IICA and Argentina to promote the digitization of agriculture in the region

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the National Institute of Agricultural Technology of Argentina (INTA) announced the formation of the regional AgTech network on Tuesday (7), which seeks to promote the digitization of agriculture in the region.

IICA explained in a press release that the objective of the initiative is to generate a space for linkage, collaboration, and collective construction that will contribute to the emergence and development of innovative, high-impact solutions for agriculture.

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The Inter-American AgTech network, which encompasses a wide range of new technologies applied in agriculture to increase its efficiency, productivity, and sustainability, was created by the two organizations through a technical cooperation agreement.

The agreement was signed by the President of INTA, Susana Mirassou, and the Director-General of IICA, Manuel Otero, and seeks to generate a public-private work agenda for jointly addressing the challenges and opportunities of agri-food systems.

“We are living through an accelerated process of digitalization, which has been accelerated by the pandemic and the great changes it has brought us. Digital technologies have proven to be essential to the functioning of society and the economy,” said Mirassou.

The president added that the agri-food sector faces “strong challenges” that they will be able to “better address” if they enhance “digitalization through infrastructure, connectivity and skills development”.

The president of INTA highlighted that more than 140 AgTech ventures had been created in Argentina in recent years, according to the country’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries. “These data show the dynamism of innovation,” she emphasized.

The leader also expressed that INTA has accompanied “the development of this ecosystem with concrete actions that promote interaction between innovators, entrepreneurs, and AgTech businessmen”.

This, with “an approach that prioritizes inclusion, has a gender focus, provides opportunities for young people, promotes family farming and encourages rooting in rural areas”.

INTA is a state agency for agricultural research in Argentina. Since its foundation in 1956, it has focused on innovation as a driver of development and promotes cooperation to generate knowledge and technologies. It also has a history of almost 60 years of collaboration with IICA.

For his part, Manuel Otero stressed that the agreement reinforces the historical ties between INTA and IICA, which must be projected into the future.

“We are the only continent that has generated a consensus for the next UN Food Systems Summit, based on 16 messages. One of them refers to the need to accelerate the digitization of agriculture, which must make a decisive contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. There is no time to lose,” he said.

According to the authorities, the network will strengthen the positioning of the issue on the agenda of the countries, promote the digitization of government services associated with agriculture and food, create opportunities for meetings and work and promote the linkage of emerging companies in the sector.