INTER-AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR COOPERATION ON AGRICULTURE

TOPICS:

• Working Relations with the OAS General Secretariat
• Fourteenth regular meeting of the Executive Committee
• Technical cooperation
• Socio-economic policies, trade and investment
• Science and Technology, Natural Resources and Agricultural Production
• Agricultural Health
• Sustainable Rural Development
• Center for Investment Programs and Projects (CEPPI)
• IICA's Activities in the Countries

The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture was founded in 1942 and is the inter-American system's specialized organization for the agricultural sector. It encourages, promotes and supports the member States' efforts to achieve agricultural development and rural well-being. It has its headquarters in San José, Costa Rica, and its Director General is Carlos Aquino González.

Working Relations with the OAS General Secretariat

The Institute participated in the twentieth and twenty-first special sessions of the General Assembly and in the twenty-fourth regular session of the OAS General Assembly, and in meetings of the Permanent Council, of CIES and CIECC. It took part in one inter-agency meeting to create the Working Group on Agricultural Statistics and in others to coordinate humanitarian relief to Haiti. It was also present at various seminars on development and the environment and identified areas of cooperation with CIM.

IICA continued to work with the OAS on projects to develop border regions in the Central American countries. A number of meetings for programming, follow-up and coordination were held in Washington, D.C., Tegucigalpa and San Jose. There, issues related to the projects identified in the region were discussed.

Fourteenth regular meeting of the Executive Committee

The Fourteenth Regular Meeting of the Executive Committee, chaired by Dr. Russel García, Minister of Agriculture of Belize, was held at the Institute's main headquarters, September 12 through 14. There, several administrative and financial matters were discussed. The meeting approved the 1994-1998 medium-range plan, which is the basic strategy underlying IICA's activities for the period in question.

Technical cooperation

The 1987-1993 medium-range plan had established five technical programs that, in conjunction with the Investment Project and Program Center (CEPPI), were to carry out IICA's technical cooperation activities with its member States. The new 1994-1998 plan establishes four target areas in which the Institute's technical support activities will be planned and carried out: Socio-economic Policies, Trade and Investment; Science and Technology, Natural Resources and Agricultural Production; Agricultural Health, and Sustainable Rural Development.

Socio-economic policies, trade and investment

The Institute reinforced its capacity to monitor and analyze market policies and behavior in various member States and continued to provide support to the data systems already developed and implemented. It contributed its input to the discussion of the issue of competitiveness in the context of agro-food chains. Technical meetings were held, as were meetings where experiences could be shared for the purpose of assisting institutional reform in the countries.

Technical cooperation was provided to public and private institutions on developing trade in agricultural commodities. The Institute provided its support to strengthen the regional and subregional integration movements under MERCOSUR, the Andean Group, the Central American Common Market and CARICOM. It was instrumental in a number of the decisions, agreements and programs emanating from the subregional meetings held by the Ministries of Agriculture.

Science and Technology, Natural Resources and Agricultural Production

The Institute was one of the co-sponsors of the World Congress on Ecology and Economics and provided its assistance to the Earth Council for a meeting of the sustainable development councils of Latin America and the Caribbean. Cooperation agreements were concluded with a number of governments and international organizations. It worked with FAO on systems for cooperation, research and transfer of technology, research management and biotechnology. The Institute and PAHO collaborated on an analysis of data methods relating to phytogenetic resources. A technological integration proposal materialized, designed to strengthen the research and technology-transfer capability of public and private institutions in Central America.

Agricultural Health

The technical cooperation in this field focused on the following: a) data systems on agricultural health; b) plant and animal health legislation; and c) quarantine systems. The work focused on the southern, Andean and Central American regions and was done in conjunction with other organizations and governments.

Sustainable Rural Development

Efforts in this area focused on four topics: a) strengthening public and private institutional systems responsible for rural development; b) convergence of interests of women in rural modernization policies, programs and projects; c) promotion of rural agro-industry; and d) support to agricultural and rural modernization. IICA cooperated with 18 member States, through 35 national projects, in strengthening institutions responsible for designing rural development strategies and programs. Also, four hemispheric projects and four multinational were implemented.

Center for Investment Programs and Projects (CEPPI)

In the area of sectoral studies and programs, activities were carried-on in Belize, Honduras, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela; methodological guidelines were prepared to diagnose the current use and administration of renewable natural resources; the Center participated in the elaboration of the 1994-1998 medium range plan; the activities of the regional unit of Caribbean projects were monitored by CEPPI. The area of Investment Projects gave technical support to several projects in IICA offices in Argentina, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Haiti, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. Technical support was also given to the Institute for Agricultural Development and to the Office of Agricultural Studies and Policies in Chile; the Ministry of Agricultural Development in Panama; the Asociación Interamericana de Bibliotecarios, Documentalistas y Especialistas en Información Agrícola; the Bolivian Institute of Agricultural Technology; the National Production Council of Costa Rica; and the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development of Haiti, among others. Training courses were offered for private and public sector technicians in Brazil and Costa Rica. A course on financial and investment analysis was held in El Salvador.

IICA's Activities in the Countries

IICA implemented technical cooperation activities in all member countries, which until September 1994 were grouped in four Areas: Central, Caribbean, Andean, and South. The new medium range plan 1994-1998 changed the concept of Area to that of "Regional Center of Technical Cooperation", establishing the following: North, Central, Caribbean, Andean, and South. This new structure is in process of consolidation.

IICA, through its new structure, will continue its support of agricultural and rural modernization programs in member States. To this end, the Institute works in close cooperation with other Inter-American and international organizations.

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