Annual Report 2010 – 2011
17 million in the Container Management Program
With this amount of funding, the Program was able to collect more than 38,000 tons of plastic from empty pesticide containers from 18 countries throughout the region. Learn more about regulation, intellectual property, training, and biotechnology initiatives in Latin America.
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Helping Latin America become a global agricultural force is one of the objectives that have guided our work in recent years. Since 2006 we have promoted a new vision of agriculture in Latin America. We asked ourselves if biofuels would consolidate the region's development; if the associative models would really pave the way for the development of small-scale agriculture; we analyzed projections for population growth and data on the world's available arable land, and we began to understand the region's potential for providing food at a global level. Little by little, with the support of institutions and visionary local leaders, we were able to insert these themes into the agendas of Latin American countries. Today, Latin Americans have more information about the region's opportunities to become a global agriculture supplier. Increasingly, governments are viewing agriculture as a prosperous economic activity with the potential to boost economic development and—in terms of competiveness indicators—conquer export markets. Our proactive approach to demonstrating that agriculture is a science that requires research and technology, and the fact that we are present in Latin America as a unified Industry working to increase productivity and farmers' profits, has resulted in a far greater appreciation of innovation. We are anxiously awaiting the benefits of innovations that will allow the agriculture sector to deal with climate change; innovations such as seeds that are resistant to extreme drought or rainfall, and practices and products that will allow us to overcome the problem of pest resistance, among others challenges. The companies of the Crop Science Industry are working to respond to these needs, and invest more than $5 billion each year in research and development. More than 15 years ago, the local associations that today make up the CropLife Latin America network, voluntarily initiated training programs in the responsible use of pesticides and the appropriate |
 disposal of pesticide containers, now known as "CuidAgro℠" and "CampoLimpio℠", respectively. Today, these programs are being carried out in 18 countries around the region, and are considered by authorities and farmers as initiatives that ought to be replicated with respect to other activities as a way to comply with strict exportcertification requirements. A number of countries that have postconsumption legislation see these programs as a point of reference when designing their management plans. "CuidAgro" and "CampoLimpio" continue to grow and improve, and are part of the Industry's contribution to the development of responsible and sustainable agriculture. We conclude these reflections with the certainty that we will continue to identify opportunities for Latin America, and work to ensure that the region becomes a global agricultural force, with all the benefits that this status would bring with it, especially the improvementin the quality of life of the population. |