G/AG/GEN/142  
6 November  2017 
(17-6026) Page: 1/9 
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 9 October  2017, is being circulated at the request of the 
Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA ). 
 
_______________  
 
 
The purpose o f this document is to inform Member countries of the World Trade Organization 
(WTO) about some of the technical cooperation activities carried out by the IICA in 20171 to 
support  Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) 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 agricu lture's 
contribution to food security . Accordingly, the Institute cooperates with its Member States in 
developing policies, strategies and institutional frameworks to this end, and especially to enhance  
the contribution of family farming.  
 
The IICA provide s its technical cooperation through various instruments, such as programmes and 
projects financed from external resources, a technical cooperation fund (FonCT), rapid -response 
actions, cooperation programmes for research and innovation (PROCI), an agricult ural health and 
food safety programme, and four flag ship projects, the latter focus ing on four main areas:  
 
a. competitiveness and sustainability of agricultural chains for food security and economic 
development ; 
b. inclusion in agriculture and rural areas ; 
c. resilience and comprehensive risk m anagement in agriculture ; and 
d. productivity and sustainability of family farming for food security and the rural economy . 
These technical cooperation instrument s and the partnerships established w ith national and 
internationa l bodies in its Member countries enable the IICA to contribute  to food security2 in the 
Americas, based on the four dimensions established by the United Nations Food and Agriculture 
Organization (FAO) : availability of food, access to food, food utilization  and food stability . 
 
                                                
1 Covers the period from June  2016 to June  2017.  
2 IICA (Inter -American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, Costa Rica), 2009. IICA's Definition of 
Food Security. San José, Costa Rica. Accessed on 29  August  2017. Available at 
http://legacy.iica.int/esp/programas/seguridadalimentaria/Documents/SeguridadAlimentarias_Quees_Eng.pdf . G/AG/GEN/142  
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  1  MULTINATIONAL ACTION BY THE IICA  
1.1.  During the period 2016 -2017,  the IICA carried out activities  to support various countries and 
regions in the four dimensions of food security : 
1.1  Access to food3 
a. Caribbean r egion : Facilitating agribusiness . Evaluating mechanisms for facilitating 
business and recommendations to reduc e the restrictive effects of trade policy and 
transport services . This outcome was  achieved within the framework of the Agricultural 
Policy Programme (APP ), led by the IICA and focusing on the Caribbean countries , which 
is funded by the European Union (EU) . 
The Caribbean C ommunity (CARICOM) is now equipped with  a study on intra -regional 
trade, in which  imports have fallen by ove r US$4  billion, exerting pressure towards 
suspension of the Co mmon External Tariff (CET) . The study identifies the non -tariff 
barriers that exist, both regionally and specifically within countries, for each product 
affected , and formulates  recommendations to re duce or eliminate them . Likewise, it 
flags some of the challe nges that need to be addressed in the transport of fresh products 
and puts forward  options for establishing three regional agro corridors that may improve 
intra-regional trade in various products : tubers, wheat, beer, fish and fish products, light 
fruits, animal feed, rice, sugar, spices and condiments, among others . 
b. Helping to increa se incomes and market a ccess . In Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, 
Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Suriname, some 96 economic projects or 
business plans were drawn up on the basis of the AT -SIAL, LINKA/CIAT and CANVAS 
methodologies, in order to cater for ventures and production requirements of over 
1,400 excluded family farmers (women, young people, indigenous populations and 
people of African descent) in  various relevant areas such as, among others, diversifying 
production, food security, ecotourism, livestock, cocoa  growing, coffe e, plants, 
vegetables, tubers, coconut and medicinal plants.  
c. Participation in animal -health and  food-safety events for market a ccess . 
