New opportunities for business and cooperation are created with the visit to Argentina of three Central American and Caribbean ministers and the participation of international experts in a farmers’ conference

Jorge Werthein, Special Advisor to the IICA Director General; Roberto Linares, Minister of Agricultural Development of Panama; Frederick Stephenson, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Manuel Otero, Director General of IICA; Walter Baethgen, Senior Research Scientist at Columbia University; Ravi Ratiram, Senator and Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries of Trinidad and Tobago; and Fernando Camargo, IICA Representative in Argentina.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Aug. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) concluded an intensive week of activities in Buenos Aires, having organized a visit by three ministers from Central America and the Caribbean, who explored new opportunities for trade and cooperation with the Argentinian government and private sector.

The government officials, along with various international experts, also participated in a three-day conference that brought together more than 15,000 farmers from Argentina and other countries, with a focus on innovation and sustainability.

Minister of Agricultural Development of Panama, Roberto José Linares; Senator and Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries of Trinidad and Tobago, Ravi Ratiram; and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Frederick Stephenson, visited the Argentinian capital, along with Director General of IICA, Manuel Otero. The economies of these three net food-importing countries could potentially complement the economy of Argentina – a global agricultural powerhouse.

The ministers participated in the Congress of the Argentine Association of Direct Seeding Producers (AAPRESID), in which IICA played a key role, providing insight into the challenges and opportunities of agriculture in their regions. The conference enjoyed the presence of Kip Tom, Vice Chair of Rural Policy at the America First Policy Institute (AFPI); Jack Bobo, Executive Director of the Rothman Family Institute for Food Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Walter Baethgen, Senior Research Scientist at the Columbia Climate School, along with Manuel Otero.

Ministers Linares, Ratiram and Stephenson engaged in high-level meetings at Argentina’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, where they were welcomed by Minister Gerardo Werthein and Secretary Jorge Iraeta, and interacted with representatives of the private sector.

They visited the Institute of Floriculture at the National Agricultural Technology Institute (INTA), in Castelar, which is considered a national benchmark institution for the community and productive sector in the area of floriculture and nursery production. They also toured a composting plant and a hydroponics vegetable production facility that employs the latest cutting-edge technology.

Research and development

“I was able to witness how research and development are translated into action in Argentina, through investment in new technologies. And I saw many young people at the conference who were interested and involved in rural life, thus proving that agriculture is a way of life in this country. I am grateful that IICA has given me this opportunity, and I will return to Trinidad and Tobago having learned many lessons”, said Ratiram.

Linares considered his meetings with both the public and the private sectors to be extremely productive. “We will have many opportunities to work together. Panama is a small country whose agriculture sector can benefit tremendously from Argentina’s assistance. On the other hand, our logistics infrastructure can facilitate the distribution of Argentinian exports to many parts of the world. Both countries can benefit greatly from strengthening this relationship.

Minister Stephenson noted that the visit would create positive benefits not only for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines but also for other countries in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). “In Buenos Aires, I spoke about the challenges in my country and my region. We are extremely vulnerable to natural disasters, such as hurricanes, droughts and earthquakes. In Saint Vincent we have an active volcano that erupted several times in 2021 and destroyed more than half of the agriculture sector. The cooperation of an agriculture sector leader like Argentina is critical, which will add to all that IICA is doing”, he said.

The AAPRESID Congress was a massive event, boasting 160 panel discussions, 450 speakers and 150 exhibitors. For the second consecutive year, IICA played a leading role in the event, helping to increase the international visibility of this important Argentinian farmers’ association.

The international experts that the hemispheric organization invited to the meeting discussed the need to create a new narrative for agriculture in the Americas, to better reflect the sector’s reality and underscore its vital contribution to food and energy security, soil regeneration, biodiversity conservation and the response to climate variability.

Professor Bobo called attention to the dangers of misinformation and polarization and considered it essential to bear in mind that life expectancy in all countries of the world is much higher today than just a few decades ago, thanks to the gains in agriculture that have provided people with better food and nutrition.

Tom, on the other hand, stressed that food security is essential for safeguarding countries’ national security and defending democratic systems. Baethgen appealed for greater communication, to counter a global situation in which most people are far removed from food production regions and susceptible to misleading messages about agriculture.

Otero predicted that agriculture would play an increasingly important role in the public agenda as part of the solution to challenges facing humanity. Yet, he also noted that more investment in research and development would be needed and stressed the importance of technical and digital capacity development for farmers, the creation of a new generation of evidence-based public policies and the creation of new leadership. “Current challenges—he said—require profound transformation and also a new, attractively presented narrative that conveys the message that agriculture is essential for the development of the Americas”.

A ceremony was also held at the Buenos Aires Grain Exchange, to recognize the IICA Director General for his contribution to the development of the hemisphere’s agroindustrial sector. The Exchange also hosted a high-level round table discussion on agriculture and the global geopolitical context, in which IICA’s guests also participated.