The Representatives of the two organizations stationed in the Dominican Republic and Haiti decided to coordinate their actions to improve the agricultural sector.

To avoid duplication of efforts and make better use of the resource available for technical cooperation, IICA and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have forged a groundbreaking partnership to prepare a Haiti-Dominican Republic binational project, with emphasis on the two countries’ common border.

The national representatives of the two organizations negotiated the agreement, pledging to coordinate their actions in the agricultural sector in their respective countries.

At a meeting held on July 21 at the IICA Office in Port-au-Prince, IICA’s Representatives in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Alfredo Mena and Manuel Sánchez, respectively, discussed the proposal with their FAO counterparts, Ari Toubo Ibrahim and Deep Ford. The four representatives shared information about the projects that their organizations are implementing in the two neighboring countries that could be of mutual interest.

They agreed to formulate a proposal, with the final version of the document expected to be ready in September.

The group reached agreement on the three main components of the initiative: transboundary diseases that limit trade in agricultural products; the promotion of agribusinesses for generational change in the countryside; and agricultural technology to cope with climate change.

These components coincide exactly with several of the lines of action that IICA has established for the next four years: competitiveness, production, and agricultural markets; agriculture, territories, and rural well-being; agriculture, natural resources, and climate change; and, agriculture and food security.

IICA and FAO have been laying the groundwork for this partnership for several months. During a recent meeting on the future of Haiti, held in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, IICA officials met with FAO’s Assistant Director General for Latin America, José Graziano da Silva. It was decided that the two institutions would work together on the design and implementation of projects in both countries, in areas that could contribute to agricultural development, especially along their common border.

IICA and FAO have stepped up their joint activities since the earthquake in Haiti in January of this year. The two organizations assisted the Ministry of Agriculture of Haiti with the preparation of the Emergency Plan drawn up in response to the January 12 earthquake, and with the National Agricultural Investment Plan.

More information: alfredo.mena@iica.int