Last week, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service hosted a delegation in Washington, D.C. with government and private sector representatives from Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. FAS and the delegation shared information and collaborated on topics including environmental conservation and sustainable agricultural practices. This is part of FAS’s efforts to work with climate-focused partners in the Southern Cone region of South America.
The delegation was also introduced to USDA’s newly launched International Climate Hub. Additionally, delegation members saw real-world agricultural demonstrations at the Hutchison Brothers farm—an exemplar of conservation in agriculture. They also visited the Wye Research and Education Center at the University of Maryland to learn about resilient food systems.
The delegation was especially interested in learning more about climate-smart practices. Delegation member, Cristian Feldkamp, Executive Director of CREA Argentina, is especially interested in solving climate problems, noting that “in the past five years we started seeing maize seasons changing, forcing the farmers to adapt their corn production practices.” Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay are currently strengthening their efforts to mitigate climate change issues, which is highlighted by them all being members of AIM for Climate.
Agricultural trade and collaboration between the Southern Cone region and the United States are expected to grow as FAS is involved with international partnerships and coalitions to ensure global food security through resilient agriculture and trade.
USDA is playing a critical role in helping countries share information and collaborate on climate change adaptation approaches. FAS and other USDA agencies continue to build international partnerships and coalitions that will encourage the adoption of science-based policies into climate-smart agricultural practices.
