G/AG/GEN/136  
3 November  2016 
(16-6061) Page: 1/7 
Committee on Agriculture  Original:  Spanish  
 
  THE MARRAKESH DECISION AND FOOD SECURITY: CONTRIBUTION  
 OF THE INTER -AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR COOPERATION  
ON AGRICULTURE (IICA)  
SUBMISSION BY THE IICA  
The following submission, dated  2 November  2016, is being c irculated at the request of 
the Inter-American  Institut e for C oopera tion on Agricultur e (IICA).  
 
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The purpose of this document is to inform Member countries of the World Trade Organization 
(WTO) about the technical cooperation activities carried out by the IICA in 2016 to  provide  suppor t 
for Latin American and Caribbean countries in the area of food and nutrition security.  
One of the objectives of the IICA's 2014 -2018 Medium -Term Plan (MTP) is to improve agriculture's 
contribution to food security . Accordingly, the Institute supports its  Member States in developing 
policies, strategies and institutional frameworks to enhance the contribution of agriculture, and 
especially family farming . In this connection, the IICA provides technical cooperation through 
four flagship projects, which are geared towards the competitiveness and sustainability of 
agricultural chains for food security and economic development ; inclusion in agriculture and rural 
areas ; resilience and comprehensive risk management in agriculture ; and the productivity and 
sustain ability of family farming for food security and the rural economy . Thus, the Institute's 
contributions to the food security1 of the Americas are based on the four dimensions established 
by the  United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) : availab ility of food, access to food, 
food utilization and food stability.  
1  MULTINATIONAL ACTION BY THE IICA  
1.1.  When the  Minist ers of Agricultur e of the Americas met in October  2015, in Cancún  (Mexico), 
they signed a ministerial declaration containing  eight commitmen ts for improving agricultural  
productivi ty and sustainability. In the cooperation agenda  agreed , the IICA undertook to support 
activities involvin g the participation of the Ministries of  Agricultur e to promote a modern education 
system that  included and re spected traditional practices ; to help to increase the capaci ty of 
innovation systems to achieve a sustainable agricultur e adapt ed to climate change ; to promo te 
program mes that further food health and safety ; and to support technical cooperation in the are a 
of interna tional trade in agricultural products . 
1.2.  In 2016, the Food Security Observatory of the Americas w as consulted by more 
than 8,700  users from all over the world . This information tool is free of charge and provides 
relevant data - in both English a nd Spanish - on food security in the Americas . For further 
information, please visit: http://www.infoagro.net/programas/Seguridad/default.aspx . 
1.3.  The IICA seeks to promote the market int egration of producers, and hence greater access to 
food, by facilitating the strengthening of market information systems in the Americas . It does this 
by supporting the Market Information Organization of the Americas (MIOA), which disseminates  
                                                
