G/AG/GEN/154  
14 October  2019 
(19-6625) 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  10 October  2019, 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 the technical cooperation activities carried out by the IICA in 20191 to provide support for 
Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries in the area of food and nutrition security.  
 
The IICA seeks to contribute to food security in its member countries through areas such as 
international trade and regional integration, famil y farming, food health, safety and quality, the 
bioeconomy, and climate resilience.  To this end, it works with its member States to develop policies 
and strategies and strengthen institutional frameworks.  
 
Some of the activities through which the IICA has contributed to the food security2 of Latin American 
and Caribbean countries are described below.  Such activities have been implemented through 
various technical cooperation instruments and partnerships with national and international bodies in 
IICA member countries, and are based on the four dimensions established by the United Nations 
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) : food availability, access to food, food utilization and 
stability.  
 
1  MULTINATIONAL ACTION BY THE IICA  
1.1.  During the period 201 8-2019, the IICA supported various countries and regions through 
activities based on the four dimensions of food security : 
1.1  Access to food3 
a. Training in family farming : Close to  4,000 women , young people , indigen ous people  
and people of African descent  have formed groups , associations and other types  of family 
farming groupings to organize  production, processing and marketing  processes in their 
communities . 
                                                
1 The 2019 period covers July 2018 to June 2019. The relevant activities in all the areas of agriculture 
covered by the IICA in 2018, and details thereof, can be found in the annual report available at: 
http://apps.iica.int/SReunionesOG/Content/Documents/CE2018/06df344c -7e6f-4934-8ee4-
ef312f4e12b3_dt683_informe_anual_de_2017_del_iica.pdf . 
2 IICA (Inter -Americ an Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, Costa Rica). IICA's definition of food 
security. San José, Costa Rica. Viewed on 16 July 2019. Available at: informeaasnual.iica.int.  
3 Access to food: Access for 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, polit ical, economic and social arrangements of the community in which 
they live (including traditional rights such as access to common resources). See FAO (United Nations Food and 
Agriculture Organization, Italy) 2015. An Introduction to the Basic Concepts of F ood Security. Rome, Italy. 
Viewed on 30 August 2019. Available at: http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/al936s/al936s00.pdf . G/AG/GEN/154  
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  b. Agribusiness and  partnership  management : Efforts were made to strengthen  
agribusiness and partnership m anagement of 100 family farming organizations in 
13 Latin American and Caribbean countries . This was done by enhancing their access to 
support services  and establishing business ties  through agribusiness internships  and 
implementation of  improvement plans institutionalized in the Ministries of  Agricultur e of 
Ecuador, Guatemala and El Salvador . The participating countries were : El Salvador , 
Honduras , Nicaragua , Colombia , Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , Uruguay , Chile, 
Trinidad , Jamaica , Surinam e and Saint Lucia. 
c. Crisis warning for the coffee sector : The IICA issued warnings against the  negative 
impact of low coffee prices  and called on governments and the private sector to  identify 
solutions ; low global prices  are felt particularly in  Mexico, Centr al Am erica, Panam a, 
Colombia, Per u, Ecuador, Plurinational State of  Bolivia, Dominican Republic and  Jamaica, 
as well as in  Brazil, where close to  14 million  persons are  involved in the  produc tion and 
marketing of the bean . 
d. Strategies to leverage  rural  development : A forum was established in  Costa  Rica with 
representatives of state and private banks , NGOs , agricultural cooperatives , international 
financial institutions , investment funds , the private sector and academia, where financial 
mechanisms to sup port agriculture were discussed and the productive potential of 
Latin American countries ; this was done to tackle  the nutritional and environmental 
sustainability challenges  in a context of increasing demand for food.  
e. The future of food in the Americas : The IICA hosted a workshop  organiz ed by the 
World Bank  that brought together  policymakers , researchers  and representatives of 
producer groups , agribusinesses , civil society organizations  and development agencies  to 
examine probable future scenarios  and ident ify actions  to be taken  to facilitate the 
promotion of dynamic, productive and modern agricultural and food systems . 
1.2  Food availability4 
a. Competitive integration of family farming : Training of  110 business managers  in 
El Salvador, Paraguay, Honduras, Plurinational State of  Bolivia and Ecuador, who are 
meant to promote the integration of family farming into new markets  and the competitive 
integration of family farming organizations  in Uruguay, Per u and Colombia to those 
markets. 
b. Sustainable productive systems : 500 leaders in  Chile, Guatemala, Honduras and the 
Bolivarian  Republic of  Venezuela were trained to improve the productive systems used in 
family farming in a sustainable manner , such as good agricultural practices, agricultural 
health and food safety (AHFS) , agroecolog y, crop management , food processing, water 
management and youth start -ups. 
c. Sustainable agro industry : The IICA and Bayer  together established a work plan and 
took joint actions to enhance the sustainability of the  agro industry, starting with the 
training of  at least  50,000 Brazilian producers  in good agric ultural practices in order to 
implement a sustainable model with socioeconomic benefits , ensure food safety and 
quality of foods  and open up opportunities for market linkage . 
d. INNOVAGRO  Prize : The Executive Committee of the  Network  for Innovation 
Management in the Agri -food Sector  announced the innovations that won the  2019 
INNOVAGRO  Prize: "Biofertilizantes Glumix  (Glumix Bio Fertilizers) ", represent ing Mexico; 
"Innovación a través d e la compra pública pre-comercial, como nexo entre el consumidor, 
el sector empresas y la universidad (Innovation through pre -trade procurement as a nexus 
between the consumer, businesses and universities) . Proyectos CPP Mecaclivar e 
                                                
