COGITO Talks… What in the World is the Tropical Economy?

Imagine a world where rural and tropical regions aren’t struggling backwaters, but breeding ground for fresh ideas, new jobs and sustainable growth. According to OECD’s Rural Innovation Pathways, rural innovation isn’t just a smaller copy of what happens in cities, it’s different: rooted in community‑led projects, adaptive agriculture, renewable energy, social enterprises and creative responses to local needs. https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/rural-innovation-pathways_c86de0f4-en.html The “tropical economy” vision isn’t pie‑in‑the‑sky, it fits squarely within OECD’s roadmap for leveraging natural capital, innovation and place‑based assets to build resilient, inclusive, future‑oriented rural economies. In today's episode of our #FromtheGroundUp series, Betty-Ann Bryce (OECD) sits down with Ingo Plöger (CEAL), for a conversation to explore how tropical regions, with abundant natural resources, rich biodiversity and favourable climate, can become engines of sustainable growth, innovation and resilient rural development. Have a listen and find out what in the world is the Tropical Economy! Ingo Plöger is a Brazilian-German engineer, entrepreneur and business leader deeply engaged in strengthening ties between Brazil, Europe and Latin America. He is currently the International President of The Business Council of Latin America (CEAL). He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Technische Universität Darmstadt (Germany) and a postgraduate degree in Economic and Labor Sciences from the Technische Universität München. Over his career he served as Executive President of the historic São Paulo firm Cia. Melhoramentos and today is founder and president of the consultancy firm IPDES, which supports institutional, corporate and cross-border business development. He participates in the boards of several major national and multinational companies and holds advisory roles with organisations like Robert Bosch GmbH among others. As of January 2026, he will assume the presidency of ABAG, the main agribusiness association in Brazil, reinforcing his commitment to sustainable, competitive and globally connected agriculture and agro-industry. **** To learn more, visit OECD Latin American Rural Development Conference https://www.oecd.org/en/events/2025/11/oecd-latin-american-rural-development-conference.html and the OECD's work on Rural Development https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/policy-issues/rural-development.html. Find out more on these topics by reading Reinforcing Rural Resilience https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/reinforcing-rural-resilience_7cd485e3-en.html and Rural Innovation Pathways https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/rural-innovation-pathways_c86de0f4-en.html. To learn more about the OECD, our global reach, and how to join us, go to https://www.oecd.org/en/about.html To keep up with latest at the OECD, visit https://www.oecd.org/ Get the latest OECD content delivered directly to your inbox! Subscribe to our newsletters: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/newsletters