SADER Partners with Universities to Boost Food Sovereignty

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) signed an agreement with the National Association of Universities and Higher Education Institutions (ANUIES) to promote academic, scientific, and cultural activities in agro-food development with the goal of advancing food sovereignty.

The agreement is a strategic step to bring science, technology, and innovation to farmers who need tools to address challenges in rural and coastal areas, says Julio Berdegué, Ministry of Agriculture. He adds that small-scale farmers provide 71% of Mexico’s corn and 64% of its beans.

The signing formalizes a collaboration that has already been underway between SADER and ANUIES, says Luis Armando González, Executive Secretary General, ANUIES. He explains that ANUIES has a working commission led by the Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro in Coahuila, which prepared a diagnosis and proposals to be incorporated into the agreement’s actions.

Ramón Cárdenas, Acting Head of the General Coordination of Innovation and Agroecological Transition, highlights that the agreement will open new opportunities for exchange and empowerment for small-scale producers, including the possibility of marketing agricultural products within higher education institutions.

The agreement creates a framework for projects that connect academia and government in pursuit of food sovereignty, says Luis Fierro, Academic Strengthening Coordinator, ANUIES. Planned areas of collaboration include social service and academic internships, training activities such as courses, seminars, conferences and discussion forums, direct engagement with producers, and mechanisms for co-generation and transfer of technology and knowledge to producers.

ANUIES is a non-governmental association comprising 251 public and private higher education institutions in Mexico. It conducts strategic studies in higher education, science, technology, and innovation to support decision-making and public policy design.

Through this alliance, the Mexican government aims to strengthen rural development policies and programs, contributing to self-sufficiency and food sovereignty by supporting agricultural production with a sustainable development approach.