2 September 2011: The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and four international research centers based in the Americas have agreed to join forces in projects in the region in four thematic areas, including one on climate change, agriculture and food security.

The decision was taken at a meeting held on 26 August 2011, at IICA headquarters in San José, Costa Rica. A document outlining the new joint programme will be presented to the Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas to be held from 19-21 October 2011, also in San José.

IICA is a specialized affiliate of the Organization of American States (OAS). The four research centers are all associated with the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR): the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), based in Cali, Colombia; the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), based in Mexico City, Mexico; the International Potato Center (CIP), based in La Molina, Peru; and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), based in Washington DC, US. [IICA Press Release]