The International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) have signed an agreement to strengthen seed quality testing laboratories and support certification systems across the Americas.
Through this partnership, both organizations will collaborate to promote technical knowledge exchange, train specialized personnel, standardize seed analysis methodologies, and enhance the institutional capacity of certification and quality control bodies, according to a press release.
“This document is a bridge between our two organizations. We know that, from a small seed, great things can grow. Today we are planting this alliance with the full expectation that it will grow in a robust collaboration that bears fruit for the 34 Member States of the IICA,” Ernest Allen, president of ISTA, said.
Manuel Otero, CEO of IICA, said that the role of seeds is key to modernization and food security in the Americas and emphasized the importance of having concrete actions: “We must have a clear map and identify actions to demonstrate to the entire hemisphere that we are acting to improve people’s quality of life.”
The agreement includes joint technical assistance and training initiatives, along with the promotion of regional projects focused on advancing technological innovation and supporting the participation of countries in the Americas in international seed trade and certification systems.
Through this partnership, IICA and ISTA aim to enhance the competitiveness of the hemisphere’s agricultural sector by implementing standardized, science-based seed quality analysis methods recognized worldwide.
