FONTAGRO’s incorporation into the Alliance was approved during the GRA’s Council meeting in Mexico.

(Washington, D.C., October 12, 2016) During the Global Research Alliance (GRA) on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases Council meeting, FONTAGRO’s membership was approved as of 2016.

The Global Research Alliance brings together countries that are interested in growing more food without increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture. It was established in December 2009 and it has 46 member countries from all regions of the world. The GRA is focused on the research, development, and expansion of technologies and practices that help food production become resilient to climate change.

Collaboration Activities
FONTAGRO’s 2015-2020 medium-term plan has established a new mission: to contribute to the innovation of family farming, while promoting food security with equity and sustainability. Therefore, one of its main themes includes the adaptation to and mitigation of climate change.

An example that illustrates this is FONTAGRO’s collaboration with New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to fund a project aimed at building capacity for measuring GHGs emissions in livestock systems in Latin America. The project’s results will be used to compile national inventories on greenhouse gas emissions. These results will also be used for the design of sustainable livestock production systems that adapt to climate change.

As part of this project, Latin American researchers have attended training activities on the measurement of greenhouse gases and design of beef and dairy production systems adapted to climate change.

FONTAGRO and the GRA
FONTAGRO’s partnership with the GRA also seeks to strengthen regional research efforts with national research institutes belonging to FONTAGRO’s member countries. Capacity building, knowledge dissemination, and the exchange of research experiences among countries are common goals shared by FONTAGRO and the GRA. The partnership will also allow for activities financed by FONTAGRO and other partners to be integrated into flagship projects identified by the GRA.
For more information, please email fontagro@iadb.org.

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About FONTAGRO
FONTAGRO is a unique regional cooperation mechanism that promotes family farming innovation, competitiveness, and food security. It was established in 1998 and it includes fifteen member countries that have contributed a capital of some $100 million. FONTAGRO is sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). Its Technical Administrative Secretariat is based at IDB headquarters in Washington, D.C. FONTAGRO has cofinanced more than 100 projects and initiatives in its member countries for an approximate amount of $88.7 million, including contributions from other sources of funding and executing agencies. Its member countries are Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Contact Information:
Carina Carrasco
Communications Adviser

References:
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