[Costa Rica]
From September 1-2, ministry representatives and experts from 6 of the 8 SICA (Central American Integration System) member countries gathered in San Jose, Costa Rica to participate in a workshop on manure policy. The workshop, held by the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE), is part of an Opportunity for Practice Change to enhance Central American regional policy frameworks to utilize the full value of manure in livestock systems. The participants discussed existing policies in the environmental, public health, agricultural, and energy sectors related to manure, as well as the barriers to and opportunities for improving manure utilization in the region. The country-level information gathered during the workshop is an essential input for the policy guidance and recommendations for regional approaches to manure management that the CATIE team will provide to SICA.