This weekend, ten teams participated in the hackathon with the development of software that allows to estimate, in a short term, the impacts of disasters in the agricultural sector.
For this competition, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), CENFOTEC University, the National Animal Health Service (SENASA), World Animal Protection and Microsoft summoned university students and professionals to compete in teams to develop the tool.
It is necessary to have more real estimates of the impacts caused by disasters of natural origin, which support the investments necessary for risk management in the livestock sector and facilitate response and recovery actions,”
said Manuel Otero, Director General of IICA.
Strategies for risk management include the measurement of impacts and actions aimed at reducing potential damages and potential losses. The impacts on the livestock sector affect the productivity and sustainability of production, as well as the physical infrastructure and living conditions of the people affected.
Costa Rica, like many other countries in the region, does not yet have a tool like the one it is intended to create. In this country, agriculture absorbs 25% of the total damages and losses from natural disasters related to the climate.
In addition, in many cases livestock activities take place in remote areas, which makes it difficult to gather information.