IICA Director General to join experts at Borlaug Dialogue
The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) will be heavily involved in the 2024 Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue, a prestigious, high-level symposium that discusses the most important issues facing food and agriculture worldwide.
The event will bring together world leaders and renowned experts from the fields of agricultural development, public policies, good practices and nutrition. Organised by the World Food Prize (WFP) Foundation, it is taking place from October 29 to 31 in Des Moines, Iowa.
The participants will take inspiration from the historic legacy of scientist Norman Borlaug –the father of the so-called Green Revolution, who saved millions of people from starvation–, as they come together for this year’s event, the theme of which is “Seeds of Opportunity: Bridging Generations and Cultivating Diplomacy.”
IICA Director General Manuel Otero will be involved in several activities along with the Secretary of Agriculture and Livestock of Honduras, Laura Suazo, and the Minister of Agriculture of Guyana, Zulfikar Mustapha (representing the Latin American and Caribbean region); the Vice-President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Gerardine Mukeshimana; and the Institute’s Deputy Director General, Lloyd Day.
IICA is organising a session with the participation of ministers Mustapha and Suazo, as well as Otero, Vice-President Mukeshimana, and Lloyd Day.
The panel discussion, entitled “Creating a New Narrative: Agrifood Systems for Healthy People and a Healthy Planet,” will propose positive ways in which the Americas can change the negative narrative about agrifood systems that portrays them as inefficient.
The aim is to reflect the true situation of a sector that makes a crucial contribution to food security and economic and social development by producing food, fibre and energy for the world, while implementing good practices for environmental care.
Otero will also take part in a panel on innovation in animal production, along with Appolinaire Djikeng, Director General of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI); Judith de Vor, a farmer and member of the Global Farmer Network (GFN); and Surita Sandosham, President and CEO of Heifer International.
The discussion will focus on the importance of ensuring that innovations reach small farmers, who have difficulty accessing new technologies and good practices. Parallel to the Borlaug Dialogue, the WFP Foundation will present its prestigious awards to individuals who are making exceptional contributions to global food security.
Among those to be honoured is Jack Bobo, Director of the Food Systems Institute at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, who will receive the Borlaug CAST Communication Award for his innovative work in science communication. Bobo has links with IICA and this year has taken part in several of the inter-American agency’s activities.