Approximately 500 staff from government entiti es and enterprises from over 
20 countries raised their capacity to access  markets through their participation in various 
activities, including, inter alia , the VIIth International Seminar on Good Agricultural 
Practices in the Mercosur region, the IInd National Seminar on Good Agricultural Practices 
in Argentina, the  Conference of the World Organis ation for Animal Health (OIE) Regional 
Commission for the Americas, the m eeting of the Working Group on Fruit Flies of the 
Western Hemisphere, and the annual m eeting of the North American Plant Protection 
Organization (NAPPO) . In additi on, the IICA participated in the regional meeting of the 
representatives of the six Member countries of the Permanent Veterinary Committee 
(CVP) of the Southern Cone, the m eeting of the Capacity Development Committee (CDC) 
of the International Plant Protec tion Convention (IPPC) , and the m eeting of the 
FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for LAC.  
d. Modernizing market information s ystems . The Market Information Organization of 
the Americas (MIOA ), which has  33 Member countries, has support ed the development 
of a new curriculum on agricultural market information and analysis , with universities in 
Brazil, Costa Rica, Honduras and Trinidad and Tobago, as well as the compilation of a 
catalogue of 39 products of commercial importance for Central America, such as, among 
others, maize, potato , melo n, onion  and pineapple . Similarly, the Agricultural Market 
Information System  (SIMA -AMIS) platform4 has been developed to manage a 
                                                
3 Access to food: Access by individuals to adequate resources (entitlements) for acquiring appropriate 
foods for a nut ritious diet. Entitlements are defined as the set of all commodity bundles over which a person 
can establish command given the legal, political, economic and social arrangements of the community in which 
they live (including traditional rights such as acce ss to common resources). See FAO (United National Food and 
Agricultural Organization, Italy), 2015. An Introduction to the Basic Concepts of Food Security. Rome, Italy. 
Accessed on 29  August  2017. Accessible at http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/al936e/al936e00.pdf . 
4 The platform, into which price data are fed by staff in ministries of agriculture or by statistical officers 
in various countries, may be found at http://www.sima -amis.com . G/AG/GEN/142  
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  cloud -based price database, and 150 people from 11 countries were trained in its use . 
Thus, staff from various government al entities in Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, 
Barbados, Belize, Costa Rica, Dominica, Granada, Dominican Republic, Saint Kitts and 
Nevis, Saint Lucia and S aint Vincent and the Grenadines are able to make their prices 
available to the public.  
e. Technological capacity -building  for competitive chains . Around 1, 900 people from 
various agricultural chains in seven countries were trained in technology options for , 
inter alia , managing milk, post -harvest handling of fruit, sweet potato farming, pest and 
disease control, economic and risk evaluation, managing cadmium, and carbon footprint . 
The beneficiary agricultural chains were coffee and cocoa in Panama, sheep  in Parag uay, 
fruit in El Salvador, goat 's milk in Trinidad and Tobago, poultry in Venezuela, horticulture 
in Argentina and sweet potato in Jamaica . 
f. Fair trade certification . In Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama, capacity -building  in 
marketing, building partnerships, leadership, strategic planning, adding value, project 
development and fair trade rules was organized for 500 small producers linked to 
47 enterprises certified or in the process of gaining certification . Of these enterpris es, 
25 are already exporting their products (pineapple, coffee, cocoa, etc .) to markets in the 
United States ; Canada ; Spain; France ; Belgium ; Netherlands ; Germany ; Switzerland ; 
Israel; Republic of Korea ; Japan; New Zealand ; England ; Ireland ; Scotland ; and Wales.  
g. Promoting agri -food business . The IICA consolid ated the Platform for Agribusiness 
Promotion, Knowledge -Management and Foresight in South America (AgroSur network ), 
which enables nine countries in the Andean and S outhern regi ons to contribute 
information, technical exchanges and knowledge for the development of agribus iness in 
the region, and to foster expansion  and diversification of the growing trade in 
value -added p roducts, while safeguarding the economic, social and environmental 
sustainability of agribusiness . 
h. Identifying challenges in regard to trade with the United States . Around 80 public 
and private stakehold ers from 50 entities in the banana (El Salvador), yucca 
(Dominican  Republic) and coffee (Peru) chain s identified challenges to be addressed in 
order to reinforce  trade with the United States, through their participation in training 
activities carried out by the IICA under a project entitled "Strengthening bilateral trade 
between the United States an d the Latin American countries with which the United 
States has established free trade agreements ", funded by the Foreign Agricultural 
Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) . 
