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OAS Assistant Secretary General Calls for Public Education Programs in Agriculture

  August 5, 2010

The Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Ambassador Albert Ramdin, today called for renewed efforts in recognizing the importance of the agriculture sector in the Americas.

During a meeting with the new Deputy Director of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Karen Lezny, Ambassador Ramdin expressed the desire to see a more strategic, long-term approach for highlighting the value of agriculture to economies and societies in the hemisphere. “Agriculture needs to be understood not only from the perspective of food security and nutritional health, but for its contribution to the economy in terms of employment, and foreign exchange,” he said.

To meet this goal, the Assistant Secretary General suggested the implementation of public education programs, adding that if such programs are rooted within the school system the sector would benefit.

During the meeting, which took place at OAS headquarters in Washington, DC, the two officials reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen the relationship between the OAS and IICA, and to work toward shared goals.

For more information, visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-288/10