Read-out of the FAO Director-General’s meeting with Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, Víctor Villalobos Arambula

New York – FAO Director-General QU Dongyu, and Víctor Villalobos Arambula, Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, in a meeting today discussed the longstanding partnership and collaboration between FAO and Mexico.

The Director-General and the Secretary acknowledged the essential and central role of farmers, and agreed on the need to protect farmer’s rights and their traditional knowledge.

The Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development recognized the important role FAO plays, including in Latin America and the Caribbean. He reiterated the need to share regional experiences and to continue to develop instruments for the efficient use of natural resources, especially for water management, high quality seeds and soil analysis.

The Director-General shared with the Secretary the work being carried out in the Dry Corridor. He emphasized that FAO is working to provide solid solutions using science and technology. He also mentioned that investing in high quality seeds is key as it is a relative low investment with high returns.