HAVANA, Cuba. - Contributing to food and nutritional safety in Latin America and the Caribbean will be one of the objectives of the International Seminar on Urban and Peri- urban Agriculture (AUP), to be held in this capital from May 14th through the 17th.

Sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Institute of Fundamental Research in Tropical Agriculture (INIFAT), the meeting will take place as part of the 4th Congress on Tropical Agriculture and within the framework of the Tropico 2012 Convention.

During a press conference in Havana on Friday, Marcio Porto, FAO representative to Cuba, pointed out that the Seminar will bring together specialists, officials and promoters from 16 nations, which will also help in the coordination of AUP programs and projects in the region and in cooperation between them.

He pointed out that the Seminar is a typical example of South-South cooperation, given the island’s interest in sharing its results in this field with the all Latin American and Caribbean countries.

The sustainability of the AUP in Latin America and the Caribbean, a better use of waters, and seed production and preservation, will be among the topics tackled by delegates to the meeting, said Porto.

Belize, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Honduras and Panama are among the countries that have already confirmed their attendance.