CENTRAL AMERICA IN ACTION

 

Significant progress made on the Central American Agricultural Policy (CAAP)

Defined: six areas of work, objectives and the methodology of the Policy, which will be ready at the beginning of 2007

During the first semester of 2006 significant progress was made in the formulation of the Central American Agricultural Policy (CAAP), with the definition of the six areas covered by the Policy, its objectives and the methodology for its preparation.

The CAAP’s six areas of action were defined by a Work Group consisting of the Policy Directors and Advisers of the Central American Ministries of Agriculture, at their meeting last May. These areas are: intra and extra regional trade; agricultural health and food security; technology and innovation; public investment; private investment, rural financing and risk management; and institutional modernization, which includes crosscutting issues such as information systems and staff training.

Policy Objectives

At another meeting held in June, the Work Group also established three objectives to be achieved through the Central American Agricultural Policy. The first of these is to create conditions for the development of a modern Central American agriculture that is competitive, equitable, regionally articulated and conceived of as an expanded sector, with the capacity to adapt to new roles and opportunities, and that promotes complementarity between public and private actors.

A second objective is to contribute to the development of a Central American agriculture that is sustainable in economic, social, environmental and institutional terms; the third objective is that the Policy should include follow-up and evaluation mechanisms to ensure its effective implementation.

The Work Group also defined the methodology to be followed during the rest of the CAAP formulation process until its completion, expected in December 2006. This methodology includes national meetings where countries will identify the main problems faced by the region in each of the six thematic areas, define the lines of action and measures to resolve those problems, allocate resources, name the officials responsible, and determine the evaluation and follow-up mechanisms to be adopted. The methodology also contemplates the organization of regional workshops where countries can share their proposals and reach agreements. In addition, consultation processes will be undertaken at the regional and national levels.

   
 

Six areas covered by the Central American Agricultural Policy

   
  1. Intra and extra regional tradel
   
  2. Agricultural health and food safety
   
  3. Technology and innovation
   
  4. Public investment
   
  5. Private investment, rural finance and risk management
   
 

6. Institutional modernization
   


The first national meetings were held in July, and the inputs from these sessions will be shared at a regional workshop scheduled for October 2006, where delegates will begin to define essential aspects of the CAAP.

The Work Group receives support from the Secretariat of CAC, IICA, RUTA and more recently from the ETEA Foundation of Spain, which was contracted by RUTA to begin formulating the policy proposals. The IFAD team at RUTA has also played a very important role in this process.