4 Food availability: The availability of sufficient quantities of food o f appropriate quality, supplied 
through domestic production or imports (including food aid). See FAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture 
Organization, Italy) 2015. An Introduction to the Basic Concepts of Food Security. Rome, Italy. Viewed on 
30 August 20 18. Available at: http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/al936s/al936s00.pdf . G/AG/GEN/154  
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  Innovalivar " from Spai n and  "Agricultura familiar indígena resiliente a los efectos del 
cambio climático " (Climate change -resilient indigenous family farming) from  Costa Rica.  
e. The Cooperative Programme for the Technological Development  of Agri -food and 
Agro -industries in the Southern Cone (PROCISUR ): The national agricultural research 
institutes  of Argentina, Bra zil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay are developing a series of  
standardized protocols  for enhancing  the value of native fruits of the  PROCISUR region 
given the growing demand for specialized South American ingredients and additives . The 
document is available at : https://bit.ly/2Vs8WQX . 
f. Sustainable conservation of agrobiodiversity : Member institutions and stakeholders 
involved in the same region  have enhanced their knowledge of new strategies for the use  
and exchange of  plant germplasm in the various countries , with a view to ensuring the 
sustainable  conservation of agrobiodiversity . 
g. Amazon Initiative Network : Through the Amazon Initiative Network,  Peru, the 
Plurinational State of  Bolivia and Brazil are conducting research activities  aimed at 
reducing deforestation  through agricultural, agroforestry a nd sustainable forestry 
production chains . 
1.3  Stable access to food5 
a. Skills transfer : 1,200 produc ers and professionals from public and private institutions  
increased their knowledge of integrated risk management  (166 persons) of bee keeping , 
climate change , health , agroecolog y, bioin puts and sustainable production  (over 300 
persons), good practices for dealing with emergencies  (645 persons in 29 countrie s), 
management of water resources  (367 persons) and the System for the Intensification of 
Rice Grow ing (245 persons).  
b. Biofortifica tion of  crops  and climate adaptation  for Food and Nutritional Safety : 
The 64th meeting  of the  Central American Cooperative Programme for  Crop and Animal 
Improvement  was held in Honduras . This event is especially important for scientific and 
agri-food development  in this r egion , where scientific and technical information is shared 
at the working level on : corn, sorg hum and rice , pulses , fruit-bearing plants , vegetables,  
animal  production , socioeconom ics and agricultural extension . 
c. Fifth  Dialogue on Agriculture and Climate Change : The event was co -organized by 
four countries  (Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica and Uruguay) with the support of the ECLAC 
climate change, agricultural development and biodiversity units , and sponsored by 
Proyecto Euroclima Plus . Eight countries participated  (Brazil, Honduras, Guatemala, and 
the Dominican Republic in addition to the co -organizers ) in the eve nt that was divided into 
two segments : the Fifth Latin American Polic y Dialogue on Agricultural Issues in the 
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Dialogue on Climate Change, 
Agriculture and Food Security.  
d. Regional Platform for the Development of the B ioeconom y: The Secretariat for  
Science , Technology and Produ ction Innovation  and the  IICA have established a regional 
platform  to develop the bioeconomy from  Argentina . The framework will exist at the 
government level and is intended to coordinate  efforts to project from Argentina to the 
rest of South America, the vision and the concept of the  bioeconomy , the intensive use of  
knowledge on resources , proces ses, tec hnologies  and biological principles for the 
sustainable production of  goods and services . 
                                                
