A regional workshop to review the draft report of the Diagnostic Study to Determine Poverty Levels in CARICOM Fishing Communities will be held in St Vincent and the Grenadines February 1 – 2.{{more}}

The ceremony on February 1, will feature remarks from the Executive Director of CRFM, Milton Haughton, as well as remarks from Javier Martin, the Project Manager of Tragsatec. The feature address will be presented by the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Transformation, Forestry and Fisheries. The ceremony promises to be an insightful start to discussions on the Diagnostic Study to Determine the Levels of Poverty in Fishing Communities of the CARICOM Region.

The study was conducted under the Scientific and Technical Cooperation Agreement between the Kingdom of Spain and the Caribbean Community and was signed in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on 4 July 1999. It was implemented through a joint effort by Tragsatec, (on behalf of the Kingdom of Spain), and the CRFM (on behalf of the Caribbean Community) between October 2009 and October 2011 in ten selected Member States of CARICOM, which were selected as being a representative sample of the entire fishery sector in the CRFM region.

It is fitting that this validation workshop be carried out in St Vincent and the Grenadines as the project was implemented there in 2009. From July 2010 to June 2011, a field survey was carried out including data input and transmission of databases to Tragsatec. The data was analysed and the Draft Diagnostic Study Report prepared for presentation and review to be carried out, at this workshop.

The objective of the workshop is to present the Draft Diagnostic Study Report, including recommendations and models for planning and implementing alternative livelihood programmes, and the identification of suitable socio-economic and demographic indicators for ongoing monitoring and evaluation, and to obtain feedback from the various stakeholders on the possible means to establish alternative livelihood programmes and achieve sustainable fishery management. Through the presentations and discussions among work groups, it is expected that the workshop will result in a review of the Draft Diagnostic Study Report, including recommendations and models for planning and implementing alternative livelihood programmes, and the identification of suitable socio-economic and demographic indicators for ongoing monitoring and evaluation. Recommendations for the finalization of the Study Report, as well as a report on the Regional Workshop, including recommendations or conclusions of the workshop, are expected.