Costa Rica hosted the celebration of the 2nd EU-LAC Agri-Food Dialogueorganised by AL-INVEST Verde in collaboration with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). The event took place on 25 June in San José, while on 26 June the facilities of the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Centre (CATIE) in Turrialba were visited.
The event was attended by more than 80 public and private sector representatives from Latin America and the Caribbean, together with representatives of the European Union. The inauguration was chaired by Lloyd DayIICA Deputy Director General; Felice Zaccheo, Head of the Regional Programmes Unit for Latin America and the Caribbean of the European Commission's Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA); Antonella CavallariSecretary General of the International Italo-Latin American Organisation (IILA); Sonsoles MoriesDirector of FIAP's Economic Development and Environment Area; and Victor CarvajalMinister of Agriculture and Livestock of Costa Rica.
This was followed by the opening panel "Perspectives for sustainable transition in LAC and EU livestock systems". The panellists were Andreas PilzeckerThe presentation "Mitigation of methane emissions from agriculture in the European Union" was given by the policy officer of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG-AGRI); Donald MooreExecutive Director of the Global Dairy Platform, who spoke on "Responsible and sustainable food production in livestock farming"; and Diego GaunaThe technical coordinator of the IICA-IDB Sustainable Livestock Platform, who spoke on "Perspectives and characteristics in the transition of cattle farming systems in Latin America and the Caribbean".
The day continued with the panels "Models for the financing of sustainable livestock farming" and "Technologies and productive practices for the scaling up of more competitive and sustainable livestock farming systems". Specialists from the Delegation of the European Union in Costa Rica, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), researchers and livestock experts, among others, spoke during both sessions.
The last panel focused on "Technologies and productive practices for the scaling up of more competitive and sustainable livestock systems" and the event concluded with a dialogue on "Strategic priorities for sustainable transition", together with the main conclusions of all that was presented during the day to strengthen joint efforts between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean.
Visit to CATIE
The following day, the facilities of the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Centre (CATIE) in Turrialba were visited. The director general of the centre, Luis PocasangreHe welcomed the attendees, to whom he highlighted the relevance of the meeting and recalled that CATIE has been a pioneer in the design of sustainable livestock policies and practices. "CATIE has worked for decades in the construction of sustainable livestock production models and this campus is a reflection of that effort," he said.
For its part, Fernando SchwankeIICA Project Director, highlighted the importance of the research results developed by CATIE in sustainable livestock and sustainable production and technologies for the mitigation and adaptation of agriculture to climate variability.
Finally, Emilio CalvoThe visit was highly valued by the director of AL-INVEST Verde/Component 2, who said that "these spaces allow for deeper connections and more tangible learning".
During the tour of CATIE, the participants learned about sustainable livestock production experiences, such as silvopastoral systems, live fences, fodder banks and landscape management practices aimed at harmonising productivity and environmental conservation.
About AL-INVEST Verde
AL-INVEST Verde is a European Union (EU) programme whose main objective is to promote sustainable growth and job creation in Latin America by supporting the transition towards a low-carbon, resource-efficient and more circular economy. Through Component 2, led by FIIAPP in consortium with IILA, the programme provides assistance for strengthening public policy and multi-stakeholder dialogues on sustainable agricultural and value chains, environmental and labour standards, as well as sustainable trade and economic policy and regulatory frameworks.