5 Stability: To be food secure, a population, household or individual must have access to adequate food 
at all times. The y 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. Viewed on 
30 August 2019. Available at: http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/al936s/al936s00.pdf . G/AG/GEN/154  
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  e. Staple Grains in the Dry Corridor : The IICA and the European Union  will implement a 
project that would benefit close to  3,000 families of producers of staple grain in the 
Central  American Dry Corridor , one of the regions in the world most vulnerable to climate 
change.  
f. Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance P lans: Response capacity and  integrated 
interagency work have been st rengthened  in Chile, Ecuador and Colombia for the  
preven tion and control of antimicrobial resistance  in the agri -food chain  and animal  health 
through  the implementation of Antimicrobial Re sistance Surveillance Plans . 
1.4  Food utilization6 
a. Bayer -IICA  Alliance : The IICA and Bayer formed  an Alliance for sustainability,  food 
safety , rural women's empowerment  and proper use of products . Its central aim  is to 
promote agricultural development  and rural well-being , as well as to support agroindustry 
in Latin America and the Caribbean , a region considered as  the global provider of food . 
The Alliance was formed in Berlin during Fruit Logistica 201 9, which brought together over 
78,000 i mport ers, export ers, produc ers, wholesalers , retailers , and fruit and vegetable 
packaging and logistics specialists  from 130 countries . 
b. Workshop on Pesticides : The IICA collaborated with the Federal Agriculture Service  
(FAS) and the US Department of Agricu lture (USDA) to deliver a workshop  on registration 
of pesticides  and regulation of maximum residue limits  (MRL) in agricultural products  for 
trade with Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Panam a and the Dominican  Republic  to 
explore the advantages of harmonizing this regulation at the regional level . 
c. Master's Degree in Food Safety : The invitation was issued for the  fifth edition of the 
Master's Degree in Food Safety  offered by  INNOVAGRO that already boast 133 graduates  
and 460 undergraduates . 
d. Technical  Innovation in Chains : 830 participants from  130 institutional bodies 
strengthened their  capacity  in technical innovation in chains , including : i) epidemiological 
surveillance of an timicrobial resistance in  the Dominican Republic and  Venezuela ( poultry, 
beef and pork chains ); ii) processing of quality goat's cheese and goat -milk based yogurt 
in community groups in  Trinidad y T obago; iii) strengthened implementation of  good 
agricultural  practices (GAP) in cocoa and other chains in  Costa Rica ; iv) good vegetable 
practices  in Argentina ; and v) reduction of food loss through application of the  second 
version of the  Commodities System Assessment Methodology  (CSAM ). 
e. Greater Caribbean Safeguarding Initiative : In the framework of the  Greater 
Caribbean Safeguar ding Initiative (GCSI), plant health system s were strengthened  with a 
view to affording greater protection  to agriculture and natural resources in the US and the 
Caribbean against the entry of pests . 
f. Training of Professionals : 15 plant quarantine officers  from 14 countries were trained  
in the principles and processes of plant quarantine  and 26 plant health professionals from 
13 Caribbean countries were trained in the prevention and surveillance of  banana wilt 
disease ( Fusarium TR4 ). 
g. Andean Community : In the Andean Community , 35 profes sionals from 11 national plant 
protection organizations  (NPPOs ) increased their knowledge of how to  conduct informed 
risk sampling and hone their skills in the use of  relevant methodologies and tools . 
                                                
