Commodities Shuttle: Agriculture Must Reverse Criticism and Threats into Opportunities, According to IICA Director

This year was marked by two major events that showed the importance of agriculture and food within the world context, according to Manuel Otero, director general of IICA (Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture).

One in New York, carried out by the United Nations, discussed the importance of food chains and agriculture, especially in periods of pandemic like the current one.

The second event, that of COP26, in Glasgow, Scotland, was an awareness-raising event. The world cannot continue as it is and needs change before it’s too late. Agriculture is part of this context and has a lot of cooperation to give.

For Otero, there were many discussions, but from now on, action is needed. There is great opportunity for transformation, and agriculture must turn criticisms and threats into opportunities.

The importance of the Americas in this discussion is great. Of every three kilos of food consumed, one leaves this region, according to the director of IICA. In his assessment, it is necessary to build models that take into account not only the quantity, but also the quality of food.

For this, the adoption of some measures is urgent: giving life to the soil, which, in many regions, is quite degraded, adopting a rational use of water, inserting more science in production systems and increasing the use of new technologies in the field. .

For the director of IICA, it is necessary to bring to the field the same digitalization potential already achieved in the city.

And, within this context, include family farming producers, who total 16.5 million on the continent.

Data show that 63% of those living in the countryside do not have quality connectivity and only 17% of these workers are digitally literate.

Otero says that one of the focuses of work for the next few years is soil recovery. The current photo is worrying, as 40% are degraded. It is necessary to stop and reverse this degradation, he says.

“Only with living soil, from a physical, chemical and biological point of view, can we think of sustainable food production systems. IICA will play hardball on this issue”, says Otero.

The body is developing international actions that involve experts on the subject, such as Rattan Lal, from the University of Ohio, governments and the private sector.

There is no single recipe for the development of sustainable agriculture, and each case must be evaluated in isolation. The biggest concern, however, is with the Caribbean countries, where climate change makes them increasingly vulnerable.

Natural disasters and political instabilities in these countries create a vicious circle that affects agriculture, brings insecurity and forces migration.

This insecurity ends up causing problems for the entire continent. The first outbreaks of African swine fever, a disease that drives pork exporters off the international market, are starting in this region.

The arrival of this disease on the continent is a threat for everyone, especially for Brazil, one of the great producers and exporters.

One of the new focuses of IICA, an organization that seeks to develop new events, is to promote urban agriculture. The development of a bridge between traditional and urban agriculture is important, according to Otero.

The global demand for food is growing, and urban and vertical agriculture can reduce waste, generate less pollution and shorten the gap between production and consumption.

One of the first agreements was made with the City of São Paulo, with the objective of increasing the competitiveness of agrifood systems. Other large urban centers, such as Mexico, are among the institute’s priorities.