Preparations are in full swing for 17th staging of the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA), the Caribbean Region’s premier agricultural event, in The Bahamas, 9 -13 October 2023. The week of activities will be held at the Breezes All-inclusive Hotel, Cable Beach, Nassau. Activities this year will be held under the theme ‘Accelerating Vision 25 by 2025’. The CWA provides a forum for the key decision-makers in the public and private sectors within the Region to highlight the importance of agriculture and rural life to the economic, social and environmental stability of our Member States.
It also affords the major stakeholders in agriculture and related sectors to have an opportunity to forge a common vision for the development of agriculture and the enhancement of rural life.
Ms. Milagro Matus, Deputy Programme Manager, Agricultural and Agro-Industrial Development, CARICOM Secretariat explained that the main objectives of CWA 2023 include promoting the Regional Food System Agenda, particularly programmes to accelerate the 25 by 2025 initiative and presenting potential investors and other stakeholders with new and emerging opportunities in agriculture, including technological and logistical solutions.
At a press conference on 7 September to launch the CWA locally, outgoing Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. Clay Sweeting, said it’s the first time The Bahamas will host the week of activities. Hosting the event, he said, is a significant signal of the country’s commitment to transform its agricultural landscape and its presence in the region.
“Agriculture is a basic and vital industry in each of our economies, our cultures, and our communities. It is not only a source of subsistence, but also a catalyst for economic growth that will safeguard our natural resources, protect our environments, and ensure the wellbeing for generations to come. Collectively, our vision, and the Caribbean’s vision for 2025 is ambitious but achievable. We aim to continue to enhance food security, to promote inclusiveness and sustainable economic growth in the agriculture sector, and to foster innovation and technology adoption,” he said.
The fact that CWA is occurring during the 50th anniversary celebrations of both CARICOM and The Bahamas is a testament to “our collective determination to shape a sustainable, resilient and prosperous future for our region”, Minister Sweeting added.
This year, the week begins with a field trip to farms in The Bahamas. The third in the series of webinars on the 25 by 2025 initiative, ‘Food for Lunch’, will be held also on Monday, 9 October, and will feature a high-level panel including the President of Guyana who has lead responsibility for agriculture in the CARICOM Quasi Cabinet, the Prime Minister of The Bahamas, and the Director-General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).
The range of topics that partners and participants will discuss over the week in more than 40 technical sessions include the digitisation of agriculture; youth and women in agriculture; trade facilitation; investment opportunities in the sector; biosafety; soil health; plant breeding and advancing germplasm; the sustainable use of marine resources; healthy eating; and the way forward with the 25 by 2025 initiative. With emphasis on the critical role of youth in the region’s agriculture enterprise, a half-day youth dialogue will be held. Meetings of the Boards of regional institutions will be held as well. An agricultural trade show and exposition runs throughout the week. The week of activities will conclude with a Special Ministerial Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development.
Please see additional details about the CWA at: https://cwa2023.caricom.org/