6 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 importan ce 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. Viewed on 30 August 2019. Available at: 
http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/al936s/al936s00.pdf . G/AG/GEN/154  
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  h. Brucellosis Programmes : The IICA continues to promote training in  the design and  
economic evaluation of brucellosis programmes  in Standing Veterinary Committee of the 
Southern Cone (CVP)  member countries , and coll aborates on the redesign and 
prioritization of animal health programmes  in Bra zil. It also  supports the Andean 
Community  in its Regional Programme for the Eradication of classical Swine Fever.  
i. Skills in Veterinary Services : The IICA helped upgrade the tech nical skills of the official 
veterinary services of Argentina, Plurinational State of Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay . It 
also helped provide technical training to 24 professionals in brucellosis and bovine 
tuberculosis.  
j. Phytosanitary Surveillance Systems : The technical skills of  120 profes sionals from 
across the  region were upgraded in  implementing plant control surveillance systems  and 
conducting pest risk evaluations  and the impact of implementing phytosanitary measures . 
2  ACTIONS IN SOME LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES  
2.1.  Described below are some of the main activities 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  Access to food  
a. Costa  Rica: Development of  national cocoa and avocado plans as tools for  reactivating 
both productive sectors . 
b. Ecuador : Strengthened innovation model transfer pr ogrammes  proposed for at least  
100 productive units , through academic products and knowledge management and 
transfer . 
c. Guatemala : With funding from the  US Department of Agricultur e (USDA), over 
38 research projects on priority agrochains  were implemented , which helped to capitaliz e 
on public and private interinstitutional consortia . 
d. Panam a: A loan of close to  USD 28 million  was approved to boost agriculture in  regions 
such as  Veraguas, Colón, Azuero and Occidental in areas such as  land development , 
regional  competition , food processing  and attracting investments . 
e. St. Kitts and Nevis : New equipment for  pulping  mangos and training for members of the  
cooperatives for agro -industry producers , which generate economic opportunities . 
f. St. Vincent and the  Grenadin es: The school orchards programme  was developed and 
implemented  in three primary schools  to provide basic education in agricultural sciences  
to students . 
g. Trinidad and Tobago : Forming an Alliance with the  Trinidad and Tobago Goat and Sheep 
Society , through which investment guides and  business plans were devised and the animal 
safety skills of producers  strengthened . 
2.2  Food av ailability  
a. Brazil: Skill planning and management in the water sector were strengthened , especially 
in the least developed regions . These are aimed inter alia  at: increasing efficiency in the 
use of water and the provision of services ; increase the sustainable supply of water  in 
appropriate quantity and quality  for multiple uses ; and improving the use of public funds  
in the water sector , thus reducing inefficiencies  in intersectoral coordination . 
b. Ecuador : The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock  (MAG), the Water Secretariat  
(SENAGUA) and provincial governments  have an analysis and an updated National 
Irrigation and Drainage Plan . G/AG/GEN/154  
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  c. El Salvador : Strengthened fruit sector in  El Salvador , mainly in  Zacatecoluca, exchanges 
with Guatemala and design of proj ects for  7 cooperativ es. 
d. Honduras : Higher competitiveness of  agri-food chains  with a view to agricultural 
development in Honduras.  
e. Jamaica : Better equipped public sector  to provide more appropriate potato  genot ypes for 
farmers to  improve production,  which would enable the government to achieve its 
objective  of self -sufficiency in this product . 
f. Mexico: The SENASICA plant and animal health inspection services were strengthened in 
terms of importation of agricultural goods  through support to technical officers and 
inspectors, as well as  business certification for firms importing such products into the 
country . 
