Public policies and institutions for sustainable intensification in the Southern Cone countries

The Cooperative Program for the Technological Development of Agriculture, Food and Agroindustry in the Southern Cone (PROCISUR), created in 1980 with support from the IDB, brings together the national agricultural research institutes of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay and IICA. Its objective is to promote cooperation in research, development and innovation in the agricultural and agroindustrial sectors. In 2015, PROCISUR incorporated Sustainable Intensification (SI) as one of its key strategies to increase production and productivity while maintaining environmental, social and economic sustainability. In 2016, a working group was created to agree on a common definition of SI and to review existing public policies in the region. The initiative seeks to generate inputs for decision-making that promote sustainable and efficient agriculture, integrating research and innovation with the design of public policies.