From July 29 to 31, 2025, the International Tropical Agriculture Conference was held in San José, Costa Rica, at the headquarters of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE). The event brought together government leaders, technical experts, and decision-makers from Latin America, the Caribbean, and other tropical regions to discuss the main challenges and opportunities in agri-food systems.

Over the course of three days, key topics were addressed, including innovation in public policy, soil health, transformative education, sustainable financing, and scientific research, with the aim of promoting more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable agriculture.

As part of the event, the Manuel Otero Chair of Tropical Agriculture was inaugurated, and the Tropical Agriculture Platform was launched—a joint initiative by IICA, CATIE, CARDI, EMBRAPA, and the Alliance Bioversity-CIAT aimed at coordinating regional and global efforts in research, training, and innovation.

Additionally, IICA Director General Dr. Manuel Otero was recognized for his leadership and contributions to sustainable development in the region.

FONTAGRO’s Executive Secretary, Eugenia Saini, participated in the panel “International Presence, Banking, and Philanthropy,” where she highlighted the role of philanthropic funds in financing agri-food research and development, the importance of capitalization funds from philanthropic organizations, and the strategic direction of investments. She emphasized the need to create spaces for dialogue and discussion to strengthen partnerships with local actors and rethink how to finance research and development in the region.

The conference concluded with a call to strengthen collaboration between governments, academia, the private sector, and international organizations to ensure more robust agri-food systems in the face of climate change and to enhance food security in tropical regions.

The event also included technical visits to IICA’s innovation laboratories, CIMAC, and the Fab Lab, which are specialized in agricultural innovation and research for the region.