FORT WORTH — A summit aimed at developing strategic recommendations on strengthening the agriculture sector in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador will be conducted June 27-29, hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture.

        The Central America Summit: Forging a Viable Future will be at the Worthington Renaissance Fort Worth Hotel, 200 Main St. Registration is $400 and may be completed online at  http://centralamericasummit.tamu.edu/ until June 23 or paid at the event.

        “It is in our nation’s best interest, as well as our moral imperative, to help the people of that region elevate themselves out of poverty and hunger through agriculture, empowering them to forge a future that is full of promise for coming generations,” said Dr. Elsa Murano, director of the Borlaug Institute, College Station.

         U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, will be the keynote speaker at 9 a.m. June 28. Her address is expected to touch on the issues of illegal migration of youths coming from Central America because there’s no economic development in their own country, of border security and of opportunities between the U.S. and Central America.

        Sessions that day include Reducing Rural Poverty through Agriculture: The Key to Prosperity in Central America; Investing in Capacity Building, Infrastructure and Entrepreneurship; and U.S. Agency for International Development Support for Central American Transformation. The dinner speaker will be Dr. Victor Villalobos, director general of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture.

        On June 29, a roundtable on farmer perspectives will open at 8:30 a.m. with panelists from Guatemala and Honduras. There will also be a session on Policy and Partnerships: Creating an Enabling Environment.

Murano said the summit seeks input from all related sectors, from academia to farmer cooperatives, public and private.

       

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Share or print this post: