World Food Day and World Rural Women's Day at CIAT

On 15 October, CIAT celebrated both the World Food Day and the World Rural Women's Day with a forum on the role played by biodiversity and eco-efficiency in food security and an exhibition of products produced by a group of rural women entrepreneurs of the departments of Cauca and Valle del Cauca.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) joined this celebration and shared the experience of Farmer Field Schools and Productive Home Gardens currently carried out in the Department of Antioquia, which is based on an integrated approach to the fight against hunger.

The inaugural act took place at 8:30 a.m. in the Kellogg Auditorium with the presence of the Secretary of Agriculture of Valle del Cauca, the former Minister of the Environment of Colombia Juan Mayr, and the National Program Officer of FAO in Colombia Carlos del Valle, as well as other special guests of the governmental sector, the academia, and the private sector.

This act was followed by series of presentations made by Elcio Guimarães, Latin America and the Caribbean Research Area Director; Daniel Debouck, Genetic Resource Program Leader; Alonso González, Tropical Fruits Program Leader; Patrick Lavelle, Soil Ecologist of the Tropical Soil Fertility Research Area; and Patricia Biermayr-Jenzano, PRGA Program Coordinator.

As the final event of this celebration, representatives of international organizations, the governmental sector, the academia, and the private sector participated in a roundtable, moderated by Juan Mayr, to analyze the role that each sector plays in the fight against hunger, which, in Latin America alone, already affects 52.5 million people.

Agricultural products of rural women entrepreneurs specially invited to participate in this event were exhibited in the access corridors to the Kellogg Auditorium.