Workshop held to push Canada-funded Caribbean agriculture programme

Jul 25, 2024 News

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Kaieteur News – A workshop to help prepare Guyana to roll out the Canada-funded Caribbean Gender-responsive Climate-smart Agriculture and Food programme was held on Wednesday at Regency Hotel in Georgetown.

 

The Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) sub-regional office for the Caribbean and the Government of Canada have signed a grant agreement to implement the programme.

The project which is being funded by Canada to the tune of CAD$ 10M will be implemented by FAO in collaboration with the various ministries agriculture across the region. It is geared to foster country ownership and to strengthen the linkage between farmers, agro-processors and public policies/ interventions at national and regional levels. The project also aims to promote and encourage the use of climate-smart technologies in viable agricultural value chains in Guyana, Belize, Grenada, Dominica, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Suriname and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Additionally, the project focuses on climate change, youth and gender issues so as to build capacity so that all value chain actors benefit from increased market access and increased incomes. Importantly, the project is slated to prioritise the needs of youths, women and producer organisations to ensure equal access to capacity building, training activities and develop knowledge products that will enhance learning.

Climate smart tools and technologies will also be introduced to improve the efficiencies in production, and agro-processing. Market linkages will be fostered through community fairs and forums for farmers and processors to connect to buyers both nationally and regionally.

During the workshop Dr. Gillian Smith, a FAO Representative in Guyana expressed her appreciation of working along with the Government of Guyana and the Government of Canada on the project. Dr. Smith explained that the FAO has been working on upgrading strategies, by providing inputs to access plans, which are able to produce better technologies to support the value chain.

“In Guyana we are promoting the integration of the agri-business sector and we are looking at a sustainable use of land management or sustainable land management practices, proper use of data, and strengthening data management so that we can use it to make strong and decisive policies decisions,” the FAO representative said.

She continued, “We have been working as well a lot in fisheries…all towards increasing the use, the efficient use of the resources of the country as well as to ensure that at the end of day, farmers, the fishers and the producers are maximizing their potential in what they can produce and earn…”

Deputy Director and Head of Cooperation at the High Commission of Canada, Adam Loyer during the workshop highlighted the significant damage done to agriculture, food security, and livelihoods of many farmers across the region in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl. “As such we commend President Irfaan Ali’s swift efforts to bring together relevant CARICOM (Caribbean Community) stakeholders following the damage caused by Hurricane Beryl.”

Loyer added, “We (Government of Canada) support CARICOM ambitions to increase resilience of their food systems to disasters and to other shocks by augmenting domestic food production through climate smart agricultural practices and reduce dependency on food imports.”

Meanwhile, Kaieteur News reported that on June 3, 2024 the GCAF Caribbean project was officially launched at the United Nations House in Barbados. The four- year project (2024-2028) will be implemented by FAO in Belize, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Suriname.

First announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the Canada-CARICOM Summit in October 2023, the regional project will contribute to improving the livelihoods of women and youth in climate-resilient agriculture value chains in the Caribbean. Through the Canada-funded project, FAO will work closely with local Ministries of Agriculture, farmer organizations, gender bureaus, research institutions, and community-based agro-processing centers to transform and upgrade these value chains ensuring that they are market-driven using relevant data and facilitate public-private sector partnerships The project will also increase the use of climate-smart technologies, innovations, and practices by agricultural stakeholders to make more data-driven decisions and advocate for the expansion of more inclusive, gender-responsive climate-resilient value chains.

Speaking at the media launch, High Commissioner of Canada to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Lilian Chatterjee had shared that “Canada recognises the disproportionate impact of food and input price inflation, supply chain disruptions, and climate change in the Caribbean, which has exacerbated pre-existing food insecurity. Women are powerful agents of change that can actively contribute to achieving sustainable and resilient agri-food systems. Empowering women and closing gender gaps in agri-food systems is key to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals. This new project will complement Canada’s other efforts to strengthen agricultural entrepreneurship and food systems in the region, notably the CA$19.8 million Sustainable Agriculture in the Caribbean project and our support to Compete Caribbean”.

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• Adam Loyer, agriculture, climate change, GCAF Caribbean, Gillian Smith

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