Preparations are underway to host the 18th version of CARICOM’s premier agricultural occasion, the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA), from 7-11 October on the College of the West Indies Open Campus in Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
This yr’s theme ‘Local weather-Good Agriculture for a Sustainable Future’ is aligned with the aims of the 25 by 2025 Initiative to cut back the Area’s meals import invoice by 25 per cent by 2025 and to rework regional meals programs to be extra resilient and sustainable.
The five-day occasion will characteristic workshops and seminars coordinated by companions in regional agriculture. Via these classes, contributors will profit from the trade of data and greatest practices on safeguarding agriculture in a altering local weather; climate-smart fishing with a deal with sargassum; younger individuals as champions of regional meals programs; meals safety and vitamin; girls farmers’ pathways after Hurricane Beryl; digital agriculture within the Caribbean; and human useful resource growth within the sector.
Commenting on the CWA, Dr. Carla Barnett, CARICOM Secretary-Normal stated: “In alignment with the objectives of CARICOM’s 25 by 2025 Initiative, CWA 2024 adopts a realistic method, specializing in key local weather change issues that are essential to securing meals, and growing sustainable manufacturing, adaptation and mitigation. Seminars will deal with actions, options and revolutionary applied sciences to boost the resilience and sustainability of agrifood programs towards excessive climate occasions.”
This yr’s CWA is meant to coordinate efforts to cut back the affect of local weather change on meals manufacturing programs and encourage funding in climate-smart actions. The occasion will function a platform to have interaction key stakeholders in agriculture in each the private and non-private sectors, and foster partnerships which can be essential for sustainable agricultural growth.
“The CWA is a real testomony of the extent of dedication and worth that the Area locations on meals and vitamin safety. The Area is energized and able to safe its future and play its position in attaining zero starvation,” stated Shaun Baugh, Programme Supervisor, Agriculture and Agro-Industrial Growth, CARICOM Secretariat.
The week will characteristic the launches of the Complete Motion on Local weather Change (CACCI) Mission 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 girls – will even launch a documentary titled ‘Roots of Resilience: Tales of Caribbean Ladies in Agriculture’.
One of many highlights of this premier exercise is the Commerce Present and Expo which promotes agri-businesses, knowledge-sharing and exploration of recent applied sciences within the sector. Excessive-level ministerial and board of administrators’ conferences of Regional Establishments and a particular assembly of the Council for Commerce and Financial Growth on Agriculture will even be convened over the 5 days.
