FAO and Ecuador to bolster their collaboration in support of smallholder farmers

3 February 2020, Rome – Today the FAO Director-General QU Dongyu received the visit of Ecuador’s Vice-President Otto Sonnenholzner and the Minister for Agriculture, Xavier Lazo. They discussed ways to support the South American nation’s smallholder farmers and rural women.

The Vice-President and the Minister highlighted Ecuador’s National Agriculture Plan for 2020-2030 and their efforts to finalise and implement it – a task that is a top priority for the country. They highlighted that improving land ownership, scaling up irrigation initiatives and providing access to credit for smallholder farmers were key components of the Plan. The Vice-President also noted the growing importance of aquaculture in Ecuador, particularly the production of organic shrimp.

For his part, the Director-General highlighted the areas where FAO can provide support, notably: policy elaboration and consultation; design of strategies to attract international investment; technical assistance; and digitalization, which can help smallholder farmers have better access to credits and markets.

The meeting also discussed how to boost the promotion of Ecuador’s key agricultural products.