10 December 2010, Rome - An FAO regional agricultural project funded by the Government of Italy will enable El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua to achieve higher food security levels through improvements in the commercialization of farm products, the agency announced today.

A $5.9 million contribution to FAO from the Government of Italy will make possible the implementation of a project designed to get agricultural produce to market more rapidly and to improve the efficiency of agrifood chains.

The project will involve more than 3 500 small- and medium-sized agricultural producers and give them the potential to increase their commercial production and to improve their market position.

The project has an expected duration of three and a half years and will directly involve the “Consejo Agropecuario Centroamericano” and  the “Sistema de Integración Centroamericana de Tecnología Agrícola” (SICTA) for the harmonization and regional integration of agricultural policies.