Representatives of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) based in Haiti and the Dominican Republic have reached agreement on the preparation of a binational project that will focus on the border region. The initiative will center on transboundary diseases that limit trade in agricultural products; the promotion of agribusinesses for generational change in the countryside; and agricultural technology to cope with climate change.

IICA and FAO have been laying the groundwork for this partnership for several months. During a recent meeting on the future of Haiti, held in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, IICA officials met with the Assistant Director General of FAO for Latin America, José Graziano da Silva. It was decided that the two institutions would work together on the design and implementation of projects in both countries, in areas that could contribute to agricultural development, especially along their common border.

The four representatives in Haiti and the Dominican Republic are Alfredo Mena and Manuel Sánchez, respectively, and their FAO counterparts Ari Toubo Ibrahim and Deep Ford.  In a meeting in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, held on July 21, they discussed projects of mutual interest in the two neighboring countries, especially rural communities. The final version of the proposal is expected to be ready in September. Their respective organizations, IICA and FAO, also formalized a partnership to coordinate their actions in the agricultural sector in the two countries.

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