CFC 10998
Regions / Research in Latin American and the Caribbean (CIP-LAC)
Commodity research in LAC concentrates on removing constraints to production as well as on improving the capacity of producers to respond to new market demands and opportunities
Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) comprises three sub-regions – the Andes, the Southern Cone and Central America and the Caribbean – defined by distinct agro-ecological, cultural and socioeconomic characteristics. Countries within each sub-region share similar constraints for research and development of the crops and resources included in CIP’s research mandate.
Commodity research in LAC concentrates on removing constraints to production as well as on improving the capacity of producers to respond to new market demands and opportunities. Natural resource management research in the Andes is closely integrated with commodity research to benefit from existing synergies and team-generated output. The process of identifying constraints and priority setting is highly participatory, and LAC national agricultural research systems (NARS) are main stakeholders and participants in CIP research endeavors. Commodity networks, consortiums and other regional organizations have proven to be effective mechanisms for research planning and horizontal exchange of technology. Therefore, CIP-LAC, like all other CIP regional programs, seeks to support these associations in order to strengthen their capacity to generate and transfer technology. Strong NARS in LAC are partners in CIP research and training efforts for the less-developed countries of the region.
The Andean countries are specially targeted by CIP’s research and development efforts. These countries share similar constraints for commodity and NRM research. Unfortunately, current public investment in research in these areas is below desirable levels. Private investment in agricultural research is also low. Therefore, Andean countries depend largely on bilateral or multilateral cooperation, and foreign aid. NGOs and universities play an important role in the generation and transfer of agricultural technology. CIP participates in several ongoing networks and programs in the region, including CONDESAN, Papa Andina, and PRECODEPA, along with special projects such as FORTIPAPA, PI (Proyecto Integral) Los Huaconas and PROINPA.
The Southern Cone is rich in natural resources and its agricultural sector is well developed. Most countries in this region generate surpluses of agricultural products for international trade. Their NARS are well developed and capable of meeting most of their technological demands for agricultural development. CIP has developed partnerships with some of these NARS to seek collaborative solutions to production constraints with a wide application within LAC as well as other regions of the developing world.
Although a remarkable increase in potato consumption has been observed in Central America and the Caribbean over the last two decades, potatoes remain relatively unimportant as a staple food for the sub-region. In an effort to reverse this trend and increase regional food security through the potato crop, the Programa Cooperativo para el Desarrollo de la Papa (PRECODEPA) in Central America and the Caribbean has implemented a successful networking approach to potato research and development efforts in the area.
