Ambassadors and Heads of Mission from various countries visit CATIE on a working tour sponsored by IICA

• Authorities learned about the Agro-Innova Project, which is implemented by IICA with technical collaboration from CATIE.

The CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) was the setting for an important visit dubbed a "working tour" on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, which was attended by ambassadors and heads of mission from countries belonging to the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean, the United States of America, Canada, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates, all accredited in Costa Rica.

The day, organized by the IICA (Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture), began with welcoming remarks by Dr. Manuel Otero, Director General of IICA, and Dr. Luis Pocasangre, Director General of CATIE.

Dr. Pocasangre thanked the visitors and emphasized the importance of experiencing firsthand the work carried out by the institution. "I consider it fundamental for both CATIE and IICA that a delegation like this one is here visiting the research and development projects we undertake because they can see the results and interact directly with the researchers who have carried out the work in question," he said.

On his part, the Director General of IICA mentioned, "There is great complementarity between CATIE, the major institution for science, research, and education in the tropics, and IICA, a technical cooperation agency projected from the continent to the world. That's why I am grateful for the presence of the ambassadors, the representatives of the diplomatic corps, because we need to listen to them and generate new project ideas. In times of crisis, there is more cooperation, more solidarity; working together with such a relevant ally as CATIE."

Subsequently, a series of activities were conducted covering relevant topics for agricultural and rural development in the region.

In attendance were the ambassadors to Costa Rica from Canada, Elizabeth Williams; from Chile, Margarita Portuguez González; from Spain, Eva Felicia Martínez Sánchez; from Guatemala, Sandra Noriega; and the ambassadors from Panama, Luis Cabezas, and from the Dominican Republic, Josué Antinoe Fiallo.

Also present were Jaime Quiroga Carvajal, Charge d'Affaires of Bolivia; Hanna Wajda, Commercial Counsellor of Canada; Glenn Ernie Cuthbert Dixon, Charge d'Affaires of Nicaragua; the First Secretary of the Embassy of Panama, Eric Ureta; Eduardo Enrique Urbina, Minister Counsellor of Honduras; Javier Villaseñor Alonso, Director of the Cultural Institute of Mexico; Martha Medina Zorrilla, Charge d'Affaires of Paraguay; Matteo Banti and Nazareth Porras, Head and Officer of Cooperation of the European Union in Costa Rica; Juan David Higuera, Second Secretary of Colombia; Patricia Pertejo Alonso, Counsellor for Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food of Spain in Costa Rica; and Aroa Carrillo, collaborator of the same embassy.

Drone Handling and Visited Projects

One of the most notable sessions was dedicated to drone management in agriculture, where the diplomatic corps had the opportunity to participate in a theoretical and practical session on the use of this technology, highlighting its application in rural youth as an example of innovation in the sector.

The event also included the presentation of the New Turrialba Plan, an initiative to promote agrotourism and agro-productive development in the Turrialba community.

Another important point on the agenda was the exhibition of community groups on rural energy. Testimonies and experiences of groups, including indigenous communities, beneficiaries of the project funded by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), focused on the use of renewable energies and energy efficiency, were shared.

Additionally, the Agro-Innova Project was presented, an initiative of 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.

The day concluded with a visit to the Nortico Cacao Farm, where a lunch was held, during which the team led by Aldo Sánchez and Ann Elin Norddal shared the role played by this company in the cocoa production and processing chain, as well as its participation in the Cocoa Gastronomic Route Project, funded by the Banking System for Development and the English Group Eden Project.

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.