FAO Costa Rica and China join forces to promote agricultural digitization in rural areas

In a meeting held on Wednesday at the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in San Jose, Andrea Padilla, assistant representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Costa Rica, met with His Excellency Ambassador Tang Heng to review the plans and progress of the rural digitization project in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Costa Rica.

The project, called "Response and recovery to the impact of COVID-19 on rural livelihoods and agrifood systems in countries of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), through South-South Cooperation", is being implemented in the region with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China.

During the meeting, both parties agreed to collaborate in the implementation of new technologies that will enable Costa Rican family farmers to make more informed decisions on their crops and farms.

Ambassador Heng had the opportunity to learn about the "Integrated Agro-climatic Information and Digitization Pilot System" developed by FAO in the Guatuso Canton, located in the province of Alajuela, in collaboration with various Costa Rican organizations and institutions. These include the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), the National Institute for Innovation and Transfer of Agricultural Technology (INTA), the Rural Development Institute (INDER), as well as the non-profit organization ACICAFOC, the electric power generation cooperative COOPELESCA and the municipal government.

FAO is promoting similar projects in Argentina, Barbados, Chile, Cuba, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay, through South-South and Triangular Cooperation.