Ambassadors and heads of mission from various countries visit CATIE on a work tour sponsored by IICA

In CATIE was the setting for an important visit called a “work tour”, which was attended by Ambassadors and Heads of Mission from countries belonging to the Latin American and Caribbean Group, the United States of America, Canada, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates, all accredited in Costa Rica.

The event, organized by the IICA (Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture), began with welcoming remarks by Dr. Manuel Otero, Director General of the IICA and Dr. Luis Pocasangre, Director General of CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center). Dr. Pocasangre expressed gratitude for the visit and emphasized the importance of seeing firsthand the work carried out by the institution: "I believe that for both CATIE and IICA, it is crucial that a delegation like this one visits our research and development projects because they can see the results and interact directly with the researchers who have conducted the work," he said.

On the other hand, the Director General of IICA mentioned, "There is great complementarity between CATIE, the leading institution for science, research and education in the tropics and IICA, a technical cooperation agency projecting itself from the continent to the world. That's why I appreciate the presence of the ambassadors, the representatives of the diplomatic corps, so much because we need to hear from them and generate new project ideas. In times of crisis, there's more need for cooperation, more solidarity and working together with such a relevant ally as CATIE."

Subsequently, a series of activities were carried out covering relevant topics for agricultural and rural development in the region. One of the most prominent sessions was dedicated to drone management in agriculture, where the diplomatic corps had the opportunity to participate in both theoretical and practical sessions on the use of this technology, highlighting its application among rural youth as an example of innovation in the sector.

The event also featured the presentation of the "Nueva Turrialba Plan," an initiative aimed at promoting agrotourism and productive agriculture in the Turrialba community. Another important agenda item was the exhibition of community groups focusing on rural energy. Testimonials and experiences from various groups, including indigenous communities, beneficiaries of the project funded by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), were shared, focusing on the use of renewable energies and energy efficiency.

Additionally, the Agro-Innova Project was presented, an initiative by IICA aimed at transferring technologies to small producers in the Central American Dry Corridor, with financial support from the European Union and technical collaboration from CATIE, among other partners.

After a day of exchanging experiences and knowledge, the participants returned to the capital with a clearer vision of the opportunities and challenges in the agricultural and agri-food sector of the region.

To learn more about this visit, you can click on this link ➡️ https://www.catie.ac.cr/2024/04/26/embajadores-embajadoras-y-jefes-de-mision-de-diversos-paises-visitan-el-catie-en-una-gira-de-trabajo-auspiciada-por-el-iica/

Written by: Esteban Rodríguez Zamora.

Edited by: Estefanie Ramirez Brenes.

More information:
General direction

CATIE

dgcatie@catie.ac.cr