1.2  Food availability5 
a. Central America : Diversified food options . Progres s was made in the yucca chain : 
In Guatemala, the ICTA Izabal variety was sown on 890 plots , and in Costa Rica 
13 technologies were generated (in areas such as , inter alia , improving lifetime, nutrition 
and availability of crops) and 35 new genotypes were produced . Furthermore, through 
the Regional Programme for Research and Innovation in Agricultural Value Chains 
(PRIICA ), funded by the European Union , the members of 24 local yucca, potato, 
avocado  and tomato consortia gained knowledge on new ways of  preparing and 
consuming their crops, thanks to the results of research placed at their disposal and 
their participation in training activities and trade fairs . This programme also supported 
the release,  by research institutes in Central America, of yucca, potato, avocado and 
tomato germ plasm for 5 ,314 beneficiaries.  
b. More robust  production systems . The IICA enhanced the skills  of 50 family farmers, 
technicians and authorities in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador,  Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, 
Paraguay and Peru in the application of public -policy strategies designed to promote 
rural development and family farming and in innovative practices to improve 
                                                
5 Food availability: The availability of sufficient quantities of food of appropriate quality, supplied 
through domestic production or imports (including food aid). See FAO (United National Food and Agriculture 
Organization, Italy), 2015. An Introduction to the Basic Concepts of Food Security. Rome, Italy. Accessed on 
29 August  2017. Accessible at http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/ al936e/al936e00.pdf . G/AG/GEN/142  
- 4 - 
  management of their production systems, food availability and mar keting of their 
products . In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Jamaica, Haiti and Guyana, the dynamics 
and strategies of family agricultural production were delineated . 
c. Promotion of innovation . Within the framework of the Network for Innovation 
Management in the A gri-food Sector  (INNOVAGRO Network ), which comprises  82 public 
and private institutions from 16 countries of Latin America and Europe, three innovative 
technological  processes were implemented:  
i. a method for biological control of the olive fly in Spain ; 
ii. a latest -generation nano particle aqueous adjuvant for production animal vaccines in 
Argentina ; and 
iii. an IT application for determining  fertilization requirement s for rice crops in Urugua y. 
Seminars, videoconferences and workshops were organized to build the capacity  of 
3,500 people . 
d. Analysis and efficiency in agricultural chains . The "Commodity Systems Assessment 
Methodology for value chain problem and project  identification " (CSAM) was updated 
with the support of its  original authors and the Posth arvest Education Foundation . This 
methodology , which  serves to identify weaknesses throughout agricultural value chains 
that cause  food losses and to find solutions, was applied in Peru in the y ellow flint maize 
chain, with the backing of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MINAGRI), the Norte 
Chico Agrarian Coo perative (COOPANORTE) and the E cumenical Centre for Social 
Promotion and Action (CEDEPAS Norte) . It was also applied in Uruguay i n the lettuce 
chain, with the collaboration of Modelo market and the Directorate -General for Farms 
(DIGEGRA) in the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP).  
e. Cooperation programme s in research and innovation for the competitiveness of 
family  farming . The IICA has supported cooperation projects implemented in countries 
and subregions through various joint regional progra mmes. The Cooperative Programme 
for the Tec hnological Development of Agri -food and Agro -industries in th e Southern 
Cone (PROCISUR) , the Cooperative Programme on Agricultural Research, Development 
and Innovation for the South American Tropics (PROCITROPICOS), and the Cooperative 
Agricultural Research and Technology Programme for the Northern Region 
(PROCINORTE) focus on rese arch, public policy , and knowledge -sharing and 
management in relation to various topics such as marketing models, genetic resources , 
and animal and plant health, thereby fundamentally contributing to food  availability  and 
utilization . 
Under PROCITROPICOS, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela have 
shared around 50 protocols for the delineation  of strateg ic genetic resources for food 
security in the face of the effects of climate change . PROCINORTE 's Special Group on 
Genetic Resources organized the workshop on "Ancestral/indigenous conservation and 
development of genetic resources : challenges, tools and prospects ", which focused on 
maize, marrow and beans . This programme also helped  train Mexican scientists in the 
use of the Animal Genetic Resources Information Network (GRIN).  
f. Monitor ing and evaluation of agricultural policies . The IICA enhanced the skills of 
more than 95 authorities and technic ians from the agriculture  policy units of Argentina, 
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay in good practices and 
lessons l earned for the pursuit, monitor ing and evaluation of policies  for agriculture , 
thanks to joint work with partner institutions in Brazi l, Canada, Chile, Colombia and 
Mexico . G/AG/GEN/142  
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  1.3  Stable Access to food6 
a. Caribbean States : Access to  and transfer of new technologie s for small 
producers, especially y oung people and women . Demon stration of mechanized 
technolo gies to improve the production and produc tivity of farms and agro -enterprises . 
In Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, S aint Kitts and Nevis, S aint Lucia 
and Trinidad and Tobago, 200 producers benefited from practical and visual 
demonstrations teaching them about the immediate impacts  of tractors on soil 
preparation and on the productivity of roots and tubers . Around  30% of the beneficiaries 
were women, and secondary -school pupils participated in some countries 
(e.g. Dominica) . This activity was carried out under the leadership of the Caribbean 
Agriculture Research and Development Institute (CARDI), within the framework of the 
Agricultural Policy Programme (APP), focusing on the Caribbean countries and funded by 
the EU . 
b. Attention to degraded soils in the Caribbean . The IICA validated a regional training 
module on the management of degraded soils, in which 40 extension technicians from 
Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica and Suriname  participated . Virtual forums 
were held, too, in which 1, 383 participants interacted, as well as va rious courses 
dispensed by experts in soil management and efficient use of water, building the 
capacities of 575 participants  on those topics . 
c. Capacities of family farmers to manage natural resources . In Guatemala, 
Paraguay and Peru, the IICA promoted the formulation and implementation of strategies 
and plans for the management of sustainable production systems for family farming . 
Elsewhere, in Bolivia and Venezuela, it provided  technical capacity -building  in the 
formulat ion and implementation of water -management and irr igation plans . Both these 
activitie s served to improve the management of natural and production resources, 
secure a quality diet and reduce levels of malnutrition in these countries . 
d. Recovery of local know ledge. In Bolivia, Ecuador, Guate mala, Nicaragua,  Paraguay 
and Venezuela, family -farming knowledge was documented through the methodical 
organizati on of local knowledge and ancestral practices that enable more ef fective 
utilization  of indigenous species and native genetic resources with f ood potential . One 
highlight was the exchange of experiences among 250 farmers and technicians in regard 
to local knowledge in the growing of quinoa and cañahua, which made it possible to 
upgrade  the use of these products in national production systems . 
e. Dissemination of climate -smart agriculture systems . This activity  was conducted 
through various events which attracted around 350 participants from the public and 
private sectors . One of these was the Caribbean Climate Smart Agriculture (CCSA) 
Forum, which positioned itself as a space for national and regional knowledge -sharing on 
climate -smart agriculture in the Eastern Caribbean States (ECS) . Furthermore, 
workshops were held in the Bahamas  and Dominica, aimed at improving  climate -change 
adaptation of agric ulture, a topic that was also addressed in Argentina, Chile and 
Paraguay . In addition, inventories of policies and actions on c limate change and 
agriculture were made in several countries.  
                                                
6 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 access dimensions of food security. See FAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture 
Organization, Italy), 2015. An Introduction to the Basic Concepts of Food Security. Rome, Italy. Accessed on 
29 August  2017. Accessible at http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/al936e/al936e00.pdf . G/AG/GEN/142  
- 6 - 
  1.4  Food utilization7 
a. Harmonization of food safety checks in Central Am erica . The Virtual Regional Food 
Inspectors School for Central America and the Dominican Republic ran several courses 
on food inspection and food audit, from which 479 inspectors graduated . This has made 
it possible to establish  a solid network of experts in this domain . 
b. Strengthening sanitary measures in the Caribbean . Through a series of institu tional 
efforts, on top of activitie s implemented with partners such as, inter alia , the European 
Union, the IICA carried out capacity -building  in the Caribbean region  in plant health, 
primarily plant virology, communication, pest diagnosis and quarantine . The validation of 
a model law on plant health, animal health and food safety by the countries of the 
Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) paved the way  for formulating a  harmonized legislative 
framework, creating regional liaison mechanisms , and increasing countries ' participation 
in international meetings on animal health and food safety  by 60 %. Furthermore, 
1,350 public and private stakeholder s wer e trained in sanitary and phyto sanitary 
requirements, thus helping to improve the safety systems of over 25 private companies.  
