IICA launches Climate Smart Agriculture essay competition

The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has launched an essay competition entitled “Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA): Stories from Farmers in the Eastern Caribbean States.”{{more}}

The launch took place on Wednesday, March 30, at the Ministry of Agriculture conference room.

According to IICA’s technical specialist, Michael Dalton, the competition, which is extended regionally, aims at identifying successful cases of innovative and replicable agricultural technologies or practices that contribute to farmers’ resilience and adaptation to climate change, making the agricultural sector more climate smart in the OECS.

The competition is open to any public, private, or civil society organization working to improve the adaptation of agriculture to climate change. Entries should focus on the resilience aspect of the story, while indicating benefits for the productivity. Contributions to mitigation – when applicable – should be documented as well.

The objective of this regional competition is to document and disseminate successful stories on the implementation of technologies and practices that are contributing to climate smart agriculture, then raise awareness and promote these technologies and practices in the Caribbean.

The contest is open to any organized group working in agriculture in the OECS. This includes farmers’ groups, farmers’ organizations, agro-processors, 4H Clubs, universities and other educational entities, NGOs, agricultural commodity boards, and agricultural research and development organizations.

Government Ministries of Agriculture, international organizations (either for profit or non-for profit) and their employees are not eligible to participate in the competition. However, the organizations they support can submit applications.

Deadline for submission is May 30.