Fernando Mattos, Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries of Uruguay, calls for sectoral policies to gain ground on undernourishment and malnutrition in the Americas

The 2023 Conference of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas will provide a space for the exchange of experiences and dialogue to spotlight the role of regional agriculture as a guarantor of global food and nutrition security and sustainability. 

Montevideo, 29 September 2023 (IICA). Fernando Mattos, Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries of Uruguay, advocated for the promotion of agricultural policies during the 2023 Conference of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas to be held next week in Costa Rica to help gain ground in the fight against undernourishment and malnutrition across the hemisphere.

The conference will take place on 3-5 October at the headquarters of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and will serve as a platform to drive policy design and actions to promote the role of the agriculture sector of the Americas as the guarantor of global food and nutrition security and sustainability.

Minister Mattos also underscored the importance of sustainable agriculture systems in the region. He noted that sustainability must include the economic, social and environmental aspects and highlighted the need to strengthen cooperation to promote access to technologies in agriculture and protect biodiversity.

“It is very important for our production systems that we create collaboration channels to transfer technology, improve our production systems, protect our biodiversity and native peoples and generate a sustainable production system”, he said.

Mattos added that the production systems of the Americas must not put natural resources in jeopardy, but must allow for the production of quality products that guarantee food safety for the global population.

“Our region is called to be the guarantor of an improved sourcing process for global consumption systems”, he explained.

The minister further underlined the importance of preserving biodiversity and of properly managing water resources as key elements for sustainability and ethics in agricultural production.

“Today, we are facing growing climate challenges that put in jeopardy the planet’s water supply. The vulnerability of production systems must lead to adaptation and resilience systems that are stronger and more powerful”, he commented.

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