c. Capacity -building  for LAC countries in matters relating to the Codex  
Alime ntarius . The participation of representatives from 19 countries in nine meetings of 
the Codex Committee, the organization of joint events between the Codex Coordinating 
Committees for Latin America and the Caribbean (CCLAC) and Africa (CCAFRICA) , and 
the implementation of five twinning projects , among other activities, benefit ed over 
1,000 people and built  institutional capacity in LAC . 
d. Compliance with i nternational standards . The IICA assisted  in the implementation 
of good agricultural practices that help the countries of the region comply with the 
United States Food Safety Mo dernization Act (FSMA), in making public and private 
stakeholders aware of this law , and in the certification of 45 food -safety professionals 
from Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Granada, Jamaica, S aint Lucia and Trinidad and 
Tobago as lead instructors . 
e. Good practices in chicken production in the Caribbean . Members of 
100 public - and private -sector groups from Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, 
Dominican Republic, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago were trained in good agricultural 
practices . Also, a study was carried out to elaborate good poultry practice  guides . 
2  ACTIONS IN VARIOUS LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES  
2.1.  Reported below are some of t he main activiti es carried out by the IICA and its 
representatives in support of its Member States , in relation to the four dimensions of food security:  
2.1  Food availability  
a. Bolivia : Better informed quinoa producers . The Ministry of Rural Development and Land 
(MDRyT) of Bolivia is now equipped with an  information, knowledge and communication 
system on var ious aspects of the production, marketing, distribution and consumption of 
quinoa, the purpose of which is to improve the situation of stakeholders involved in 
quinoa production, especially the most vulnerable.  
b. Guatemala : Management and governance of the cocoa chain . In coordination with the 
Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, the Strategic Plan for Guatemala 's cocoa agri -food 
chain (PEAC) was validated and publicized ; around 150 people participated in this work , 
including actors directly involved in th e chain, government authorities and 
representatives of academia and international cooperation agencies . A study was carried 
out to formulate a management model for the national cocoa strategy . Likewise, 
                                                
7 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 important of non -food inputs in 
food security. See FAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Italy), 2015. An Introduction to the 
Basic Concepts of Food Security. Rome, Italy. Accessed on 29  August  2017. Accessible at 
http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/al936e/al936e00.pdf . G/AG/GEN/142  
- 7 - 
  24 stakeholders benefited from capacity -building  in institutional regulations, governance 
mechanisms, project management and design and formulation of investment 
programmes . 
c. Mexico: The IICA helped to ensure that the National Agriculture and Food Health, Safety 
and Quality Service (SENASICA) is in a position  to maintain its phyto sanitary status as a 
countr y free from Mediterranean fruit fly, thereby strengthening sustainable fruit and 
vegetable activity, cr eating employment and boosting a ccess to international markets, 
which yields direct economic benefits fo r the c ountry of around US$60  billion  (39% from 
exports and 61 % from trade on the domestic market ). 
d. Panam a: Contributions to strengthening innovation . With the aim of safeguarding food 
security, the IICA placed at the disposal of the National Secretariat of Science , 
Technology and Innovation (SENACYT) a feasibility study for setting up the Resea rch and 
Training Laboratory on New Agriculture Methodologies in a C ontrolled Environment with 
Emphasis on Vertical Protected A griculture . It will contin ue to support establishment of 
the legal framework and the formulation of promotion plans, among other measures 
required to put in place the laboratory.  
e. Dominica : Improving the management of roots . In collaboration with the CARDI, the 
Caribbean Farmers Net work (CAFAN), the Dominica Bureau of Standards (DBOS) and 
the Dominica Export/Import Agency (DEXIA), 25 producers, packagers and exporters 
were trained in post -harvest management, traceability and quality enhancement of 
roots.  
