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Experts at OAS Debate Role of Youth as Agents of Change in Agriculture

The Organization of American States (OAS) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) celebrated "IICA Day 2011" with a Policy Roundtable titled "the Impact of Youth and Innovation in Agriculture in Latin America and the Caribbean,” attended by experts and leaders on the issue from the region. The roundtable was followed by a debate among young representatives from different countries of the hemisphere who shared their experiences, perspectives and challenges for the advancement and sustainability of agriculture.

The OAS Assistant Secretary General, Albert Ramdin, who moderated the panel discussion with young people, recognized the importance of agriculture and insisted on giving young people a special place in its development. He also called for opening opportunities and assigning the necessary attention to young people who face marginalization at various levels of society. "The Organization of American States is committed to the idea of assigning an important role to agriculture in our agenda and will continue to work with IICA to promote policies and initiatives to strengthen it," said Ambassador Ramdin.

The IICA Representative in the United States, David C. Hatch, explained that the event was an opportunity “to ponder and discuss some critical issues to the future of all. Without food we will not survive, this an obvious statement, however, current polices and practices in too many countries today simply do not adequately reflect this fact.” He added that the value of agriculture “is more than just food itself, it is also the many jobs it generates,” and cited studies indicating that agriculture accounts for up to 30 percent of many economies of many countries.” He finally referred to the importance of youth in the development and enhancement of agriculture and food security.

At the event, the Senior Programme Specialist of UNESCO’s Regional Office for Science in Latin America and the Caribbean, Ernesto Fernandez Polcuch, affirmed that the main issues of the roundtable—youth, innovation and agriculture—are closely linked to the UNESCO’s overall mission, mainly with the issue of education. He referred to the various programs and instruments that UNESCO has developed in this area, mainly those related to science and technology and its relation to agriculture. He said that "where these three themes meet is at the concept of sustainable development," a conclusion that was also reached by the UNESCO Youth Forum. Finally, he proposed that the conclusions from today’s roundtable be brought to the United Nations Rio + 20, the Conference on Sustainable Development that will be held in Brazil from June 4 to 6, 2012.

The meeting's agenda also included a presentation by the agronomist Gustavo Manrique, President of SAMBITO, SA (Total Environmental Solutions), a company that promotes environmental solutions projects to improve the quality of life through the promotion of sustainable development. Manrique outlined three ideas that have an impact on agriculture in the region: the promotion of urban agriculture, the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions aiming towards carbon neutrality; and an effort to bring the fields to the cities. Manrique also promoted the role of youth as agents of change in the planet's sustainable future through creative solutions, and recognized that it is now clear that "there is a tendency to see more responsible consumers" and therefore encouraged the continuation of this trend.

The youth panel, moderated by Assistant Secretary General Ramdin, discussed topics such as the importance of social systems and networks, access to resources and policies, and the capabilities for the participation of youth in the long-term development of agriculture. The debate allowed for an extensive exchange of ideas with the public, including: the need to promote a change of mentality among citizens, political leaders, and legislators about the importance and impact of agriculture; the search for innovative solutions in the field; the training of young leaders in agriculture; the importance of tackling challenges such as climate change; increasing capacity strengthening; and promoting the use of technology, among others.

A gallery of photos of the event will be available here.

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

Reference: E-936/11