SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, CMC – The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) has signed an agreement with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), prioritizing their joint actions in the region.
The agreement is also intended to strengthen the food and nutrition security of the Caribbean population and the climate resilience of the agricultural sector.
CARICOM Secretary General Dr. Carla Barnett and IICA Director Manuel Otero signed the agreement.
A statement issued following the signing said that the agreement proposes joint advances in policy-making for agricultural and rural development, production systems, promotion of value chains, resilience of the farming sector, and land use improvement in the Caribbean countries.
“The Caribbean is a valuable pillar for the development of agriculture, and we must work together to improve living conditions in our nations; this requires focus and attention. CARICOM is celebrating 50 years of existence with its eyes open and with the vision of what we must do better, which is to work together with the citizens”, said Barnett.
She said in the Caribbean region, most countries are net food importers, and at least seven states import more than 80 percent of their food.
Barnett said the region’s food import bill is estimated at six billion US dollars annually, also acknowledging that the humanitarian situation in Haiti is critical and requires urgent support to address its inhabitants’ food and nutritional insecurity.
“In Caribbean agriculture, digital technologies must be incorporated to increase productivity and remove trade barriers, as well as to improve transportation services for agrifood products among the region’s island states.
“We signed this agreement as a renewal of our commitment to work closely with IICA and to show our appreciation for what we have done together in the past and our desire to move forward,” said Barnett, who is highest ranking official from the Guyana-based CARICOM Secretariat to visit the IICA headquarters.
She was accompanied by the Agricultural and Agro-Industry Development Programme Manager at CARICOM, Shaun Baugh, and the President of the Board of Directors of CATIE and Honorary Consul of Belize in Guyana, Gale Garnett.
Otero explained that the Institute would strengthen capacities for the bio-fortification of agricultural products in the Caribbean and work on a proposal to improve the implementation of best agrarian health practices in this region.
“Our Observatory of Public Policies for Agrifood Systems is ready to work with CARICOM and offer more robust information for decision-making on regional agriculture. We will also promote stronger ties with international scientific and research centers since agriculture in the Caribbean and the Americas must be knowledge-intensive to face the current challenges,” stated Otero.
The meeting was also attended by directors and managers from IICA’s administrative, project, and technical cooperation areas.
IICA has nearly 90 professionals working in the agricultural sector in the Caribbean, whose work priorities are the development and strengthening of climate resilience, water management for agriculture, the promotion of intraregional trade, inclusion, and empowerment of youth and women, policy formulation, promotion of agrotourism and the integration of new technologies, among other areas.
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