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Repository

The topics for discussion on this portal have already been analyzed by multiple actors. In this repository, the GS / OAS brings together some of them, as one more contribution to the discussion. This repository has two sections: In the Policy section, we will integrate information on policies relevant to the issues under discussion that are being implemented by Member States, Observer States and other States of the world. In Studies we will include analyzes, reports and reports published by academic institutions, think tanks, international and multilateral organizations, non-governmental organizations and private entities, all of them of recognized prestige, which are relevant to the conversation. The OAS will publish these articles and reports in their original language.

IICA - Multilateralism, Open Trade and Family Farming Will Pave the Way to Economic Recovery and Food Security in the Americas

  • 23 July 2020

Rebeca Grynspan, Ibero-American Secretary General (SEGIB), and Cassio Luiselli, member of the Advisory Council for Food Security in the Americas, discussed these scenarios and proposed adequate responses for strengthening cooperation between countries and mitigating the effects of the pandemic.

They noted that, in order to drive economic reactivation and food security in the Latin American and Caribbean region, it will be necessary to capitalize on the potential of multilateralism, maintain the flow of goods, minimize trade barriers, foster production chains with greater value added, improve food marketing and distribution, and strengthen family farming.

OECD - Rising Uncertainties from COVID-19 Cloud Medium-Term Agricultural Prospects

  • 16 July 2020

The joint OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2020-2029 report finds that over the next ten years supply growth is going to outpace demand growth, causing real prices of most commodities to remain at or below their current levels. Fluctuations in the driving factors of supply and demand could lead to strong price variations around this general path. At the same time, a decrease in disposable incomes in low-income countries and households caused by COVID-19 is expected to depress demand in the early years of this outlook and could further undermine food security.

La ONU urge al G20 a reunir 10,300 millones de dólares para la respuesta humanitaria a la pandemia

  • 16 July 2020

La pandemia de COVID-19 y la crisis mundial que ha provocado han colocado a los países de renta baja al borde de la ruina. Si no se toman medidas urgentes, pronto veremos una serie de tragedias humanitarias brutales y destructivas, advirtió este jueves la ONU al solicitar a las economías del G20 fondos por 10.300 millones de dólares para financiar el Plan Global de Respuesta Humanitaria.

El coordinador de las Naciones Unidas para Asuntos Humanitarios, Mark Lowcock, explicó que el Plan contempla intervenciones de emergencia en 63 países que no cuentan con los medios para hacer frente a la pandemia y que su intención es beneficiar a 250 millones de personas.

COVID-19: UN Relief Chief Urges G20 to Step up to Avert ‘Cascading Crises’ in Fragile Countries

  • 16 July 2020

“The pandemic and associated global recession are about to wreak havoc in fragile and low-income countries”, he said. “The response of wealthy nations so far has been grossly inadequate and dangerously short-sighted. Failure to act now will leave the virus free to circle round the globe, undo decades of development and create a generation’s worth of tragic and exportable problems.”

“It doesn’t have to be like this – this is a problem that can be fixed with money from wealthy nations and fresh thinking from the shareholders of international financial institutions and supporters of UN agencies, the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, and NGOs,” UN’s top humanitarian official warned.

IICA and PROCAGICA Distribute Seeds and Inputs to Bolster the Food Security of Small-Scale Nicaraguan Coffee Farmers

  • 24 June 2020

The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Central American Program for Integrated Coffee Rust Management (PROCAGICA) collaborated to distribute seeds and inputs to coffee farmers in several districts in Nicaragua, as part of strategic actions to assist in reducing rural vulnerability triggered by Covid-19.

The objective is to reduce vulnerability in two ways: by supporting the production of food with short cycle crops and offering farmers the opportunity to earn income by selling crop surpluses.

IICA - As the Pandemic Progresses, Inequalities and Food Insecurity in Latin America are on the Rise

  • 19 June 2020

Representatives from multilateral organizations were convened to a meeting of the Summit Working Group of the Organization of American States (OAS), in which they analyzed the main repercussions of the global health crisis on the agrifood chain and the measures applied by countries to bridge the ever increasing gaps.

Addressing the virtual meeting, the Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Manuel Otero, spoke about the impact of Covid-19 on food security, value chains and intraregional trade.

FAO and ECLAC Present Recommendations to Prevent the Pandemic from Turning Into a Food Crisis in Latin America and the Caribbean

  • 12 June 2020

According to FAO and ECLAC, given the sharp drop forecast in GDP, inflows and remittances, the increase in poverty, and the rise in food prices, it is vital to take urgent action to fight hunger in Latin American and Caribbean countries. The details of these measures, along with recommendations to avert a food crisis in the medium term, will be unveiled in this report.

WHO - Act Now to Avert COVID-19 Global Food Emergency: Guterres

  • 9 June 2020

First, countries should designate food and nutrition services as essential, while also implementing protections for those who work in the sector.

