Gobierno de Reconciliación y Unidad Nacional
Unida Nicaragua Triunfa
DECLARATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF NICARAGUA
FORTY-SEVENTH SESSION
IFAD BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Rome 14-15 February 2024
Innovation for a Future with Food Security
Your Excellency
Álvaro Lario
President of the International Fund
of Agricultural Development (IFAD)
Mr. Chairman of the Board of Governors
Honourable Representatives of the Member States, Delegates, Special Guests.
Receive a fraternal greeting from the President of the Republic of Nicaragua, Comandante Daniel Ortega Saavedra, from Compañera Rosario Murillo, Vice President of the Republic, and from the Nicaraguan people, wishing you a fruitful dialogue within the framework of this 47th Session.
It is an honor to address you at this outstanding event dedicated to the crucial task of guaranteeing food security with innovative measures, in a context in which agriculture continues to play a fundamental role in people's lives, and its sustainable development is essential for the well-being of our Communities and the Future of our Planet.
In a global environment, where the demand for food is constantly increasing and climate and environmental challenges are increasingly pressing, innovation stands as an essential tool in the search for sustainable and effective solutions.
We live in a constantly changing world, with increasingly complex challenges. However, we are also in an era of unprecedented opportunities, where innovation can transform the way we approach food security and play a revolutionary role in the agricultural field.
Therefore, it is crucial that we embrace innovation as an essential tool to transform and strengthen our food systems, taking advantage of the new frontier of knowledge to improve the capacity of farmers, allowing them to adapt and thrive in a changing environment, training them with modern, sustainable practices, promoting research and advanced agricultural techniques.
The inclusion of digital technologies has been a key pillar in IFAD's approach: from information systems for farmers to digital financing platforms, these innovations have provided rural communities with tools to improve decision-making, access financial resources and connect with global markets.
Therefore, it is important to capitalize the Fund with greater contributions to resources, since its work becomes ever more vital in promoting innovative practices that strengthen Food Security at a global level.
In this changing context, youth, as a fundamental pillar to generate change and contribute to the achievement of the SDGs, deserves particular attention, as do women with their presence in the main links of the productive chain. Uniting technology with practice in the field has become an increasingly conducive universe for female participation.
Nicaragua has been a notable example in the field of food security, standing out for its innovative efforts and strategies, which have significantly contributed to improving the nutritional and food situation in the Country, becoming a self-sufficient nation in terms of food production and a net exporter of agricultural products to the rest of the world.
Several factors have contributed to our Country standing out in these aspects:
Focus on Family Farming: Nicaragua has prioritized the promotion of family farming, recognizing its crucial role in food security. Policies and programs have been implemented that support small farmers, facilitating access to resources, technologies and knowledge that improve productivity and sustainability.
Crop Diversification: We have actively promoted agricultural diversification, encouraging farmers to grow food varieties to ensure a balanced diet and better withstand market fluctuations.
Resilience to climate challenges: Adaptation to climate change is essential to ensure long-term food security. Nicaragua has worked to strengthen the resilience of its agricultural systems to extreme climatic events, implementing adaptive agricultural practices and promoting the sustainable management of natural resources.
Technological Innovation: The adoption of innovative technologies in agriculture has been a key pillar. From sustainable agricultural practices to the use of efficient irrigation systems and information technologies, our Country has constantly sought to improve efficiency and productivity in the agricultural sector in support of small and medium-sized producers.
Mr. President :
We are convinced that increasing investment, taking advantage of the potential of innovation and technology, focusing attention on the world's farmers in a decisive way, are the key requirements to achieve real change.
During the last 17 years, our Government of Reconciliation and National Unity, by assuming the commitment to achieve food security and zero hunger, has managed to improve the technification of production, increasing productive yields and contributing to the Food Security of Families in the Countryside and the City.
We have installed and strengthened 30 Centers and Farms from where we develop specialized courses and generate technologies to increase agricultural productivity;
We have created new technologies for the different productive sectors, in order to increase resilience, productivity and Food Security in vulnerable areas such as the Dry Corridor in the face of climatic variability conditions.
We have also made progress in training, expanding coverage both in the countryside and in the city, with new modalities of technical and technological training, free of charge, aimed at young people and adults.
Through the "National Technical Education Program in the Field”, we have strengthened the capacities of Young People, Women and Producers in the different techniques to improve the management of their crops and animals; promoting generational change in the Field.
Mr. President,
Finally, I would like to highlight that with the commitment of our Good Government, the active participation of the beneficiary population, and the support of IFAD during these years, we have achieved remarkable progress in innovation and technology development, with remarkable results.
What is most required at this moment is to continue working together hand in hand with the Public Sector, the Private Sector, Bilateral and Multilateral Organizations, mobilizing resources and taking advantage of innovations in Science and Technology to ensure transformative governance, capable of reducing the digital divide between economies, for a Future with Food Security and Inclusion for All.