IICA and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
www.usda.gov  

IICA and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) including the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) carry out extensive cooperation actions in Latin America and The Caribbean region. The subject of agricultural health and food safety is of enormous importance, both for IICA and for the USDA. For this reason, the two organizations work continuously to facilitate results-driven activities in Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) and food safety and assist in developing the necessary legal and regulatory infrastructure for trade.  Both entities enhance the dissemination of important data on markets and products and promote competitive agriculture and trade.

Areas of mutual concern for IICA and USDA include:
- Expanding markets for agricultural products and support international economic development,
- Further developing alternative markets for agricultural products and activities,
- Enhancing food safety by taking steps to reduce the prevalence of food borne hazards from farm to table,
- Improving nutrition and health by providing food assistance and nutrition education and promotion, and
- Managing and protecting public and private lands working cooperatively with other levels of government and the private sector.