Blog IICA

Program for Sustainable and Competitive Agriculture in Costa Rica

Start Date: 12/02/2026
End Date: 27/05/2031

Description

National program implemented by Costa Rica's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) to improve the sustainability, competitiveness and economic participation of small and medium agricultural producers. The operation uses a Program-for-Results (PforR) financing approach and has total financing of US$695 million: US$555 million in counterpart financing from the Government of Costa Rica, US$120 million from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD/World Bank), and US$20 million from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The Program includes modernization of public agricultural extension services, a digital producer information platform, agricultural traceability, productive and cold-chain infrastructure, technical assistance, access to financing for adoption of NAMA practices, and payments for environmental services related to carbon sequestration in agricultural soils. The Program will directly benefit 10,500 producers and reach 30,000 producers through direct and indirect benefits, equivalent to approximately 90,000 people when household members are included, with explicit attention to women and youth.

Observations

Program implementation was formalized by MAG through agreements signed on February 12, 2026. The World Bank identifies the operation as P504033 and IFAD as project 2000004958. Total operation financing is US$695 million: Government of Costa Rica US$555 million (80%), IBRD/World Bank US$120 million (17%), and IFAD US$20 million (3%). No currency conversion is required because official financing figures are already expressed in U.S. dollars; exchange_rate=1 is therefore used. The World Bank expected closing date is May 27, 2031. The 2026-2031 implementation period covers six calendar years with budget execution; therefore years_count=6 and annual_average_budget is calculated as US$695 million / 6. The Program is aligned with the Costa Rican Agricultural Sector Public Policy 2023-2032 and its corresponding Sector Plan. IICA participates as the verification entity and LAICA as an associated institution for sector information integration and support to the sugarcane sector.

Action scope

National

Evaluated

No

Stage

Implementation- Ongoing

Temporalidad

Medium-term

Number of Years

5 - Year -s

Related elements

Budget in USD

Budget in USD
$140,000,000.00
Counterpart Budget
$555,000,000.00
Total Budget
$695,000,000.00
Annual Average Budget
$115,833,333.00

Institutions

Institutions Institutions rols
MAG-CRI: Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería-Costa Rica Financing-investor
BM: Banco mundial Financing-investor
FIDA: Fondo Internacional de Desarrollo Agricola Execution and operation
IICA: Instituto Interamericano de Cooperación para la Agricultura Monitoring and auditing
LAICA: Costa Rican Sugarcane Agricultural and Industrial League Interinstitutional cooperation

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