First-Ever Americas Agricultural Forum will Mirror G7 Summit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 11, 2025, Olds, Alberta, Canada: An international agricultural forum that will mirror the G7 Leaders’ Summit will bring together people from around the world to promote united action about a future for farming that is being clouded by increasing challenges.

The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) – specialized agency of the Inter-American System for agriculture development, rural well-being and food security, headquartered in Costa Rica – will be holding its Americas Agriculture and Food Security Forum on June 16 to 17 at Olds College of Agriculture & Technology.

“There’s no way we would be able to feed the world like we do today if it wasn’t for global cooperation,” said Todd Ormann, Vice-President of External Relations & Research at Olds College.

“We’re moving into a period where we’re seeing very strong national viewpoints that are disrupting international trade in agriculture. My personal worry is we’re starting to see some consequences that are breaking down things we have taken for granted since the end of the Second World War.”

The Government of Canada will be hosting the annual G7 summit June 15 to 17 in the Rocky Mountains in Kananaskis, Alberta.
At the same time, the fi rst-ever hemispheric Agriculture and Food Security Forum will be separately held at Olds College in central Alberta by the Canadian offi ce of the IICA, which consists of 34 member states in North, South and Central America as well as the Caribbean.
The forum is being supported by the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), along with sponsorship by Canadian and international partners in the agri-food sector.

People from countries ranging from Canada to Argentina, but also Australia to Europe, will be attending the forum, said Dr. Jean-Charles Le Vallée, who is the Country Representative for IICA in Canada. They will include up to 250 invited delegates, along with an additional 1,000 guests who will be attending online.

Le Vallée acknowledged it is understandable that G7 leaders will be prioritizing issues like energy security, global peace, critical minerals and artifi cial intelligence.

However, holding the forum in Alberta at the same time as the summit is an opportunity to not only underline the importance of agriculture to the world as well as this hemisphere, but also to celebrate how farmers benefi t humanity, he said.

“Agriculture is a miracle. We want to say, ‘Farmers are awesome,’ so we want to celebrate farmers, rurality and agriculture in that sense. It’s our thank you to them.” For more information contact:

Melissa Zembik
Corporate & Internal Communications Manager, External Relations
Olds College of Agriculture & Technology
1.403.507.7953
mzembik@oldscollege.ca