1 IICA, 2009, "IICA's Definition of Food Security". Available at: 
http://repiica.iica.int/otrosdocumentos/SeguridadAlimentarias_Quees_Esp.pdf . G/AG/GEN/136  
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  relevant and  transparent information on the markets and  agricultural products of the 33 member 
countries of the Americas . For further information, please visit : http://www.mioa.org . 
1.4.  In partnership with Codex Alimentarius , the  IICA has helped to improve the 
regulatory  frameworks in the Latin American and Caribbean countries in the areas of  trade 
facilitation and agri -food produc tion, for the purposes of consumer  protection and assistance 
with multilateral  negotiation processes . Some 6 0 delegates from 3 0 countries participated 
in two regional  conferences and representatives of 16 countries in meetings of the 
Codex  Alimentarius  Commission . 
1.5.  With a view to improving the competitiveness of family farming, the IICA has supported 
various coop eration projects in the countries and subregions through  joint regional programmes . 
The Cooperative Programme for the Technological Development of Agri -food and Agro -industries in 
the Southern Cone (PROCISUR), the Cooperative Programme on Agricultural Rese arch, 
Development, and Innovation for the South American Tropics (PROCITROPICOS), and the 
Cooperative Research and Technology Programme for the Northern Region (PROCINORTE) focus 
on research, public policy, and knowledge sharing and management in relation to topics such as 
marketing models, genetic resources, and animal and plant health, all of which are linked to the 
availability and biological utilization of food . 
1.6.  In parallel, the Regional Agricultural Technology Fund (FONTAGRO), with the technical 
suppor t of the IICA, has supported the implementation of resilience -related projects in Chile, 
Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay  in connection with  traditional seed variety supply centres ; 
in Nicaragua and Honduras via technological innovat ions for providing  resilient means of livelihood 
for small farming families of the Corredor Seco and bio -intensiv e farming ; and in Uruguay 
and Argentina in connection with an innovation platform for the sus tainability of family 
livestock  systems . 
1.7.  In partnership with the United St ates Department of Agricultur e (USDA ) action has  been 
taken to improv e the entry of safe agricultural products into the United States market , products 
which give their small and medium -sized producers in various Latin American and Caribbean 
countries the o pportunity to improve their access to food thanks to the improvement in their 
income due to increased exports . 
1.8.  Similarly, through  a program me called "Food for Progres s", the IICA has supported the 
formula tion of a preliminary draft sanitary control law and  regulations for quarantine control and 
inspection systems in Haiti and the Dominican  Republic . Food for Progress  is a USDA program me 
with funds from the  Commodity Credit Corpora tion (CCC) and Food for Peace . 
1.9.  In the course of other technical cooperation ac tivities , 1,043 government and private -sector 
employees from te n member countries were given training to improve their understanding of the 
requirements for exporting to the United States and of the rules proposed under the Food Safety 
Modernization Act (FSMA).  
1.10.   Centr al Ame rica: 
a.  Central America has recently been paying greater attention to the coffee -growing 
sector , since in previous years coffee rust had a serious impact on the region , 
jeopardizing food security for small -scale coffee growers and pickers , since th e crop is a 
source of income for the families that subsist on th is activity . Consequently, the IICA is 
continuing to support the fight against coffee rust , alongside  the Regional Cooperative 
Programme for the Technological Development and Moderniza tion of Coffee Production 
(PROMECAFÉ) , through  which  the Central American national institutions are continu ing 
to implement the regional programme for the integrated management of coffee rust . 
The Program me has also introdu ced 30 new varieties of coffee fo r acclimatization, 
evalua tion and reproduc tion in countries such as Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, 
Costa Rica, Panam a, Dominican  Republic , Jama ica and Peru. 
1.11.   Implementation of the Regional Programme for Research and Innovation in Agricultural 
Value Chain s (PRIICA), a project funded by the European Union in collaboration with, and in 
support of, the countries of Central America . The programme seeks to increase the availability of, G/AG/GEN/136  
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  and access to, food through agricultural research and the marketing of tomat oes, avocados, yucca 
and potatoes, which form an essential part of the diet of low -income families in the 
Central  American region . The programme is being implemented in Guatemala, Honduras, 
El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, to the benefit of s ome 5,000 producers . In 2016, 
PRIICA made  available to  some 400 beneficiari es, organiz ed in 24 local innovation syndicates , 
more than  25 validated  technolog ies and practices , in concertation  with the national agricultural 
research institutions of six Centr al American countries . 
1.12.   In Panam a, 836 Panamanian producers received training in the role of women in food and 
nutrition security . 
1.13.   For further informa tion, please visit : http://www.priica.sictanet.org . 
1.14.   Caribbean: 
a. The IICA is continuing to play a leading role in implementing the Agricultural Policy 
Programme (APP) funded by the European Union in association with CARDI and 
CARICOM . The Programme covers the 15 CARIFORUM countries and seeks to enhance 
the agricultural sector's regional capacities in respect o f poverty eradication . 
It sets out to improve the regional availability of food products such as roots and 
tubers (e.g. yucca and sweet potatoes), minor species, citrus fruits and spices, all of 
which are produced mainly in family farming . Other actions un der the programme 
include strengthening the capacity of groups of producers in terms of business 
management and market link -ups. 
b. The Climatically Intelligent Agricultur e Forum was established and  has been  used to 
train more than 450 t echnical officers f rom environment and agriculture  minist ries, 
including outreachers and decision -makers , in adapting agricultur e to climate change . 
c. In Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines , Granada, Dominica and St. Kitts and 
Nevis  a total of  109 public and private -sector stakeholders  were trained  in good 
farming practices (GFP) in the face of climate change . 
1.15.   The IICA, as the S ecretar iat for the Inter-American  Commission on Organic  Agricultur e 
(CIAO) , has helped to strengthen the National Organic  Produc tion Systems of eight countries of 
the Americas  and to draw up the organic production agenda  for the member countries of the 
CIAO; has supported the creation of three sets of regulations linked to the Codex Alimentarius  and 
two handbooks on good practices ; and has provide d technical support in connection with 
two models for the presentation of Public Certifica tion Systems to interested countries of the CIAO.  
2  ACTIONS IN VARIOUS LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES  
2.1.  Listed below are some of the main activities carried out b y the IICA in support  of its 
Member  States . The activities are grouped according to the four dimensions of food security : 
2.2.  Food availability2: 
a.  Ecuador : Three technological innova tions for sustainable production systems used by 
the country 's family farmers  were validated . 
b.  Guatemala : A diagnostic study of irrigated rice growing was carried out and 
two promising varietal lines were selected for study . Where cocoa is concerned , 
a base line was established for five areas of the country , and various samples of 
germplasm  were collected on small farms ; moreover , an agronomic recommenda tion 
for the integrated management of cocoa growing was validated . 
                                                
