Washington D.C., May 10, 2023. FONTAGRO co-organized with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA) and the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA) from Chile attended together a meeting on May 10 to describe the work of the last decade on the construction of sustainable agricultural research ecosystems around the world, through the promotion of cooperation and collaboration between scientific institutions and networks.
“Today agriculture and food systems face important challenges on how to feed a growing population with the same or fewer resources, and with lower impact on the environment. To do this, it is necessary to accelerate the generation of new knowledge, technologies, and innovations efficiently and effectively. New organizational and institutional frameworks that attract and bring together scientists and technicians from different disciplines are essential,” described Dr. Eugenia Saini, FONTAGRO’s Executive Secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean, and moderator of the panel. In this way, an interesting exchange between outstanding guest panelists was opened.
This panel was attended by Dr. María Teresa Pino, International Cooperation Officer of the Agricultural Research Institute of Chile, Dr. Jack Okamuro, Leader of the National Crop Production and Protection Program (USDA/ARS), Dr. Sarah Beebout, Leader of the National Program for Sustainable Intensification with the Agricultural Research Service (USDA/ARS), and Dr. John Roche, Chief Scientist and Advisor to the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries. The panelists described examples of how modern research ecosystems are an opportunity for scientists from different disciplines, contexts, cultures, and locations to engage in “brain networks” that contribute to increasing the speed of generation of new solutions for farmers and society, in the face of the effects of climate change.
In this context, the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and FONTAGRO have got together to jointly launch a call for projects in 2024 on climate change adaptation and mitigation, and they invite other institutions to join.
The commitment of AIM for Climate and partner governments to accelerate investments and research in climate-smart agriculture is of utmost importance to protect the global food system from the effects of climate change. The debate on the future of research ecosystems and on the transformation of food systems is key to promote new knowledge about how partners and new alliances can facilitate the future of science, technology, and innovation in the agricultural and agrifood sector.
To date, most policies, investments, and interventions on climate change do not adequately integrate countries, institutions, and other programs, generating a certain risk of duplication of research, not achieving the desired impact.
From this panel, it is proposed that a network of institutions working more coordinately in network is key to be able to achieve a greater impact on resilient and sustainable agrifood systems to the effects of climate change.
***
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.