South Korea leads technological innovation in US agriculture

San Jose, July 15 (EFE). South Korea and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA) said Thursday that they are promoting measures to boost technological innovation in the agricultural sector in Latin America and the Caribbean in order to ensure food security and combat climate change.

“Over 50 years, our country has undergone major transformations, and food has been a major factor in that process, and we have made great efforts, going from food shortage to food surplus and we want to share this knowledge with the international community,” he said. Director General of the Technology Cooperation Office of the Korea Rural Development Administration (ADR), Kwon Taek-ron.

The Asian official, accompanied by researchers and representatives of the South Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), held a meeting with the Director General of IICA, Manuel Otero, at the International Organization’s headquarters in Costa Rica, in order to explore synergies.

Kwon Taek-Ruoun said Korea is willing to enhance cooperation in the field of future agricultural technology, innovation and rural digitization.

IICA Director General, Manuel Otero, emphasized that the alliance with Korea and that country’s agricultural expertise can contribute to improving the quality of life of rural communities in the Americas.

“Our countries are going through a transition towards low carbon agriculture, where bridges are made with the environment, but with agricultural producers always put at the center. The challenge is to see how we work together, you have the technology and we are very privileged close to governments and ministries of agriculture, so we complement each other. Perfectly,” Otero said.

IICA highlighted the importance of strengthening cooperative relations with South Korea, in a context where Latin American and Caribbean countries are making efforts to develop projects focused on developing agriculture that is more resilient in the face of climate variability.

Among the functions of the Korea Technology Cooperation Office is to establish strategic cooperation links with other countries and international organizations to address major global problems, such as food security and climate change.

Korea is currently cooperating with the Latin American region on projects to implement adaptive technologies in countries such as the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay; It also works with research institutes on genetics and new agricultural technologies in the United States, Mexico, Peru and Brazil, under the Korea Initiative for Food and Agriculture in Latin America (KoLFACI), official information indicates. EFE

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