SVG preparing to host Caribbean Week of Agriculture

Preparations are underway to host the 18th edition of the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM’s) premier agricultural event, the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA), from October 7-11 October at the University of the West Indies Open Campus in Kingstown.

This year’s theme, ‘Climate-Smart Agriculture for a Sustainable Future’, is aligned with the objectives of the 25 by 2025 Initiative to reduce the Region’s food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025, and to transform regional food systems to be more resilient and sustainable, a release from the Ministry of Agriculture states.

The five-day event will feature workshops and seminars coordinated by partners in regional agriculture. Through these sessions, participants will benefit from the exchange of information and best practices on safeguarding agriculture in a changing climate; climate-smart fishing with a focus on sargassum; young people as champions of regional food systems; food security and nutrition; women farmers’ pathways after Hurricane Beryl; digital agriculture in the Caribbean; and human resource development in the sector.

Commenting on the CWA, Dr. Carla Barnett, CARICOM Secretary-General said: “In alignment with the goals of CARICOM’s 25 by 2025 Initiative, CWA 2024 adopts a pragmatic approach, focusing on key climate change matters which are crucial to securing food and increasing sustainable production, adaptation and mitigation. Seminars will focus on actions, solutions and innovative technologies to enhance the resilience and sustainability of agri-food systems against extreme weather events.”

This year’s CWA is intended to coordinate efforts to reduce the impact of climate change on food production systems and encourage investment in climate-smart actions. The event will serve as a platform to engage key stakeholders in agriculture in both the public and private sectors, and foster partnerships that are crucial for sustainable agricultural development.

“The CWA is a true testament of the level of commitment and value that the Region places on food and nutrition security. The Region is energized and ready to secure its future and play its role in achieving zero hunger,” said Programme Manager, Agriculture and Agro-Industrial Development at the CARICOM Secretariat, Shaun Baugh.

The week will feature the launch of the Comprehensive Action on Climate Change (CACCI) Project by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), and the Caribbean Tree-Planting Initiative by the Agriculture Alliance of the Caribbean (AACARI).

Helen’s Daughters, a Saint Lucia-based non-profit organisation that works to empower rural women, will also launch a documentary titled ‘Roots of Resilience: Stories of Caribbean Women in Agriculture’.

One of the highlights of this premier activity is the Trade Show and Expo which promotes agri-businesses, knowledge-sharing and exploration of modern technologies in the sector which will be held at the Kingstown Cruise Ship Terminal. High-level ministerial and board of directors’ meetings of regional institutions, and a special meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development on Agriculture will also be convened over the five days. The Caribbean Week of Agriculture was conceptualised by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) as an opportunity to place agriculture and rural life on the front burner of regional integration activities and in doing so enable the key decision-makers in the public and private sectors to better acknowledge the importance of agriculture and rural life to the economic, social, and environmental stability of the region; and for the major stakeholders in agriculture and related sectors to have an opportunity to dialogue and forge a common vision for the repositioning of agriculture and the enhancement of rural life.

The CWA is convened under the aegis of the Alliance for Sustainable Development of Agriculture and the Rural Milieu (The Alliance).