At COP28 in Dubai, Latin America and the Caribbean introduce plan to enhance productivity and sustainability through the circular economy and bioeconomy

The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and its 34 Member States, along with strategic partners from the private sector, have showcased the progress made by Latin America and the Caribbean in strengthening their agri-food systems at COP28, the global environmental negotiation and discussion forum held in Dubai.

The region has been leveraging the concepts of the circular economy and the bioeconomy to enhance productivity and sustainability. This was demonstrated at the Home of Sustainable Agriculture of the Americas, a pavilion set up by IICA at the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The countries of the region have reached consensus on numerous issues to bolster their agri-food systems amidst the environmental crisis. This consensus aims to adapt to increasingly extreme and frequent weather events while contributing to global mitigation objectives.

Key figures in the agricultural sector, including Scientist Rattan Lal, a leading authority on soil sciences and World Food Prize winner in 2020; Marcello Brito, executive secretary of the Amazon Legal Consortium; and Lloyd Day, Deputy Director General of IICA, agreed that the region has an extraordinary opportunity to leverage its wealth of natural resources to produce goods and services, with the aid of science, technology, and information.

Rattan Lal emphasized the importance of soil health for food and agriculture, stating that healthy soils are essential for achieving many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out in the 2030 Agenda. He warned that soils, like all living entities, have rights and must be given the attention they require.

Professor Lal leads the Living Soils of the Americas Program, which has been coordinating efforts since 2020 to combat erosion. He highlighted the potential of tools such as regenerative agriculture, digital agriculture, and artificial intelligence in protecting soil health.

Marcello Brito expressed optimism about the increasing discussions on regenerative agriculture and transformation. The full details of his comments were not provided in the information shared.