Over the past 14 years, FONTAGRO and the Government of New Zealand, as part of its contribution to the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA), have established a technical cooperation to promote resilient agriculture across Latin America and the Caribbean. Together, they co-finance projects that foster science and innovation, with the aim of strengthening the capacities of national systems, enabling regional agri-food systems to respond efficiently and sustainably to future challenges.
As part of this cooperation, the Government of New Zealand supported FONTAGRO’s 2024 Call, an extraordinary call dedicated to joint research to contribute to global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Eight projects were approved through this call: four co-financed by FONTAGRO and New Zealand, and four funded solely by FONTAGRO. The total funding for this call exceeded USD $6 million.
These eight initiatives align with Strategy I of FONTAGRO’s 2020-2025 Medium Term Plan, which aims to increase the number of technologies and innovations with high adoption potential and impact on the resilience and sustainability of agricultural systems and agroecosystems. Selected from 54 submitted proposals, these initiatives focus on innovative solutions to address climate change without increasing greenhouse gas emissions and promote regional collaboration. Learn more about the winners of this call here.
The projects funded by the Government of New Zealand are part of the Climate-Smart Agriculture Initiative in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), in support of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA). Through this program, New Zealand seeks to establish partnerships in the LAC region, investing in areas of interest and sharing technical knowledge and expertise. These partnerships have the potential to generate sustainable outcomes and mutual benefits for farmers facing similar challenges.
To date, with the support of the Government of New Zealand, 22 projects have been co-financed to advance resilient agriculture across the LAC region. For more information, visit: https://digital.fontagro.org/en/nz-alc/
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About FONTAGRO
FONTAGRO was created 1998 with the purpose of promoting the increase of the competitiveness of the agri-food sector, ensuring the sustainable management of natural resources and the reduction of poverty in the region. The objective of FONTAGRO is to establish itself as a sustainable financing mechanism for the development of agricultural technology and innovation in Latin America and the Caribbean and Spain, and to establish a forum for the discussion of priority topics of technological innovation. The member countries are: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Spain, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela. In the last 21 years 167 regional agricultural innovation platforms have been co-financed for an amount of US $ 124 million, which has reached 452 institutions and 33 countries worldwide.