0
On September 3, in San José, Costa Rica, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) hosted a delegation from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Disaster Response and Humanitarian Affairs (DHR) to explore possible avenues for cooperation aimed at strengthening the agricultural sector’s resilience and food security in the face of disasters and emergencies in the Americas.
During the meeting, participants discussed some of the main risks facing the region, including the effects of El Niño, the prevention and control of the cattle borer, and the Caribbean’s vulnerability to hurricanes. Both institutions also emphasized the need to strengthen national capacities to anticipate threats that could affect food production and rural communities.
IICA Director General Muhammad Ibrahim emphasized the importance of anticipating risks and protecting agrifood systems, as well as using data and scientific evidence to inform decision-making. IICA has a network of offices and partnerships across the continent that works with governments and producers on both prevention and the recovery of agricultural production following emergencies.
DHR Director Karrie Peterson noted that agriculture and food security are fundamental elements of preparedness and response to humanitarian crises and expressed her agency’s interest in exploring possible avenues for collaboration with IICA.
The meeting made it possible to identify potential areas of cooperation in risk monitoring and prevention, the recovery of production systems, institutional strengthening, and information exchange, with the goal of increasing the resilience of agri-food systems in the Americas.
September 3, 2026/ Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture/ Costa Rica.
https://iica.int/es/
