In a drive to aid food security, the United States yesterday launched a regional programme to boost agricultural productivity and coconuts and cherries will be among the areas of focus here.
The Caribbean Agricultural Productivity Improvement Activity (CAPA) will come under the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with Improving Economies for Stronger Communities (IESC). The three-year, US$5.3m funded programme will benefit several Caribbean countries including Guyana, Suriname, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG).
With the main aim of helping farmers to increase their productivity, CAPA encompasses three objectives; to increase smallholder market-led production of fruits and vegetables, to improve domestic and regional market linkages for smallholder farmers, and to strengthen public/private sector extension skills, capacity and systems.
In giving an overview of the objectives, Associate Vice President and Practice Lead, Agriculture-led Growth for IESC Adam Keatts explained the interventions planned under each objective. These, he said, include supporting farmers in meeting market demand, improving access to inputs and production technologies, and facilitating farm-level technical assistance. Keatts also discussed CAPA’s approach, emphasizing integrated value chain development, private sector engagement, and collaboration with local partners.
Keatts further highlighted the criteria used to select the target value chains in each country, which included market opportunity, agronomic suitability, agri-business investment potential, food security impact, climate and environmental considerations, and gender and youth involvement.
“We will be working in Guyana, Suriname, St. Vincent in the Grenadines, Dominica, Barbados, Grenada, St. Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago, just to start… in Guyana we will be working in cherries, turmeric, and coconut. In St. Vincent and the Grenadines, we’ll be working in banana and plantain, dasheen and sweet potato, and fresh vegetables… And in Dominica, we’ll be working in cassava, dasheen and sweet potato, and passion fruit,” he explained.
Coconut farmer and exporter, Rajkumar Outar who was present at the launch, expressed his gratitude to the coordinators of the programme for selecting his company (Rajo Trades Inc.) for a coconut plantation project. Outar highlighted the challenges faced by farmers due to climate change and the need for sustainability and collaboration in the agriculture sector. He also emphasized the importance of good practices, incentives for mechanization, financing for projects, and improving export processes.
Citing his visit to India and his observance of the significance of coconuts in their culture, Outar noted that Guyana has the potential to become a major supplier of the crop. He further called for increased cultivation of coconuts in order to facilitate such a potential.
“We strive to achieve a reduction in the regional food import bill, 25% by 2025… A coconut palm, they take years of productivity, and cultivating now, definitely, is not too early… Ladies and gentlemen, fellow countrymen, coconut is the magic fruit, one which offers huge benefits to human time. Its consumption each day grows. Guyana has a unique opportunity to be counted as one of the major suppliers in this hemisphere …”, Outar encouraged.
Optimism
Meanwhile, in his feature address, Guyana’s Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha expressed optimism in the “25 by 25” goal that is aimed at achieving the regional goal of reducing food imports by 25% by 2025. He also emphasized the importance of collaboration between the CARICOM and the U.S. in expanding the programme.
The Minister further lauded the project objectives for promoting market-driven agricultural practices and technologies and enabling farmers to access domestic and regional markets. Mustapha also emphasized the importance of climate-smart agriculture and the role of young people in the sector.
Furthermore, he spoke on the progress already made in the targeted crop areas and the need for continued investment and support for the region’s agriculture sector.
“Over 500 farmers in Guyana have been engaged in this programme to expand coconut production. Guyana has also been working to assist… Trinidad and Tobago with [the] coconut initiative; Guyana has graciously offered to provide 5,000 total plants to help Trinidad and Tobago revive its coconut industry, which was devastated in the past by pests and diseases,” Mustapha explained.
With regard to cherries, he noted that the IESC has already commenced stakeholders’ final consultation, having met with the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute.
“There’s a strong demand for cherries, especially for use in the fruit juice industry and assistance from rural farmers to increase production will help to meet this need. Information from major processors suggest that the demand for cherries averaged 1,000,000 pound per annum. Presently we have supplied less than 50% of that, so there is a lot of work we have to do amongst the cherry farmers to expand cultivation,” he said.
In a pre-recorded statement, SVG’s Minister of Agriculture, Saboto Caesar expressed his government’s commitment to working with USAID on this project and emphasized the need for collaboration between the public and private sectors to address the challenges posed by climate change. He also called for reflection, preparation, and celebration, and expressed his desire to work together to bring hope and success to farmers and food producers in the Caribbean region.
US Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot, in an emotional speech shared her experience in Pakistan and the devastating impact of climate change on food security. On this note she emphasized the urgency of addressing food insecurity related to climate change in the Caribbean region.
Theriot also emphasized the importance of logistics and local expertise in addressing food security challenges, and highlighted the need for policy recommendations and additional resources while expressing pleasure in the University of Guyana (UG)’s partnership to improve the turmeric value chain in Guyana, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Suriname. The US government is proud to support the region’s food security efforts and is looking forward to the growth and improvement that will come from CAPA, she said.
CAPA is part of the U.S. Caribbean partnership to address climate crisis and aims to improve food security and climate adaptation in the region. The programme will promote sustainable agricultural practices, increase farmer knowledge, improve market access for smallholders, and enhance the region’s access to locally produced food. The programme has its origins in the Ninth Summit of the Americas.
The launch was hosted by UG in the George Walcott Lecture Theatre. Since the university’s Institute for Food and Nutrition Security will be collaborating with CAPA along the lines of the turmeric value chain, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed to that effect.
UG’s Vice Chancellor, Paloma Mohamed-Martin, who took part in the signing, emphasized the importance of the project’s outcomes in supporting the university’s work in climate change and environmental concerns in agriculture, as well as supporting small farmers, livelihoods, and food security.