2 FAO, 2015. Food availability: The availability of sufficient quantities of food of appropriate quality, 
supplied through domestic production or imports (including food aid). See "An Introduction to the Basic 
Concepts of Food Security": http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/al936s/al936s00.pdf . G/AG/GEN/136  
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  c.  Jamaica : In a joint effort between the Jamaica Dairy Development Board  (JDDB) and 
the IICA, the knowhow  of the prod ucers in the silvopastoral  sector was enhanced  by 
establishing two fodder banks . In addition , three groups of producers in the dairy 
products chain improved their skills in record -keeping, group dynamics and corporate 
governance . 
d.  Paraguay : About 200 produ cers benefi ted from various  training measures aimed at 
increasing the animal  breeding  rate and integrated produc ing farms,  with emphasis on 
the ovine chain . 
e.  Surinam e: The Minist ry of Agricultur e was helped to develop a programme for training 
approximately  40 onion production and research specialists,  in collaboration with the 
Dominican  Agricultural and Forest Research Institute  (IDIAF)  and various stakeholder s 
from the Dominican Republic 's industrial sector . Another activity carried out with the 
Ministry o f Agricultur e, Livestock and Fisheries  (LVV) involved the development of 
basic research and agronomic capacity to promote onion production . 
f.  Trinidad  and Tobago: Innovation capacity -building was provided for around  
20 stakeholder s from the caprin e chain in order to improve  productivi ty and quality in 
the high -quality fodder and dairy product production system . 
2.3.  Access to food3: 
a.  Costa Rica, Panam a and  Peru: With the support of specialists from AGROCALIDAD, the 
Codex Alimentarius Committee and Ecuador 's National Agricultural Research Institute 
(INIAP) , a process of building innovation capacity was begun to address the  issue of 
cadmium in the cocoa value chain . Around 130 persons  from 17 dif ferent  countries in 
the Americas benefited from this process.  
b.  Antigua and Barbuda : Thanks to the IICA, the Rural Women Producers Network will 
have a site for a commercial  agro-proces sing centre and with financing from the 
Global  Environment Fund  (GEF) and the Caribbean Development Bank has been able 
to provide business plan training for the women concerned . 
c.  Granada : For the purpose of building the public and private -sector capacity necessary 
to rehabilitate the coconut industry , around 50 pe ople were trained in the correct  
management of nurseries for resistant seedlings and in good coconut plant 
management practices . In addition , steps were taken to build the capacity of the 
Ministry of  Agricultur e for the purpose of distribu ting around 2,000 better -tasting and 
higher -quality disease -resistant coconut seedlings . 
d.  Honduras : Training was provided for 50 stakeholder s in the cashew chain in order to 
develop a strategy for marketing and adding value to cashew products , such as paste , 
juice and other beverages . 
e.  Haiti: In conjunction with the cooperation agencies of Canada, France a nd 
Switzerland, a training programme for a technical diploma in farm management was 
designed in order to assist Haiti 's Ministry of Agriculture with the technical support it 
provides for farmers so as to afford  them greater opportunities of generating inco me. 
The IICA gave backing for the country 's process of legislative  moderniza tion in this 
field, by collaborating on the drafting of the law on phytosanitary protection and a  
legislativ e code on veterinary medicines . 
                                                
