On a mission to Brazil, Manuel Otero, Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), met with the mayor of São Paulo and signed a protocol of intent with the local government’s Climate Change Secretariat
São Paulo, 30 November 2021 (IICA) -- In the largest city in South America, agriculture is being seen as a sector that can assist in improving people’s standard of living, even those residing in large urban centers.
On a mission to Brazil, the first order of business for the Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Manuel Otero, was a meeting with the mayor of São Paulo, Ricardo Nunes, where he signed a protocol of intent with São Paulo city’s Executive Secretariat of Climate Change, represented by Secretary Antonio Fernando Pinheiro Pedro.
The purpose of the collaboration is to contribute as effectively as possible to boosting the competitiveness of agrifood systems and to driving agricultural sustainable development, greater food security, poverty reduction and improved living conditions in São Paulo.
Over the next few weeks, the specific structure of the relationship will be discussed.
Secretary Antonio Fernando Pinheiro Pedro, remarked that, “IICA has been contributing to Brazil’s agriculture sector for decades and is highly respected. We are proud that the city of São Paulo is beginning to look at building the resilience of cities through urban agriculture”.
He explained that the intention is to undertake studies, analyses and projects to reconcile agriculture and urban climate change resilience.
On the other hand, Otero said that, “For IICA, this protocol and meeting with the largest city in South America is critical. We are building a bridge with the São Paulo municipality, with a view to transforming and improving the standard of living of all who live in urban environs, while aiming to produce more and better food and to protect the environment. So, this is an extremely important day for IICA”.
In addition to urban agriculture, Otero’s discussions with Mayor Nunes and Secretary Pinheiro Pedro touched on the United Nations Food Systems Summit in September and the Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP26), held in Glasgow, Scotland.
The meeting was also attended by IICA Representative in Brazil, Gabriel Delgado, and Jorge Werthein, Special Advisor to the Director General.
While in São Paulo, Otero met with Miguel de Souza Gularte, Chief Executive Officer of Mafrig Global Foods; André Meloni Nassar, Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Vegetable Oil Industries (ABIOVE); and also paid a courtesy visit to former Minister of Agriculture, Roberto Rodrigues, who is now the Coordinator of the Agribusiness Center at the São Paulo School of Economics, which is part of the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV).
In Brasilia—the second leg of Otero’s visit to Brazil—he is scheduled to hold meetings with the Ministries of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA), Regional Development (MEDR) and Foreign Affairs. He will also meet with the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO); the Parliamentary Agricultural Front and with the ambassadors of Argentina and Germany, among others.
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