“It means preserving critical humanitarian food, livelihood and nutrition assistance to vulnerable groups”, the Secretary-General continued, “and it means positioning food in food-crisis countries to reinforce and scale up social protection systems.”

Mr. Guterres added that relief and stimulus packages must reach the most vulnerable, including small-scale food producers and rural businesses.

IICA - Caribbean Ministers of Agriculture Explore Funding Options to Mitigate the Effects of the Pandemic on Agriculture

  • 8 June 2020

During a videoconference, representatives of financial institutions, development organizations and donors informed the ministers of funding alternatives and resources available to strengthen agriculture, with special emphasis on food security, resilience, economic recovery, technological innovation, sustainable use of resources and the preservation of biodiversity, among other areas.

The meeting was organized by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Secretariat of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), as part of their efforts to strengthen agriculture in the region. 

Ansiedad, miedo e incertidumbre en América Latina y el Caribe

  • 27 May 2020

41.000 personas en 9 países respondieron a una encuesta remota sobre cómo la COVID-19 ha afectado sus medios de vida, seguridad alimentaria y acceso a mercados. Las principales preocupaciones de las personas que aceptaron completar la encuesta realizada en línea fueron: incapacidad para cubrir sus necesidades alimentarias, pérdida parcial o total de ingresos debido a la crisis generada por la pandemia, y miedo a la propagación del virus.

IICA - Agrifood Chains Must Make Greater use of Biotechnology and Innovations to Overcome post-COVID-19 Challenges

  • 20 May 2020

“Prior to Covid-19 technology gaps already existed in the region. Digital tools will be required to restore distribution channels – technologies that improve the efficiency of food production to make better use of agricultural products and surpluses, and others that ensure health, safety, quality and traceability”, said Murano, who is currently the director of the Norman E. Borlaug Institute for International Agricultural of Texas A&M University.

Indigenous Refugees Battle Coronavirus in Latin America

  • 20 May 2020

Many live in isolated or remote areas, where they lack access to health services, clean water and soap. Others live in cramped dwellings or in informal urban settlements without access to protective equipment. Most of the border indigenous groups are threatened by physical and cultural extinction because of insufficient food and severe malnutrition that can increase the risk of contagion. These areas have lacked adequate health services which can now exacerbate the current situation.

WEF - 'Millions Facing Starvation' - Global Political and Business Leaders on the Economic Impact of COVID-19

  • 20 May 2020

"Unless we open up our economy, we have millions facing starvation." That was the straightforward assessment of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on the impact of COVID-19 during a virtual meeting of the Forum's COVID Action Platform on 20 May.

Khan explained: "In Pakistan, we have 25 million workers who are either [on] daily wages or get paid weekly or are self-employed. When we locked down, like the whole of the world, to stop the spread of the virus, all these people became unemployed. When we're talking about 25 million workers, you're talking about 25 million families and it has affected almost 120-150 million people...unless the men and women work, they cannot feed their families."

Mitigating Risks to Food Systems During COVID-19: Reducing Food Loss and Waste/ FAO

  • 12 May 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc globally, generating significant challenges that could result in risks to food security and nutrition in many countries. Countries are ordering lockdowns, restricting movement and observing physical distancing to curb the pandemic. Disruptions in supply chains resulting from blockages on transport routes, transport restrictions and quarantine measures are resulting in significant increases in food loss and waste, especially of perishable agricultural produce such as fruits and vegetables, fish, meat and dairy products. In addition, labour shortages, owing to the restriction of movement of key stakeholders in production and transport, are significantly impacting food supply and demand owing to food shortages in some markets, further contributing to food loss and to the unnecessary waste of food supplies in these difficult times.

Italy - Italy Promotes #FoodCoalition

  • 8 May 2020

Food security and nutrition have always been key priorities of Italian foreign policy. Italy has always played an important role in this sector, something testified by many UN agencies in Rome – FAO, IFAD and WFP.   Covid-19 requires us to rethink everything about food security and nutrition – universal goals – since they are at risk. Furthermore, Italy just recently propitiated the creation of the #FoodCoalition, a multilateral and multi-sector mechanism capable of creating a network of international solidarity to respond to the critical issues caused by the pandemic in the food sector. 

El IICA apoyará a países del Caribe para aumentar intercambios de bienes e información agrícola y fortalecer la seguridad alimentaria

  • 17 April 2020
El IICA apoyará a países del Caribe para aumentar intercambios de bienes e información agrícola y fortalecer la seguridad alimentaria

Ministros encargados de Agricultura de 13 países del Caribe y el Director General del Instituto Interamericano de Cooperación para la Agricultura (IICA) mantuvieron una videoconferencia en la que trataron estrategias para fortalecer la actividad agropecuaria y asegurar el abastecimiento de alimentos ante la crisis sanitaria, en una región altamente dependiente de las importaciones de alimentos y del turismo.