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The Forum of Ministers and Vice Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas is a body whose mission is to improve public policies and make visible the leading role that women play in rural development, favoring the full recognition of their rights. Despite their crucial role in food production and community life, women receive less income than men, face greater obstacles in accessing land ownership and also in obtaining financing.

The Forum, which was held virtually, was opened by Cecilia López Montaño, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Colombia, who officiated as host, together with the Director General of IICA, Manuel Otero. Laura Suazo, Secretary of State in the Offices of Agriculture and Livestock of Honduras; Samantha Marshall, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Antigua and Barbuda Affairs; Miriam Guzmán, Vice Minister of Rural Development of the Dominican Republic; Ivania del Carmen León, Vice Minister of Agriculture of Nicaragua; Jenny Ocampo, Minister of Agrarian Development and Irrigation of Peru, and Lydia Ori, an expert in agricultural policies at the Anton de Kom University in Suriname. In addition, María Noel Vaeza, Regional Director for the Americas and the Caribbean of UN Women, and Javier Pineda, Associate Professor at the Universidad de los Andes in Colombia, spoke about the role of the so-called care economy for rural development in the Americas. .

The Rural Women Training Course was also presented on the occasion, which IICA designed and will launch in January 2023, in response to a request made by the ministers and vice ministers during the II Forum. It is a tool designed to provide rural women with practical instruments to strengthen their leadership and contribute to improving their capacities as entrepreneurs in rural areas. It was presented by Priscila Zúñiga, Manager of the Gender Equity and Youth Program, and Silvia Castellano, IICA Technical Specialist.

In closing, IICA's Director of Technical Cooperation, Federico Villarreal, summarized the points discussed at the Forum and highlighted the need to systematize "the concept of the care society" by incorporating its productive, environmental and social dimensions, and that men intervene in the transformations that serve to catalyze the empowerment of women.

November 25, 2022