Global Courant
With a bit of ideological overtones and a cloud of doubt in the air, agriculture and livestock farming in particular are in the dock when it comes to climate change.
The debate is open and the Inter-American Institute for Agricultural Cooperation (IICA), led by the Argentine Manuel Otero, has decided to make its voice heard.
In these times marked by the accusatory scourge regarding the use of water and the elimination of methane gas, and in view of the ignorance of responsible practices on the part of many, Otero convened an interministerial meeting of the 34 member countries of the IICA From Canada to Chile and Argentina .
The event will take place in Costa Rica, the organization’s headquarters, and will feature special guest 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics Michael Kremer, who is being recognized for his studies to alleviate global poverty.
Kremer recommended designing public policies in Latin America and the Caribbean that focus on the digitalization of agriculture: this is known as knowledge-based agriculture.
King Charles III of the United Kingdom, an enemy of beef production
Otero, a veterinarian by profession, was elected Director General at the helm of IICA in 2021 and re-elected twice. His mandate expires in 2026. “We live in a time when it is necessary to produce in environments increasingly affected by climate change. There is a knowledge limit that is changing disruptively. At IICA, we support member states with information, public policies, projects and links for knowledge-based agriculture that uses science as a fundamental input. Agriculture is part of the solution. This is a strategic axis for sustainable development. She can’t sit in the dock,” she tells Clarín.
Otero argues that this continent’s agriculture is a guarantee of food security and global sustainability, at a time when climate, economic and war crises require renewed, more productive and resilient agriculture.
“If we look at America as a whole, we are the largest export region in the world. This is a continent that must stand with self-respect because we fulfill a very important role. We have all the genetic resources, the natural resources, the biodiversity. We account for 23% of the forest resources, a third of the land area; We play a key role in the water and oxygen cycle. “We are a food production machine that we then bring to the international stage.”
-Then why is this sector blamed?
-Bad practices are questioned and generalized. There is no other sector of the global economy that can make such important contributions to climate change mitigation and adaptation as well-managed agriculture, which can act as a sustainable, regenerative sink for greenhouse gases. Argentina was a pioneer in no-till farming, we should be proud.
Agriculture of tomorrow. Prototypes of technological innovations that can improve agri-food production and distribution systems have been installed at IICA’s headquarters in San José, Costa Rica.
Otero insists that agriculture needs to position itself differently on the international stage and make its voice heard. Hence the motto of the ministerial meeting that begins next Tuesday: “Continental Alliance for Food Security and Sustainable Development”.
And when it comes to livestock, IICA tells us that ruminants are capable of converting lignocellulosic material that no one else could use.
“It is a production of marginal areas and in many countries they are the livelihood of small producers, a resource to produce more protein-rich food on the tables of these households.” Livestock production must be done with improved pastures, shorter production cycles and genetic improvement. This livestock farming is very welcome,” adds Otero.
Of course there are open questions. For example, half of the soils in America show some degree of degradation. Hence the novel living soil program being used on other continents, which requires biodiversity for its health.
