Guyana to host regional agriculture hub

 A new regional partnership aimed at strengthening tropical agriculture and improving food security across the Caribbean has been formalised through an agreement between Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and the Inter American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture.

The accord is designed to speed up the transfer and adaptation of agricultural technologies, expand scientific expertise and encourage innovation in tropical farming systems, with Guyana expected to play a central role through the establishment of a regional centre for agricultural cooperation.

The agreement was signed in San José, Costa Rica, during the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Inter American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, which brings together agriculture ministers from across the Americas. Brazil’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Cleber Soares, signed on behalf of his country, while Director General Muhammad Ibrahim represented the institute.

The initiative follows a Letter of Intent signed in June by Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Guyana’s Ministry of Agriculture and the institute, outlining plans to establish a Sustainable Agriculture Hub of the Americas in Guyana. The proposed facility is intended to serve as a regional platform for scientific research, technical cooperation, technology transfer and agricultural innovation.

The agreement also provides for closer collaboration among Brazil’s Agricultural Research Corporation, the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute of Guyana, the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute, the Caribbean Community and other regional partners.

“Soares said, “Through this Hub, EMBRAPA and Brazilian experts will contribute their experience, technologies and knowledge across a range of crops and production systems so that, together, IICA, Brazil and the Government of Guyana can advance the development of agriculture and livestock production in the Caribbean and Central America.”

Ibrahim said the centre of excellence planned for Guyana would draw on Brazil’s internationally recognised expertise in tropical agriculture. He noted that the institute’s 2026 to 2030 Medium Term Plan, approved during the Executive Committee meeting, places significant emphasis on science based solutions and the transfer of agricultural innovations suited to the varied production systems across the Americas.

Priority areas identified under the agreement include sustainable tropical agriculture research, technology transfer, food security, production diversification, agricultural risk management, natural resource conservation, agricultural health and measures to prevent transboundary pests and diseases.

The agreement also allows for additional institutions to participate and for new areas of cooperation to be introduced as the programme develops.

When the proposal was presented in June, President Irfaan Ali said the initiative would help position Guyana as a leading food supplier for the Caribbean while supporting climate resilience, improving seed production and strengthening the region’s long term agricultural and food security capacity.

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