3 Ibid. 2. Access to food: Access by individuals to adequate resources (entitlements) for acquiring 
appropriate foods for a nutritious diet. Entitlements are defined as the set of all commodity bundles over which 
a person can establish command given the legal, politi cal, economic and social arrangements of the community 
in which they live (including traditional rights such as access to common resources).  G/AG/GEN/136  
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  f.  Jamaica : Technical t raining geared towa rds adding value and improv ing the 
associative capacities  of agricultural entrepreneurs in the cocoa and coffee chains  was 
provided . Two cocoa bean driers were built to serve around  275 pe ople in the areas of 
St. Mary, Portland, St . Catherine and St. Thoma s. In addition , 50 people were trained 
in the bean fermenta tion process . 
g.  Mexico: In conjun ction with the Ministry of Agricultur e, Livestock , Rural  Development, 
Fisheries and Food  (SAGARPA) , assistance was provided with the monitoring  of 
specific activitie s related with the attraction of investment , market access and 
interna tional co operation , with a view to expanding the country 's agricultural exports.  
h.  Peru: Around  100 cocoa and coffee produc ers improved their ability to manage  
technolog ies for increasing  productivi ty, sustainability and efficiency in connection 
with specialty products . 
i.  St. Vincent and the Grenadines : The incomes and skills of 20 mango producers were 
improved by means of an analysis of commercial viabili ty and juice production . The 
author ities also received support with the preparation  of a plan for the manager ial 
monitoring of the sanitary conditions  necessary for manufacturin g this product.  
j.  Trinidad and Tobago: The technical capabilities of 25 caprine chain stakeholder s were 
strengthene d to assist them in  developing a marketing strategy and processing the 
resulting products . 
2.4.  Food stabili ty4: 
a.  Bahamas : In collaboration with  the Bureau of Women 's Affairs of the Ministry of Social 
Servic es, the managerial skills of the Bahamas Network of Wo men Producers were 
improved with a strategic plan and with at least 100 women trained i n backyard 
agriculture , empo werment , food security and sustainable development . 
b.  Brazil: Support was provided for the sy stematiza tion of initiatives and  proposals for  
concluding the Strategic Action  Plan concerning the legal framework for genetic 
resources based on the Interna tional Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and 
Agricultur e (ITPGRFA ). The aim is to contribu te to food security by expan ding the 
genetic  base of crops in the research institut ions within a climate change scenario . 
c.  Costa Rica : In order t o improve the sustainable use of water for agricultural 
produc tion, support was provided for the updating of a digital map of the 
country 's soils, with the emph asis on Costa Rica 's Corredor Seco territories in the 
Chorotega  Region . 
d.  Dominica : Together with the German cooperation agency  GIZ, the IICA helped to 
improve the skills of 30 farmers in the cucurbitaceae  and tuber crop chains in order to 
help reduce their  vulnerability to the effects of climate change and improve their 
ability to rehabilita te their producti on areas . Moreover, it established three model 
units for demo nstrating better practices in adapting to and mitigating climate change 
in the livestock an d beekeeping  sectors . In addition , 25 women from the Delices  
community  received agricultural inputs and machinery following the tropical storm 
Erika. More than 40 people from the public and private sectors were given training in 
sustainable agri cultur e, soil care and methodolog ies for making climate adaptation 
assessments . 
e.  Uruguay : In order to promote a more resilient a gricultur e, support was provided with 
the development of a methodolog y for mapping soils with organic content and pasture 
soils degraded by  erosion. Likewise, a contribution was made to the updating of a 
water erosion map for  the Arroyo de la Virgen  Basin  in Uruguay.  
                                                
