Last Updated on August 30, 2021, 9:56 AM AST by Anthony Morris
US: At the virtual meeting scheduled for 1-2 September, the Ministers of Agriculture of the United States will discuss topics such as the Common Position of the Hemisphere regarding the UN Food Systems Summit, the growing threats to agricultural trade through pests and diseases, the consequences of climate variability in the sector and its strategic role in economic recovery after the Covid-19.
This year, the meeting was entitled “Sustainable Agri-Food Systems: The Engine of Development in the Americas” and will be held in the framework of the Conference of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas, at which the Inter-American Council of Agriculture, the highest governing body of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), will also hold its regular meeting.
During the conference, the Ministers of Agriculture of the 34 member states of the Inter-American system will hear from Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Agnes Kalibata, Special Envoy of the UN Food Systems Summit, who will brief on the course action of the global forum that was to begin in New York on September 23, for which the countries of America – mobilized with the support of IICA – reached a common position.
In addition, Manuel Otero, Director-General of IICA, will report to Ministers on his term as Director of the Hemispheric Organization Specializing in Rural and Agricultural Development and will refer to the new challenges facing the sector and the tools made available through technical cooperation.
This session provides an excellent opportunity to discuss the role of sustainable agricultural food systems as the strategic backbone of the economic recovery of our countries after Covid-19. We can not let it go to waste. “We are facing enormous challenges and IICA, together with the countries of America, must be more and more prepared and have the necessary tools to tackle this,” said Manuel Otero.
Renato Alvarado, Costa Rica’s Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, said, “Some of the issues we will discuss are the importance and challenges of transforming food systems; the importance of drawing attention to our enormous agricultural wealth; and the role of agriculture in the face of the pandemic and how to solve the problem of providing food to our people.”
According to the program shared by IICA on the conference’s website, high-ranking officials will also discuss the situation surrounding the detection of African swine fever (ASF) in the Americas, which was recently recognized by the Dominican Republic.
In the respective segment of the conference, Monique Eloit, Director-General of the World Organization for Animal Health (EIA), will also make a presentation in addition to presentations by the ministers, secretaries and heads of divisions.
The environmental, social and economic challenges facing food systems in the Americas will also be a topic of discussion.
“We can not continue to produce as we have done for the past 60 years. The environmental costs we paid were very high. The balance between social exclusion was also very high and is a huge debt we have to pay. We face the challenge of continuing to produce food for a growing population, but to do so more sustainably, ” Víctor Villalobos, Mexico’s secretary of agriculture and rural development, told the conference.
The Mexican official also congratulated the Director-General of IICA “on the initiative taken to ensure the voice of American agriculture, and in particular the voice of the continent’s producers, is heard at the Food Systems Summit” . He continued, “the consensus we have reached is good news and a call to strengthen the multilateral systems that have shown its relevance and strength today, in the light of the emergency”.
María Emilia Undurraga, Minister of Agriculture of Chile, said that “this meeting of the Inter-American Council of Agriculture as the highest governing body of IICA is particularly relevant as an item on the agenda embodies the consensus of our countries, that is the transformation of agricultural food systems and the role of agriculture in the Americas ”.
She added that building a healthier, more sustainable and equitable food system should be our goal; To this end, we need to work with the whole food chain for agriculture on issues related to government policy.”
The Conference of Agriculture Ministers of the Americas 2021 and the twenty-first regular meeting of the Inter-American Council of Agriculture (IABA) will virtually be held due to the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
