CIAT present at the XI International Rice Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean

Yesterday, 22 September, was the inauguration of the XI International Rice Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean, which has gathered the region’s scientists, producers, and entrepreneurs to discuss the current panorama of the rice sector and propose strategies that will allow it to better address the challenges posed by climate change, food security, and international markets.

Dr. Rubén Echeverría, the Director General of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), participated with the conference “Institutional Trends of Agricultural Research in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)”, giving an overview of the new impetus and positioning of agriculture on the current global agenda of research and development. He also pointed out the main challenges for agricultural research, which include poverty, climate change, and sustainable natural resource management.

Institutional Trends of Agricultural Research in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) (in Spanish)

The conference offered an overview of the different types of research and agricultural research organizations in LAC as well as recent institutional reforms in the region’s research and extension systems, including the capacity to generate and/or tap technological overflows.

Dr. Echeverría ended his presentation by addressing the impact of research on the rice sector and projecting the world demand for 2050. He is certain that the key challenge for the future of international research on this crop is to focus on those strategic areas where complementarity exists between national endeavors of the public and private sectors and the International Research Centers. An example of this type of networking initiative is the new global partnership formed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), the Latin American Fund for Irrigated Rice (FLAR), and CIAT.

Conference co-organizers are FLAR, Colombia’s National Rice Growers Federation (Fedearroz), IRRI, and CIAT.

Everything is ready for regional consultation on the future of agriculture for Latin America and the Caribbean

Representatives from the agricultural research sector in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are to meet at CIAT on 19 and 20 October to participate in the Regional Consultation on Agricultural Research for Development for LAC. This consultation will form the basis of what is presented at the Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD) to be held in March 2010 in Montpellier, France.

The event will be convened by the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) and the Forum for the Americas on Agricultural Research and Technology Development (Foragro), as part of the GCARD 2010 process. The Cooperative Program for Technological Development in Agrifood and Agroindustry in the Southern Cone (Procisur) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), in particular its Uruguay office, are also co-organizers of this event.
More than 60 participants from LAC’s public and private sectors have confirmed their attendance to this historic event for the Center, which will be facilitated by CIAT’s Simone Staiger. The agenda includes two conferences offered by Jacky Ganry of GFAR, who will address the trends and transformations of agricultural research and innovation worldwide. Also, CIAT’s Director General Ruben Echeverría will speak about the “megaprogram” proposal for CGIAR centers.

“This is an excellent opportunity to continue with the process of repositioning CIAT in the region, while strengthening the relationships with key partners and actors”, explained Dr. Echeverría. “It is also an excellent opportunity for CIAT to actively participate in the joint construction of LAC’s contribution to regional agricultural research-for-development”, he added.

Participants will include directors of national and international agricultural research institutes, representatives of universities and the governmental sector, and representatives of farmers associations, NGOs and private sector.