On Monday, 3 June 2019, IFAD hosted the event Innovating for food security and resiliency in the Andes. This ceremony took place in the Atton Hotel in Lima, Peru and it was co-organized with the International Potato Center (CIP) and the Peruvian Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MINAGRI).
IFAD Head of the Regional Office for the Andean Countries and the Southern Cone, Jesus Quintana, gave the inaugural speech, where he highlighted the partnership between IFAD, the CIP and the governments from the region to develop innovations for a better nutrition and resilient agriculture. He was followed by Barbara Wells, General Director from CIP, who stated the importance of working closely with beneficiaries to strengthen their capacities and generate sustainable income to tackle poverty.
The event highlighted the presentation of the publication Soy papa no papá: Historias de cambios destacables y resultados del proyecto FIDA-CIP Andes (Stories of remarkable changes and results from IFAD-CIP Project in the Andes in English), a collection of key results and testimonies from the beneficiaries of the Strengthening Innovation to Improve Income, Market Access, Food Security and Resilience of Potato Producers In Bolivia, Ecuador And Peru project. This three-year project was implemented by CIP with funding from IFAD, and directly benefited more than 400 families in each country (2015-2018). During the event, beneficiaries spoke with authorities, shared their testimonies and displayed some of the products that were produced as part of this project (e.g. potatoes).
The Chief of Cabinet of MINAGRI, Jorge Saenz, closed the event, calling for an increased cooperation between key stakeholders to continue contributing to public policies that empower and benefit smallholder farmers and promote rural development in the region. “By working together, we achieve better results”, he concluded.
The event was attended by representatives from the Ecuadorian Embassy in Peru, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE), the Ministry of Environment (MINAM), the Peruvian National Development Bank (COFIDE), the Peruvian International Cooperation Agency (APCI), academia and the private sector, as well as directors and programme coordinators from the governments of Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru.