Since 2001, the Ministerial Process Agriculture and Rural Life in the Americas has sought to facilitate the preparation and adoption of the Hemispheric Ministerial Agreements. This process has been led by two groups who have their respective hemispheric fora and agreements: the Ministerial Delegates of Agriculture and Rural Life, who meet as the GRICA, and the Ministers of Agriculture, whose forum is the Ministerial Meeting “Agriculture and Rural Life."
1.  Group for the Implementation and Coordination of the Agreements on Agriculture and Rural (GRICA).   The GRICA is a hemispheric forum comprising the Ministerial Delegates of Agriculture and Rural Life appointed by the 34 Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas.   In preparation for this forum, which is usually held prior to the Ministerial Meeting, the Ministerial Delegates draw up and share with the Technical Secretariat the national reports on progress and challenges, which the Secretariat draws on to prepare the Base Document for the Hemispheric Dialogue, on which the discussions and the search for consensus during the GRICA meetings are based.   During the meetings, the Base Document is discussed in detail in order to arrive at consensus on actions, strategies and implementation and follow-up measures, which are used to update the AGRO 2003-2015 Plan for the following biennium.   Thus, the Forum promotes the participation of countries and ensures the relevance and legitimacy of the strategic decisions reached by the ministers at the Ministerial Meetings.         * Description of GRICA meeting held to date
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1  Background on the hemispheric dialogue leading to the Hemispheric Ministerial Agreement - Jamaica 2009 1    Leadership, working together and the reassessment of agriculture and rural life: pillars for a renewed institutional framework
2.     Ministerial Meetings Agriculture and Rural Life in the Americas:   The Ministerial Meetings serve as a forum for dialogue among the Ministers and Secretaries of Agriculture of the hemisphere, in which topics of relevance for agriculture and rural life are discussed, the Secretariat’s Report is presented and the Hemispheric Ministerial Agreements are signed.   To date, five Ministerial Meetings have been held (Bavaro, Panama, Guayaquil, Guatemala and Jamaica), which have yielded nine Ministerial Agreements.   The agreements include the Declaration of Bavaro, the AGRO 2003-2015 Plan and subsequent updates and the Information System for Monitoring and Evaluating the Plan.         * Description of Ministerial Meetings held to date