IICA and the World Bank
Improving education and training on agricultural and rural topics
www.worldbank.org  

Education and training are essential for achieving agricultural and rural development. IICA and the World Bank are part of the RUTA regional project that finances agricultural and rural development projects for six countries in Central America.  In Panama, IICA was the executing agency of the Rural Poverty and Natural Resources Project, and, in Nicaragua, of the Program to Implement the Rural Development Strategy.  IICA’s relationship with the World Bank has been strengthened with the Institute’s participation as an executing agency of the Global Development Learning Network (GDLN), which offers distance courses, workshops and global dialogues on key issues for agriculture in the Americas.  The GDLN uses a combination of digital technologies such as video conferences, CD ROM and Internet to provide high quality, interactive learning experiences. IICA became a member of the Network in 2000, and since then has conducted more than 60 distance learning activities on topics related to its areas of expertise. A total of 19 of its 34 Member States and two of its Observers (Spain and France) benefited from these courses.

Based on the experience gained by IICA within the framework of the GDLN, a proposal has been developed to establish a joint distance learning network for agriculture in the Americas (GDLNA), to be coordinated and administered by IICA with technological and financial support from the World Bank. The GDLNA will provide low-cost and permanent access to a global network of decision makers, technicians, producers, agro-entrepreneurs, schools of agronomy and veterinary medicine and civil society.

In addition, IICA also began working with the World Bank’s Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) for the implementation of new projects. Most recently, the two organizations have collaborated on activities around the prevention or mitigation of phytosanitary threats.