g. Mexico: The National Campaign to Eradicate Fruit Fly was boosted through 
implementation of the  Fruit Fly  Programme . 
h. Paraguay : With enhanced  technical capacity , SENACSA is able to facilitate  the control 
and eradica tion of  brucellosis in cattle , and to obtain health conditions that are in line with  
the health requirement for the export of  livestock products . 
i. St. Kitts and Nevis : 16 greenhouses were rebuilt  and agricultural inputs were provided 
to revitalize production . 
j. Surinam e: Enhanced knowledge and skills of farmers , agricultural technicians and 
agriculture students  in the production of vegetable crops  that use protected agricultural 
technology to mitigate the effects of climate change  (excessive rainfall , pests and 
diseases , extreme temperatures ). 
k. Uruguay : Strengthen the regional capacity of the  Southern Cone Plant Health Committee 
(COSAVE)  to implement phytosanitary measures  and evaluate their impact , as well as 
share relevant data . 
2.3  Food stability  
a. El Salvador : Enhance the technical skills of 250 producers in  Cacaopera and Jiquilisco to 
improve partnerships , resilience and adaptation to climate change  of their productive 
systems . 
b. Guatemala : The region's coffee sector  has created the basis and conditions for a regional 
early warning sy stem to tackle climate change  and lay the basis for better climate change 
adaptation policy setting , thus enhancing the response capacity of the most  vulnerable 
sectors of the population who live in productive zones  exposed to climate risks and the 
adverse  effects  of environmental and climate phenomena . 
c. Panam a: The IICA facilitated three exchanges for  75 stakeholders with a view to defining 
strategic guidelines  for the  National Climate Change Plan  for the agricultural sector in  
Panam a. 
d. Paraguay : The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock , through the Risk Management Unit , 
has specific tools to improve the management of specific agro -climatic  risks. 
e. Paraguay : With the  IICA's technical cooperation,  100 veterinary profes sionals were able 
to upgrade their scientific and technical skills  at the service of the livestock chain and 
public health . 
f. St. Vincent and the  Grenadin es: Farmers and technical officers were able to upgrade 
their skills  to implement climate -intelligent agricultural practices in factories , which reflects  
good practices in soil and water management  and the appropriate selection of crops  or 
varieties for sustainable production . G/AG/GEN/154  
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  2.4  Food utilization  
a. Antigua and Barbuda : Increased knowledge of  persons involved in the  coconut and 
citrus chains  in production techniques , pests, and diseases competitiveness of these crops . 
b. Ecuador : Banana and blackberry producers  have protocols in place to determine the 
efficiency of  bioformula tions (fungi and  bacteria) . Moreover , AGROCALIDAD , with IICA's 
support,  has certified veterinarians  to function as  health inspectors in  poultry abattoirs for 
the next  two years . 
c. Mexico: For 24 years , the IICA, along with SENASICA , has helped safeguard Mexico's 
plant and animal health status , avoiding entry into the country of abo ut 100 p ests and 
56 exotic diseases that could have  serious economic consequences . 
d. Surinam e: Together with the Australian Cooperation Programme and the  Ministry of 
Regional Development of  Surinam e, the IICA instal led 30 low-cost systems to collect 
rainwater , which mitigated the negative impact of  periods of drought  that affect the 
country  and of mercury -contaminated water sources as a result of gold and lead mining 
operations . 
e. Venezuela,  Bolivarian Republic of : 35 farmers  improved their technical , productive and 
business  skills in relation to vegetable production using ecologically safe methods . In 
addition , together with  Nestlé , a system of  indicators was developed to evaluate water 
quality  and reduce water consumption  in towns in  Aragua state and t he Caracas  
Metropolitan area.  
2.5  For further details on  IICA activities in this area : 
Contact : 
 
Adriana Campos Azofeifa  
Manager,  International Trade  and Regional Integration Programme, IICA  
 
email : adriana.campos @iica.int  
Tel.: +(506) 2216 0170  
IICA website : http://www.iica.int . 
 
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