San Salvador, El Salvador, 19 September 2023 – The ‘Strengthening Capacities of Women and Youth for Implementation of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) in El Salvador’ project, funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) of the Republic of Korea, was launched today under the patronage of the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) of El Salvador and in the presence of the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador, the Director General of the Salvadoran Agency for International Cooperation (ESCO), the Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in El Salvador, and Regional and Country representatives of GGGI. The collaboration between MAFRA, GGGI and MAG aims to strengthen the technical and entrepreneurial capacities and provide financial support to vulnerable farmers under associative arrangements to improve sustainability of farming practices and value chain integration that contribute to the climate adaptation and resilience goals of El Salvador and net-zero goals of the Republic of Korea.
The event brought together nearly 60 participants and representatives of development assistance agencies, including the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), diplomatic missions to El Salvador, intergovernmental organizations, and UN agencies.
In her welcoming remarks, the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador, H.E. Adriana Mira, stressed that “we are aiming for an inclusive and comprehensive transformation, which allows us to address the binomial of poverty and its connection with climate vulnerability, as well as the dissemination of sustainable agricultural systems that improve the productive potential of our people, especially that of youth and that of women”. Moreover, “we recognize the need to identify and develop sustainable agricultural systems, as well as the importance of working hand in hand with international partners to achieve the best results in this matter, for the benefit of our most vulnerable population and in the face of climate variability,” emphasized Vice Minister Mira, who thanked the collaboration and support provided by the Government of Korea and the Global Green Growth Institute to this effort to promote and implement sustainable productivity and development practices.
Ms. Karla de Palma, Director General of the Salvadoran Agency for International Cooperation highlighted the articulated work of both Governments for the comprehensive development of El Salvador.
The Charge d’Affaires, Ms. Yea Hyun Lee, representing His Excellency the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea in El Salvador, emphasized that “on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Korea, we are proud of the launch of this project, and we are pleased to support El Salvador with financing. We share the vision of a sustainable world and economic growth for green development. I firmly believe that the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of El Salvador will contribute to the adaptation to climate change and will strengthen young Salvadoran farmers and women.”
H.E. Oscar Enrique Guardado Calderon, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of El Salvador, assured that “this initiative will identify, demonstrate and disseminate sustainable agricultural systems that increase productive potential, allowing us to improve the living conditions of our rural communities. Intervention will be carried out at the national level with early warning systems and with a special focus on San Miguel and Usulután, as they are part of the Dry Corridor. Opportunities include the dissemination of best practices and the development of technical capacities in Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA)”.
Being connected virtually from Korea, Mr. Yong Ho Jung, Director of the General Division of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of the Republic of Korea, expressed his heartfelt congratulations on the opening of the inception ceremony of this project, highlighting the meaningful opportunity to discuss on how to more effectively achieve the expected outcomes of the project. Mr. Jung emphasized, along with a Korean proverb, that agriculture is the very foundation of everything, and given that food security and nutrition are at the heart of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, this project is very timely and meaningful to strengthening the foundation of climate resilient agriculture in El Salvador. Going forward, Mr. Jung pinpointed that the Korean government will continue to cooperate with the Global Green Growth Institute and the Government of the Republic of El Salvador for the successful implementation of this project and hoped that this event will serve as a meaningful step towards the further strengthening relationship among Korea, El Salvador, and GGGI.
Mr. Ferruccio Santetti, Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, expressed that “we want to have sustainable and profitable agricultural solutions for small farmers through training, and go further so that they can generate greater production capacity in rural communities.”
Through this collaborative effort, GGGI and its partners aim to drive transformative change in El Salvador’s agricultural landscape, promoting climate resilience, economic growth, and food security.
About GGGI:
GGGI is a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies