What is PROCINORTE?PROCINORTE is a Cooperative Program in Agricultural Research and Technology that facilitates cooperative actions of mutual interest to the three countries of IICA’s Northern Region (Canada, Mexico, and U.S.)
PROCINORTE Objectives
• Facilitate the exchange of experiences, information and training through the building of linkages among public and private country institutions of the Northern region (PROCINORTE) and between the major research and technology transfer actors in the region, hemisphere and the world.
• Facilitate the collaboration among the countries to solve problems of mutual interest. About PROCINORTEIt’s been an exciting time in the northern region for agriculture! Canada, Mexico and United States have been business partners for many years. Working under the umbrella of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), they’ve shared several common agricultural problems related to food security, control of pests and diseases and other issues around food imports and exports.
Under the auspice of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), PROCINORTE, the Cooperative Program in Agricultural Research and Technology for the Northern Region, established in 1998, is evolving to be the champion in addressing trilateral priorities in research for priority topics of tri-lateral interest. Since it’s inception, the collaborative mechanism has formed five specialized task forces in genetic resources, agricultural library and information resources, tropical and subtropical fruits, animal health and in the plant health areas. These Task Forces continue to promote successful linkages supporting the interest of the three countries within the framework of regional integration and complements similar efforts in Latin America and Caribbean.
In January of 2008, PROCINORTE was further reinvigorated when the three countries committed to the design of its Strategic Plan to improve its structure and function for the long term, beginning with the organization of national consultations in each of the three countries to update their priorities for agricultural science and technology. The Board of Directors has made substantial contributions to improving the Strategic Plan and is providing guidance for the formulation of a sound Business Plan to ensure the sustainability of PROCINORTE. These two documents will guide the activities of PROCINORTE to fulfill its mission for strengthening government-led tri-lateral cooperation in agricultural science for the benefit of farmers and other stakeholders, and to inform policy makers, in order to contribute to problem-solving on trade issues, and reach out to other American countries, regional and global research networks.
PROCINORTE’s visibility and activity has been amplified through increased attendance and participation in international conferences and workshops, board meetings, submission of research reports and brochures, field activity, and development of a website that features the work of its five Task Forces.
With renovated support from its member organizations and IICA, PROCINORTE will continue to contribute to sharing first-rate agricultural technology and knowledge between Canada, Mexico and the US.