The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the University of Chile will join efforts in the areas of research, training, and technology transfer.
The agreement was signed today by FAO´s Director-General, José Graziano da Silva, and the University of Chile´s Rector, Ennio Vivaldi.
“The world of academic research has a fundamental role to play in achieving FAO´s goals in the fight against hunger and malnutrition, promoting sustainable agriculture and eradicating rural poverty,” said Graziano da Silva during the ceremony. “Thanks to this alliance we can count on the support of outstanding researchers, mobilize knowledge and strengthen capacities.”
The partnership will promote public health policies to help reduce overweight and obesity, encouraging the consumption of healthy foods as well as fostering participation in local markets.
Another area of work will be territorial rural development through family farming, the conservation of biodiversity and the recovery of Chile´s varied culinary traditions. In addition, the agreement will address the sustainable use of natural resources, adaptation to climate change and disaster risk management.
“The agreement includes areas of collaboration under the framework of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. For FAO, SDG 2, also known as Zero Hunger, is one of our priorities, involving food security and combating malnutrition. The University of Chile, through its academics, has made a significant contribution by supporting the new Food Labeling Law in Chile and has opened a worldwide discussion on policies to combat obesity,” said the Director-General of FAO.
“For us signing this agreement is a source of great satisfaction since sustainable food production is a crucial topic for the whole world, and especially for Latin America” said Vivaldi, the university rector.
Strengthening a historical alliance
The partnership between FAO and the University will also enable more knowledge exchange and actions in applied research, training and technology transfer, in Chile and across Latin America and the Caribbean through South-South Cooperation.
FAO has worked with the University of Chile on numerous research initiatives and cooperation projects to combat malnutrition and promote important public policies in the agricultural sector.
Collaboration between the two institutions has as fruitful history dating back more than six decades. Examples include the creation of the Forest Engineering School, technical assistance for the food processing industry with the Faculty of Agronomy, and support for the Agricultural Sciences School in the implementation of training programmes, analysis and interpretation of information in matters related to agricultural smallholdings.
Source: FAO
