterioration of production systems. The strategy G/AG/GEN/171  
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  has facilitated ongoing interaction between experts and producers from 191 organizations, who have 
shared audio recordings, text messages and images providing  guida nce on specific topics.  
In addition, the Regional Agri -food Supply System for Food Security (SAAR) was established between 
the IICA and the EU to be used exclusively by representatives from Ministries and Secretariats of 
Agriculture in Belize, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, 
Nicaragua and Panama. The application will enable agricultural authorities in countries producing 
staple grains, fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy products and other products to share and a ccess 
real-time information on surpluses and shortages, thus promoting intra-regional trade and boosting 
the supply and availability  of food . Among other features, the system provides information on 
markets and import requirements, issues alerts related to  posted prices, and includes a chat utility 
to ensure fluid communication among ministers and secretaries.  
Additionally, as part of the AGRO -INNOVA project, the IICA and the EU launched the 
AGROInfoCOVI19 application, which provides preventive recommendati ons and measures to 
strengthen biosafety within the agri -food chains of countries in the Americas. The initiative is part 
of the AGRO –INNOVA project and is run by agricultural producers and farm workers, as well as 
persons involved in distribution, transpo rtation,  agribusiness operations , supply centres, wholesale 
markets and local trade fairs. The platform was set up to provide a concrete response to requests 
made by ministers and secretaries of agriculture in the region. The app lication  can be downloaded 
from http://med -agro.iica.int  and app stores.  
2.3  Mechanisms to foster dialogue and inter -agency and cross -sector coordination  
2.7.  To ensure that the agri -food system can respond rapidly to guarantee food security during t he 
COVID -19 crisis , the IICA fosters dialogue and inter -agency coordination covering a range of topics, 
including health and safety, governance, production and productivity.  
a. Caribbean region:  The effect of the pandemic in the Caribbean countries underlines the 
urgent need for specialized practical training tailored to the current situation of the 
agricultural sector. The IICA and the Caribbean Export Development Agency, also known 
as Caribbean  Export, are therefore developing a joint programme to help youth and 
women in the Caribbean running micro, small and medium -sized enterprises to benefit 
from international and intra-regional trade after the pandemic.  
b. Southern region : Chairs of parliament ary committees on agriculture in the upper and 
lower chambers of Argentina, the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, 
Peru and Uruguay exchanged information and experiences regarding the battle against 
COVID -19 during a virtual meeting c onvened in May by Brazil's Parliamentary Committee 
on Agriculture and the IICA. The parliamentarians discussed alternatives to ensure the 
supply and protection of rural producers after the pandemic. They also discussed the 
situations in each country in the  region so that legislators could consider alternative 
proposals and public policy options. Other topics addressed included support for farmers, 
reducing costs , logistics, movement and trade in agricultural goods, and policies to support 
family farming and  rural development.  
c. Argentina:  In conjunction with the Group of Producing Countries from the Southern Cone, 
the IICA organized the international seminar on "Safe food in world trade against a 
backdrop of deepening non -tariff barriers". The event took plac e in July, with support from 
the oil, meat, cereals and innovation sectors in Argentina. It became clear during the event 
that food -producing countries in Latin America are concerned about  their products' access 
to major global markets and, particularly , what demands China may impose in the near 
future. In addition, participants , ranging from export ers to representatives of various  
public bodies, identified shared interests for the region and agreed that the region needed 
to adopt a coordinated approach.  G/AG/GEN/171  
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  For further details on IICA activities in this area, please contact:  
 
Adriana Campos Azofeifa  
Specialist for the International Trade and Regional Integration Programme, IICA  
Email: adriana.campos@iica.int  
Tel: (+506) 2216 0170  
 
Nadia Monge Hernández  
Specialist for the International Trade and Regional Integration Programme, IICA  
Email: nadia.monge@iica.int  
Tel: (+506) 2216 0358  
 
Visit the institutional website:  http://www.iica.int  
 
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