f. Honduras : Determin ing the potential of avocado . Within the framework of the PRIICA, 
an inventory of crop-growing areas and a nursery certification manual were made 
available to 195 stakeholders  in the avocado chain. This will enable them to ascertain 
the production and economic pot ential of this crop, ensure the production of quality 
plants , and raise productivity and plantation yield.  
g. Haiti: A source of protein for low -income families . With the support of CARITAS nun s 
and the IICA, a poultry farm p roject in Arreguy was ex panded wit h the addition of 
500 hens. This project, as well as enabling poor children, adults and farmers to enjoy 
better nutrition at low cost, encourages that farms be managed by women from the area 
and helps families to generate extra income through the sale of eggs to neighbouring 
communities.  
h. Grenada : Reducing losses in the banana chain and rehabilitating the coconut industry . 
In collaboration with the Grenada Marketing and National Importing Board, 20 producers 
and extension officers were trained in techniques  to improve banana quality and reduce 
losses during harvesting, selection, processing and packaging . On top of this, the IICA 
helped  the Ministry of Agriculture obtain 2, 000 yellow -rust resistant coconut seedlings, 
16 technicians were trained in the proper  management of nurseries of these seedlings 
and in agronomic processes, and a protocol was developed and adopted for the 
transport, nursery toughening and distribution of resistant cultivars . 
2.2  Access to food  
a. Argentina : Institutio nal innovations supporting the m anagement of trade processes for 
family farming  and connecting family farming with  markets . Under this p roject, which 
was implemented in Argentina, Chile and Peru, the IICA provided capacity -building  for 
377 technic ians, extensi on officers and local development agents in the applic ation of 
knowledge and t ools in the area of trade innovation for family farming . Around  
490 producers were provided with diagnostics, conceptualizations, methodologies, 
proposed approaches, novel trainin g profiles and programmes, manuals and didactic 
material, among other things . These resources, which ar e highly relevant for the 
three  participating countries, broadened the range of specialized tools offered by the 
IICA with considerable potential for rep lication in other countries and technical G/AG/GEN/142  
- 8 - 
  cooperation organizations . The support of technicians from the participating institutions8 
strengthens the trade processes of the producers with whom they work . 
b. Paraguay : Family Agriculture  (AF) label. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock 
(MAG) adopted a trade innovation process based on the design of a F amily Agriculture  
(AF) label for which it received support from the IICA . This label differentiates AF 
products, such as carrots, and helps them pen etrate markets more effectively . Under 
this initiative, some  142 producers from four cooperatives and producer associations in 
the Tomá s Romero Pe reira district produce, classify and market carrots with 
accompanying assistance from the MAG 's directorates o f Marketing and of Agriculture 
Extension and the National Plant and Seed Quality and Health Service (SENAVE) . A large 
proportion of their output is sold directly to supermarkets in Asunción, thanks to 
arrangements made  by the  Directorate of Trade with the Paraguayan C hamber of 
Supermarkets (CAPASU) . 
c. Saint Kitts and Nevis : Reduction of food decomposition . The IICA collaborated in the 
training of 31 people from the agro-industry, professor s and farmers in food 
management, health and safety, adding value , and business sustainability, resulting in a 
reduction in the  amount of decomposition and wastage of mangos.  
d. Colombia : Projects in conjunction with the World Food Programme (WFP ). 
Five cooperatives of small agricultural producers from three Colombian depar tments 
participated in processes aimed at improving the quality of their products, thus 
strengthening their capacity to access local markets.  
2.3  Food stability  
a. El Salvador : Water collection . The National Council for Environmental Sustainability and 
Vulnerabil ity (CONASAV) received horizontal co operation for the harvesting and 
collection of water through reservoirs and rooftops, mirroring what  has b een done in the 
Paraguayan C haco. The use of fertigation technology was also promoted among 
Salvador an producers, enabling them to reduce water consumption . 
b. Venezuela : Water-management strategies . The Jimé nez municipality, the Min istry of 
Popular Power for Eco -socialism and Water and the IICA developed, with a participative 
approach, a comprehensive water resource management strategy, which was made 
available to 300 horticultural producers in the Agua Negra community . The institut e also 
contributed to capacity -building  of 320 actors in the states of Lara, Mé rida and Trujillo in 
water conservation and collection, use of irrigation system s and management of 
catchment areas.  
c. Antigua and Barbuda : Sustainable use of soil . Public and private -sector authorities 
respons ible for soil management improved their technical capacities in terms of adapting 
agriculture to climate change.  
d. Saint Kitts and  Nevis: Expanded  use of value -added products and increased  
profitability of the mango chain . Various value -added products, inclu ding mango juice, 
dried and candi ed mango, among others, raised farmers ' and processors ' incomes by 
15%. Assistance was also provided in organizing activities, such as mango festivals and 
local mango consumption days , which  brought  opportunities for obtaining extra income . 
