Agricultural Extension Officers to begin collecting data as part of REACH Project

The Resilient Environment & Agricultural Caribbean Habitats (REACH) Project is moving forward to reach its targets.

Over the next two weeks, extension officers of the Ministries of Agriculture St Lucia and St Vincent & the Grenadines will serve as enumerators for a survey, collecting information from small farmers across the two countries as part of a communication audit.

The survey is designed to capture the impact of the project on small farming communities, current practices of small farmers in reducing their risks to hazards and suggestions on future work which can be undertaken to help farmers build resilience to external shocks.

On Monday November 9, a virtual orientation & training session was facilitated by representatives from the CDEMA Coordinating Unit.

The session featured the enumerators, national project coordinators, national focal points and representatives from the CIMA Research Foundation. One of the main strategies discussed was the methods of delivering the survey, given the varying COVID-19 environments prevailing in both Caribbean states.

Enumerators will primarily utilise virtual, landline or mobile communication channels for delivering the survey, relying on face-to-face interviews as a last resort. Where face-to-face interviews are required, enumerators were encouraged to follow relevant protocols including but not limited to social distancing, wearing of masks and no exchange of stationery.

The data collected will serve to inform future improvements which can be made to enhance communication between small farmers and relevant national government & regional agencies.