IICA and Winrock International join hands to strengthen agriculture and combat climate change
San José, 27 September 2018 (IICA). The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the U.S. company, Winrock International, are embarking on a strategic partnership to conduct joint initiatives, in relation to agriculture and land use for climate mitigation and adaptation in countries in the hemisphere.
Company representatives visited IICA’s Headquarters in San José, Costa Rica, where they met with senior authorities at the Institute to establish the groundwork for this synergy.
Winrock International is a non-profit NGO, based in Virginia, United States. Its work spans issues, such as sustainable development, climate change, land use and natural resource management, inter alia, with projects in over 30 countries worldwide.
Gabriel Rodríguez, IICA’s Project Unit Coordinator, remarked that, “We intend to develop an agenda, to include timely initiatives related to agriculture and climate change for the countries of the Americas. IICA would like to stress the importance of this type of public-private sector partnership that allows us to provide much-needed technical assistance to countries. What better way to achieve this than by working together.”
Felipe Casarim, Specialist from Winrock International’s Ecosystem Services Unit, added that, as part of this initial venture, IICA and the North American entity will collaborate to support the development of climate change mitigation plans for Belize.
“Casarim also remarked that, “IICA is a highly regarded international organization that is playing an active role in these areas. Its local presence and understanding of the real needs of the hemisphere’s countries will serve as a perfect complement to our technical expertise. The association will result in a powerful alliance, and the Institute will be a valuable partner for the execution of these joint projects”.
The Ministries of Agriculture and the Environment from the various countries in the hemisphere, as well as producers, are expected to be some of the primary beneficiaries of this IICA-Winrock International collaboration, depending on the type of initiatives that are developed in the short, medium and long-term.
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Gabriel Rodríguez, Project Unit Coordinator, IICA.