Furthermore, 45 persons were trained in food -processing technologies, thus improving 
enterprises ' sustainability . Mango farmers and processors invested in small -scale 
equipment and to be able to store a larger  quantity of pulp, which can then  be conserved 
for use during the tourist season.  
e. Colombia : Projects in conjunction with the WFP . Two communities of the W ayuu 
indigenous people, in the department of La Guajira, we re equipped with a local 
climate -change adaptat ion plan.  
                                                
8 Argentina: National Instit ute of Agricultural Technology (INTA) and the ArgenINTA Foundation; Peru: 
Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MINAGRI) and Production Technology Institute; Chile: Agricultural 
Development Institute (INDAP).  G/AG/GEN/142  
- 9 - 
  f. Dominican Republic : Grow with less - foundations of the Intensive Rice -Growing 
System (SICA) . Four demonstration plots were cultivated and data were collected for 
two comparable seasons . In addition, 50 technicians were trained in and 110 producers 
made aware of the use of the corresponding technology, with a view to impar ting its 
principles and promoting its application . The SICA 's goal is to improve efficiency in the 
use of water, soil an d other inputs in order to reduce the rice -growing system 's 
sensitivity to climate change, improve its adaptation to climate change and increase 
profitability for farmers.  
2.4  Food utilization  
a. Bolivia : Epidemiological vigila nce in respect of foot -and-mouth dis ease. In collaboration 
with Chile 's Agriculture and Li vestock Service (SAG), capacity -building  was provided for 
a specialist from the Cochabamba Veterinary Research and Diagnosis Laboratory 
(LIDIVECO) for the diagnosis of diseases prioritized  by the National Agricultural  Health  
and Food Safety Service (SENASAG) . In addition, assistance was provided in 
strengthening the country 's animal health monitoring system, which enables Bolivia  to 
confirm the absence of foot -and-mouth disease and refine  procedures for diagnosing 
other statutorily notifiable  diseases, such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), of 
which Bolivia is free.  
b. Haiti and Dominican Republic : Improved capacity in the ap plication of sanitary and 
phyto sanitary measures . Capacity -building  was provided for technical staff from the 
Plant H ealth departments of both countries in the  certification of agricultural export 
products and by-products, and in the applicati on of sanitary and phyto sanita ry measures 
recommended by i nternational b enchmark bodies. This was achieved through the 
training of 129 Haitian officials and 177 Dominica n officials in 2016 . This activity  formed 
part of a project funded by the USDA -FAS Food for Progress p rogramme . 
c. Venezuela : Capacity -building  for milk producers in good practices for milk quality and 
safety . With the support of the Nestlé company and representatives of academia , the 
IICA organized capacity -building  for 59 milk producers and seven public -sector 
technicians in the state s of Táchira and Zulia in , inter alia , improving milk quality, 
nutrition, animal welfare, sustainability and water, reproduction and genetic 
enhancement , and ranch management . 
d. Uruguay : Improved knowledge to reduce the presence of the insecticide Ethion in m eat 
exported to the United States . The skills of around 250 producers and vets were  
enhanc ed in regard to strategies for controlling and eradicating ticks . In addition, 
63 lectures were gi ven in locations countrywide (1, 887 participants) and an information  
campaign was carried out through various media , with the aim of helping to reduce the 
presence of Ethion in meat cuts exported to the United States . 
2.2.  For further details on IICA activities in this area : 
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 Specialist  
Email : adriana.camp os@iica.int  
Tel.: +(506) 2216 0170  
 
Visit the IICA website at : http://www.iica.int . 
 
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