IICA and Bayer initiate actions for sustainability in the agricultural sector

Empowering small producers, training them in good agricultural practices, providing access to markets and boosting leadership in young entrepreneurs linked to the agricultural sector are some initiatives that will be carried out by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the company Bayer.

Representatives from both organizations met in Costa Rica and defined a collaborative work agenda, as part of the the partnership signed in February, in Germany, to boost the development of sustainable agriculture and promote food security in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).

As a starting point, next August they will train Brazilian producers in good agricultural practices through an online course available on IICA Virtual Campus, which facilitates access to the BayG.AP manual, developed by Bayer so that producers can implement a sustainable model that benefits them socioeconomically, ensures the safety and quality of food and opens up opportunities for linking to markets.

“The idea is to further expand this program in the region. Our initial interest in Brazil was to train 50 producers, but now the goal is 100”, said Bayer's Global Director of Food Safety, Ronald Guendel.

“We must have sustainable production, reduce chemical load and propagate innovative tools for modern agriculture, but Bayer alone cannot achieve this, it needs the collaboration of partners like IICA, key to agricultural development in LAC”, he added .

Lloyd Day, Deputy Director General of the Institute, explained that working together is a win-win relationship. “It will enrich the knowledge of producers and improve the technical cooperation services offered by IICA to its member countries,” he considered.

To empower young people in terms of agriculture, Bayer is preparing the third edition of the Youth Ag Summit (4 to 16 November, in Brasília), a summit that, every two years, brings together 100 young world leaders between 18 and 25 years old, who, through debates, capacity building and advice on their projects, are empowered to be future agents of change in the agricultural sector. For the 2019 edition, IICA will be a strategic ally.

“At this summit, we will present experiences from experts in areas of sustainability and innovation. The idea is to act as mentors for 25 young people from LAC, who will be located thanks to our Representations in the region”, explained Day.

In the medium term, Bayer and IICA intend to build demonstration rural properties that serve as a model for producers to implement sustainable agricultural practices, learn about the correct use of technology to improve productivity and protect the environment, as well as showcase the opportunities of the bioeconomy.

They will also seek to consolidate beekeeping as a development tool and boost pollination, biotechnology and biosecurity.

“The success that can be seen is great. There are 500 million small producers in the world and we want to help, benefit a very significant portion by bringing together the knowledge of Bayer and IICA”, added Guendel.