4 Ibid. 2. Stability: To be food secure, a population, household or individual must have access to 
adequate food at  all times. They should not risk losing access to food as a consequence of sudden shocks 
(e.g. an economic or climatic crisis) or cyclical events (e.g. seasonal food insecurity). The concept of stability 
can therefore refer to both the availability and acc ess dimensions of food security.  G/AG/GEN/136  
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  f.  Venezuela , Bolivarian Republic of : To achieve improved  production in small -scale 
farming capable of being  adapted to and cop ing with climate change , about 60 people 
were given training in the efficient use and conservation of water . In addition , 
awareness -raising with re spect  to local  water  management was provided for around 
1,800 people , by carrying out activities and distributi ng outreach materials , together 
with local capacity -building for 10 women who will prom ote training processes and 
responsibilities  that affect the improved use, manag ement and local conservation 
of water . 
2.5.  Utiliza tion of food5: 
a.  Brazil: The National Environ mental Health Secretariat of the Minist ry of  Urban  
Planning and the IICA worked together on a technical cooperation study of the 
regulation and supervision  of sanitation services  and the reduction of water losses and 
management of energy use in the operati on of water systems for four municipalities in 
Bahia and Pernambuco, with a view to improving institu tional efficiency in the delivery 
of these services, which  benefit around four  million  people . Likewise, the Institut e 
helped to formulate a national actio n plan for a treated water re -utilization policy and 
provided technical cooperation  for a study intended to help to improve the regula tion 
and inspection of basic health services ; this involved five regulator y agencies , such as 
the State  Agenc y for the Reg ulation of Public  Servic es of Mato Grosso del Sur 
(AGEPAN) and the Municipal  Agency for the Regula tion of Delegated Public Servic es of 
Cachoeiro de Itapemirim (AGERSA), for the benefit of around 10 million  people . 
b.  Ecuador : In a joint activity  with the dec entralized autonomous government of the 
province of Esmeraldas (GADPE), some 20 small livestock farms were diagnos ed and a 
technical protocol  for the implementa tion of ep idemiol ogical profiles of zoonotic 
diseases was drawn up . In addition, the National Institute of Agricultural Research 
(INIAP) and AGROCALIDAD have a strengthened biolo gical control laboratory and 
30 technical staff trained to implement the methodologies and methods of bio -input 
analysis and biological control.  
c.  El Salvador : The IICA suppor ted the process of recognition of the system of chicken 
meat inspection between El Salvador and the United States by means of a proposal for 
inspection regulations for poultry meat and  the recognition  of the United States 
inspection system . 
d.  Jamaica : A food control handbook that describes the tasks, responsibilities and 
functio ns of the regulatory bodies needed to  ensur e that food is safe and suitable for 
human consumption is being developed . 
e.  St. Kitts and  Nevis: Within the framework of the sanitary and ph ytosanitary measures 
program me between the IICA and the European  Union, support was provided for the 
detailed evalua tion of the organiza tion of the country 's veterinar y and plant health 
services , using the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)  tool for evaluating the 
performance of veterinary services . 
f.  Surinam e: Training was provided for nine officials of the Fisheries Department of the 
Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, as well as for officials from public 
bodies responsible for managi ng outbreaks of diseases of aquatic animals . This work 
was carried out with support from the Cooperation Programme between the IICA and 
the European Union.  
                                                
5 Ibid. 2. Utilization: Utilization of food through adequate diet, clean water, sanitation and health care to 
reach a state of nutritional well -being where all physiological needs are met. This brings out the importance of 
non-food inputs in food security.  G/AG/GEN/136  
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  2.6.  For further details on IICA activities in this area, please contact : 
James French  
Lead Specialist  
Agricultural chains for sustainability and economic development  
Email : james.french@iica.int  
Tel: + (506) 2216 0218  
 
Adriana Campos Azofeifa  
Trade S pecialist  
Email : adriana.campos@iica.int  
Tel: + (506) 2216 0170  
 
2.7.  For further information, please visit the IICA website : http://www.iica.int . 
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