“Caribbean Week of Agriculture 2024 will be hosted October 7th to the 11th 2024 at the University of West Indies, Open Campus in Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines under the theme ‘Climate Smart Agriculture for a Sustainable Future.’

History 

The Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) was conceptualized by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) as a facility 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 the premier event on the Agriculture calendar in the Caribbean Region.  It is convened under the aegis of the Alliance for Sustainable Development of Agriculture and the Rural Milieu (‘The Alliance’).  From the inaugural meeting in 1998, the two main collaborating agencies were IICA and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat. 

In 2002, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) joined IICA and CARICOM to establish a core group which functions as the Secretariat of The Alliance. Since then, the four agencies have collaborated on the management and logistics necessary for the convening and servicing of meetings of The Alliance as well as the myriad of activities during the CWA. 

In 2003, the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) became a major partner and sponsor of the CWA activities. 

To date, there have been 17 successful editions of the CWA. The first CWA was held in Trinidad and Tobago in 1999. The last edition, in the year 2023 was in The Bahamas under the theme “Accelerating Vision 25 By 2025.”

CWA 2024

The 18th CWA will be held in St. Vincent and the Grenadines from October 7th to the 11th, 2024 under the theme ‘Climate Smart Agriculture for a Sustainable Future’. This theme is in line with the 25 by 2025 goals of transforming our food systems to one that is resilient and sustainable.  Finding solutions to the effects of climate change confronting the Region’s agricultural sector requires a decisive, solution-oriented response in the wake of the current food security challenges facing the region.

The theme is reflective of the vulnerabilities and opportunities of agriculture as a climate-sensitive sector.   The challenge of extreme weather events, rising surface and sea temperatures, intense and reduced rainfalls, and seasonal shifts are impacting the productive sectors.  Climate-smart actions are critical to build the resilience needed to sustain food and nutrition security in the region. The integration of nature-based solutions and technology to mitigate shocks will leverage innovative approaches to agroecosystems.  The adaptation of these climate-smart practices will create new opportunities for the future management and diversification of our landscapes sustainably.

The theme of climate-smart agriculture for a sustainable future is centered on climate-smart actions to enhance and integrate methods to improve soils, biofertilizers and chemicals, water availability and conservation, crop resilience, biodiversity, ecology, and climate financing.

OBJECTIVES OF THE CWA 2024

The objective of CWA 2024 is to highlight and coordinate efforts towards accelerating climate-smart mitigation and adaptative measures to reduce climatic impacts on food production systems. CWA 2024 serves as an additional platform for promoting the engagement and collaboration between key private and public sector stakeholders and regional partners. The CWA will foster greater involvement of all stakeholders in the productive sectors and food systems to invest in the acceleration of mitigation and adaptive climate-smart actions to sustain food production and food security in tandem with sectoral growth and development.

 The main objectives of the CWA are as follows:

• Strengthening the relationship between the Ministerial Task Force (MTF) and the AFNC.
• Promoting climate-smart action for sustainable production;
• Promoting the Regional Food System Agenda and accelerating the 25 by 2025 Initiative;
• Promoting FAST programmes;
• Presenting potential investors and other stakeholders with new and emerging opportunities in CARICOM agriculture, including technological and logistical solutions;
• Promoting specific regional agricultural enterprises and products;
• Business to Business and Government to Business engagements with private sector players;
• Matching bankable agricultural projects with available private and public climate financing;
• Addressing crosscutting issues such as gender, youth, access to finance, and other emerging threats to agricultural development in the Region;
• Assessing the Regional Food and Nutrition Security Strategy and the National Food Security Plan against what has been done to achieve the 25% by 2025 mandate;

Specific Activities

(i)         CWA Launch;

(ii)        The Meeting of the Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) – Agriculture;

(iii)       High-Level Ministerial Meetings;

(iv)       Meeting of the OECS Agriculture Ministers;

(v)        Regional Agricultural Trade Show and Expo:  Agri-Food Investment Opportunities;

(vi)       CAHFSA Board of Directors Meeting;

(vii)      CARDI Board of Governors Meeting;

(viii)     Digital Agriculture Village: Online platforms, facilitating financial flows, blockchain applications, transportation solutions);

(ix)       CARICOM Farmer of the Year and the Ministers of Agriculture CARICOM Young Farmer of the Year Awards;

(x)        Technical Workshops and Presentation;

(xi)       Resilient Food Production System presentations: (focus on priority commodities e.g. Poultry, Small Ruminants, Peas & Beans, Root Crops & Starchy Staples, Fruits & Vegetables);

(xii)      New Agribusiness opportunities (Youth and Women businesses); and

(xiii)     Technical Presentations on Securing Innovative Funding (carbon credits, green bonds, etc.)

CWA 2024 Participants

Given the CWA regional focus, the event will include participants from all Member States, Development Partners, Farmers/Producer Organizations, Civil Societies, CARICOM Bodies, Private Sector Groupings, and Companies. In this regard, agricultural planners of Member States who are directly involved in articulating policy and in the mobilisation of technical assistance as well as representatives of the private sector will be targeted to participate in CWA 2024.

Proposed Participants:

Regional Institutions

• CARDI
• CAHFSA
• CRFM
• CROSQ
• UWI
• CDB
• CARPHA
• CCCCC

Governmental Organizations

• Government representatives of the Ministries responsible for Agriculture and Trade
• Related Government Ministries

International Partner Organizations

• The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
• The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)
• The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)
• World Food Programme (WFP)
• International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

Civil Society

• Farmers/Producer Organizations
• Regional Youth and Women Organizations
• Rural Organizations

Universities and Research Institutes

• Institutes and Research Centres,
• Universities –

o          The University of the West Indies (UWI)

o          The University of Guyana (UG)

o          University of Belize

• International and regional experts on climate change           

Private Sector Groupings

• Caribbean Private Sector Organisation (CPSO)
• Producers’ Associations
• Farmers’ Organization
• Caribbean Agribusiness Association (CABA)
• Partnership Initiative on Sustainable Land Management (PIMLS)
• Private Sector Organizations such as the Caribbean Chambers of Commerce
• Regional Distributors and Manufacturers
• Agricultural Export Companies
• Regional Agro-Industrial Companies
• Agricultural Technological Solutions Companies
• Caribbean Conference of Credit Unions
• Regional Insurance companies

Potential Partner Agencies

(i)         CARIFORUM

(ii)        European Union (EU)

(iii)       International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV)

(iv)       CARIFORUM Intellectual Property Rights and Innovation-(CarIPI)

(v)        Latin American Private Sector Groupings

(vi)       Media Outlets