FONTAGRO reaffirms its commitment to innovation and family farming adaptation to climate change

During the XVIII Annual Meeting of the FONTAGRO board, representatives of the member countries, IICA and the IDB re-defined FONTAGRO’s mission, vision and strategic objectives that will guide the Fund during 2015-20.

Rionegro, Colombia, October 27, 2014 (IICA). With an investment of $ 1.6 million, the FONTAGRO Board of Directors approved eight regional projects for adaptation of family farming to climate change.

The innovations include the implementation of the system of rice intensification, water resources management and improvement of underutilized native crops. The work will be carried out in partnerships with smallholder farmers in vulnerable areas, and is co-funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

Also the Board approved an additional $1.6 million for the 2015 call for proposals to strengthen processes of organizational, institutional or technological innovation for the sustainable management of natural resources. The purpose is to provide organizations with the necessary tools, knowledge and abilities to implement innovations that promote the sustainable use of land, water and biodiversity.

“Responding to climate change is a challenge for agriculture in the Hemisphere”, explained the President of FONTAGRO, José Luis Repetto.

“In the coming decades, differences in rainfall, temperatures and the ranges of plants and pest species will transform agriculture. The most affected are family farmers,” he said.

FONTAGRO is implementing new partnerships to co-finance projects implemented between its member countries. Currently, for every dollar contributed by FONTAGRO, five and a half dollars are contributed by and the participating organizations and cooperating agencies.

During the XVIII Annual Meeting of the FONTAGRO board in Rionegro, Colombia, representatives of the member countries, IICA and the IDB re-defined FONTAGRO’s mission, vision and strategic objectives that will guide the Fund during 2015-20. Family farming will remain the focus of attention.

“Sustainable intensification in agriculture is becoming a priority for FONTAGRO. The goal of sustainable intensification is to increase food production from existing farmland while minimizing pressure on the environment,” explained Priscila Henriquez, innovation specialist of IICA.

“It is a response to the challenges of increasing demand for food from a growing global population, in a world where land, water, energy and other inputs are in short supply, overexploited and used unsustainably”, she said.

“If we really believe that Latin America can become the new global food basket, we must continue to support innovative processes in family farming”, insisted Repetto.

There are more than 17 million units of family farmers in Latin America and the Caribbean, covering 70% of all farms, and accounting for 35% of the land under cultivation. These small units account for 40% of food production and generate 64% of agricultural employment.

For further information:
priscila.henriquez@iica.int