(Picture: Marcello Casal Jr)
Initiative Promotes Technical Cooperation with 55 African Countries
The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC), and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) will fund the visit of African agricultural researchers to Brazil.
Representatives from the three institutions signed a letter of intent this Wednesday (19th) to promote the exchange of experts. The objective is to foster technical cooperation between Brazil and the 55 countries of the African continent, strengthening the international cooperation network with a primary focus on food security.
Researcher Exchange and Areas of Focus
Specific details on the implementation of the initiative are yet to be defined, but the institutions have indicated that the initial intention is to host at least 30 researchers from African scientific institutes, universities, or government bodies for a specific period.
Three research areas have been selected to be covered: regenerative agriculture, seen as a strategy to preserve natural resources and make production more sustainable; food and nutritional security, aiming to ensure access to healthy food for populations; and resilience and recovery of degraded areas, a crucial aspect for the sustainability of agricultural production systems.
The partner institutions also committed to identifying, formulating, and implementing joint initiatives, seeking to meet the specific needs and demands of the countries participating in the cooperation.
Seminar as Preparation for Ministers’ Meeting
The signing of the letter of intent took place during the seminar “Africa-Brazil Dialogue in Agricultural Research, Development and Innovation (R&D&I) in Agriculture – taking international cooperation to the next level.” The event is being held at Embrapa’s headquarters in Brasília and broadcast online on IICA Brazil’s YouTube channel.
The meeting is attended by representatives of the Brazilian federal government, ambassadors from African countries with diplomatic representation in Brazil, members of cooperation and research institutions, as well as the renowned Indian scientist Rattan Lal, emeritus professor at Ohio State University (USA), laureate of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize and the 2020 World Food Prize. During the seminar, Professor Lal discussed the challenges and opportunities of agricultural production on the African continent.
This seminar serves as a preparatory event for the meeting scheduled for May this year, which will bring together ministers of Agriculture from various African countries in Brasília. The objective of this meeting will be to discuss strategies to increase agricultural productivity on the continent.
In his announcement about the ministers’ meeting, President Lula stated: “We are going to hold a meeting to show what good things we have in Brazil, take them [African ministers] to the field to see what is happening well [in Brazil], and then hold a technical meeting, coordinated by Embrapa, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so that we can transfer some knowledge to our African colleagues and see if we truly combat hunger.”
African Agricultural Potential and Brazilian Cooperation
Despite holding nearly 65% of the world’s uncultivated arable land and about 10% of the planet’s renewable water resources, African countries as a whole still depend on importing a significant portion of the food that supplies their populations.
According to the African Development Bank, the agricultural sector employs more than 60% of the workforce and accounts for approximately one-third of the continental Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, Africa still ranks as the region with the highest levels of food insecurity globally.
Priority for Lula’s Government
The Secretary of Trade and International Relations of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa), Luis Rua, confirmed that the seminar represents a valuable opportunity for the government, institutions, and experts to discuss, before the ministerial meeting, “what we can exchange in terms of knowledge and information.” Rua emphasized that closer ties with the African continent are a “priority for Lula’s government.”
“After a break of years, we will have a new meeting of ministers of Agriculture. We expect the presence of the 54 ministers of agriculture and their teams so that we can have this moment of reflection. And this moment, this dialogue [happening today], is already part of this effort.”
Horizontal Cooperation and Joint Development
The Secretary of Commercial Promotion, Science, Technology, Innovation and Culture of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Laudemar Gonçalves de Aguiar Neto, added that Brazil’s expectation in promoting the exchange is also to learn from the diversity of experiences and practices existing on the African continent, thus promoting joint development.
“This is how Brazil views cooperation. In general and specifically with Africa: a horizontal cooperation, for development, and in which we impose no rules or obstacles. We demand nothing in return. It is the countries that say what they want in return. This is very important in South-South cooperation and with Africa,” the ambassador emphasized.
Sharing Embrapa’s Knowledge
The president of Embrapa, Silvia Massruhá, highlighted that, thanks to investments in science and technology, the public company has developed, since its creation in the 1970s, its own model of tropical agriculture, recognized worldwide and with great potential to be replicated in other regions.
“Brazil’s achievements in the agricultural sector prove that betting on science and technology is always the best choice. Today, we produce food to supply our population and significantly contribute to global food security. More than sharing these achievements, we want to take a step further and expand the development of knowledge in partnership with countries of the global south,” Silvia stated.
Technologies Adapted for Tropical Realities
The Director-General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Manuel Otero, stated that the partnership with Embrapa and ABC will help bring “technologies adapted to tropical realities” developed by Embrapa to African countries, many of which have great potential to be applied on the African continent.
“Thanks to strategic investments in research, innovation, and technical training – with emphasis on the work of Embrapa – Brazil was able to transform areas such as the Cerrado into highly productive regions. The lessons learned from this journey can be adapted and shared with African countries, respecting their local realities and peculiarities,” concluded Otero.
Resumo em Português:
O Brasil, através da Embrapa, ABC e IICA, financiará a vinda de pesquisadores agrícolas africanos para promover cooperação técnica com 55 países da África, focando em segurança alimentar. A iniciativa prevê o intercâmbio de especialistas em agricultura regenerativa, segurança alimentar e recuperação de áreas degradadas. Um seminário preparatório antecedeu um encontro de ministros da Agricultura africanos em Brasília, com o objetivo de compartilhar conhecimento e combater a fome. Apesar do grande potencial agrícola africano, a região ainda enfrenta insegurança alimentar. O Brasil prioriza a cooperação horizontal com a África, buscando aprendizado mútuo e desenvolvimento conjunto, oferecendo tecnologias adaptadas às realidades tropicais.
Resumen en Español:
Brasil, a través de Embrapa, ABC e IICA, financiará la visita de investigadores agrícolas africanos para promover la cooperación técnica con 55 países de África, centrándose en la seguridad alimentaria. La iniciativa prevé el intercambio de expertos en agricultura regenerativa, seguridad alimentaria y recuperación de áreas degradadas. Un seminario preparatorio precedió a una reunión de ministros de Agricultura africanos en Brasilia, con el objetivo de compartir conocimiento y combatir el hambre. A pesar del gran potencial agrícola africano, la región aún enfrenta inseguridad alimentaria. Brasil prioriza la cooperación horizontal con África, buscando un aprendizaje mutuo y un desarrollo conjunto, ofreciendo tecnologías adaptadas a las realidades tropicales.
