Developing Policies and Proposals for Alleviating Key Binding Constraints To Agriculture in The Caribbean: workshop Proceedings Final Report

Context: Agriculture has been a critical building block of all Caribbean economies, in terms of its contribution to gross national output, foreign exchange earnings and employment. However, in recent years, in several countries of the Caribbean, its economic performance has been characterized by a marked unevenness and a failure to attain a steady growth pattern. Export agriculture has been in crisis; precipitated by the deterioration in traditional industries due to adjustment difficulties related to trade liberalization and commodity market price volatility; and instability in others, such as, citrus, coffee, cocoa and spices, due to severe competitive pressures and a proliferation of stringent product and process standards in developed countries. The food production sector, which generally performed better, has been faced with increasing competition in the domestic markets as the process of globalization and trade liberalization progresses. These recent experiences in agriculture suggest that policy formulation and consequent programme implementation have been key constraints in the transformation of agriculture in the region. Regional policy makers have repeatedly emphasized that domestic agriculture is largely responsive to external stimuli. In response to this, and the changing economic environment, Caribbean countries are engaged in the process of adjusting and reorienting their agricultural and rural development policies to better equip the sector to meet this new paradigm for the 21st Century. Consequently, policy change, strong and practical policies must be prerequisites for the agricultural adjustment and repositioning process. President of Guyana, Bharrat Jagdeo, lead Head for Agriculture within the CARICOM Conference of Heads of Government (CHoG) recognized that the response for agriculture by our States, singly and collectively, requires major adjustments. Such adjustment should lead to marked improvements in how we engage, support and finance the business of agriculture, including how we organize our supply base, market our products and procure our inputs. These have significant policy implications for our Ministers of Agriculture and our entire Cabinets at the national levels, as well as for the CHoG and the Forum of Ministers of Agriculture at the regional level. This initiative, facilitated by the Alliance for the Sustainable Development of Agriculture and the Rural Milieu in the Caribbean (The Alliance ) and the CTA/IICA-supported Caribbean Region Agricultural Policy Network (CaRAPN) is therefore fully complementary to the CARICOM Regional Transformation Program (RTP) for Agriculture. It seeks to facilitate agriculture’s decisive move from the crossroads that it currently finds itself into bold action to reposition its industries, enterprises and peoples along a path of sustainable and equitable growth. As part of that repositioning process, the CHoG mandated countries, supported by development organizations working in agriculture within the region, to identify and develop a package of initiatives to address the three or four most binding constraints to a dynamic and competitive agricultural sector in all member states of the region. The identification of these constraints has emerged from a region-wide process of ongoing national consultations. The framework for the conduct of these national consultations was developed by the Facilitators Briefing Meeting held in Trinidad and Tobago from September 30 to October 01. This regional policy workshop is thus convened to take these national outputs a step further in the process of developing the framework, of the supportive actions required at the regional level, for agricultural repositioning. Objectives: This workshop seeks to: ? develop firm proposals that seek, in a practical and meaningful manner, to alleviate the three or four most binding constraints to national agricultural sector growth initiatives for the consideration of the CARICOM Heads of Government. ? strengthen the framework for regional-level agricultural policy analysis, formulation and implementation within the context of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) in order to add value to national actions and engender regional harmony among development projects and programs; Expected Outputs: As a result of the workshop: ? Member states will be provided with a draft framework to guide regional agricultural policy analysis, formulation and implementation within the context of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME); ? Fulfillment of the Jagdeo mandate which required development of draft proposals that seek to address the three or four most binding constraints through regional action, for consideration of the CARICOM Heads of Government.This initiative seeks to facilitate agriculture’s decisive move from the crossroads that it currently finds itself into bold action to reposition its industries, enterprises and peoples along a path of sustainable and equitable growth

Getting Agriculture Moving

IN THIS ISSUE The promise of a ‘new’ agriculture has been on the region’s horizon for some time now. These promises offer new hope for redundant traditional industries, such as, raw cane sugar, or mass-produced conventional bananas. They offer unprecidented opportunities for new and often revolutionary uses of old or ordinary agricultural crops. They offer new possibilities for expanding the production frontiers in agriculture. The old agriculture has been overtaken by new and competitive ‘designer’ processes, packaging and products This AgriView issue summarises the regional desires and debate surrounding the ushering into being of a new agriculture in the lead article on: Getting Agriculture Moving This sets the stage for discussion on the essential aspects as they relate to alleviating some of the Key Binding Constraints that are now in full focus of the agricultural repositioning debate. Some of these issues and the current actions of countries, individually, and as a region, emphasise the need to urgently and comprehensively: Secure the Soils and Water page 3 Assure Health and Safety page 4 Build Resilience to Natural Hazards page 5 The importance of resilence to natural hazards is even more urgent and critical given the experiences of the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons. The need to ensure full participation is underscored with an extract from the SEEDS publication on: Disaster Relief, Recovery and Women page 6 Further the need to reposition agriculture in the shortest possible timefram will require that region, collectively: Make the Quantum Technology Leap page 7 Explore the Potential of Agri-energy page 8 Bridge the Digital Divide page 9 and in that context Building a Hybrid Agri-Information System page 10 to measure progress towards achieving stated goals. AgriView continues by providing a youth’s outlook for agriculture that links fond memories of old agricutlure into a ‘designer-driven’ new vision in: I see a Renaissance for Agriculture page 11 . . . and ends with a pictoral representation of sights of the ‘new’ agriculture: Signs of the New Agriculture page 12This sets the stage for discussion on the essential aspects as they relate to alleviating some of the Key Binding Constraints that are now in full focus of the agricultural repositioning debate

Small producer....big business!

This AV focuses on a topic that has been of continuing interest in the agriculture community and general public, that of food security, from the farm to the policy level. The opening article provides a synopsis of the recently initiated regional response to ensure that “all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.” This initiative, spearheaded by the CARICOM Secretariat with funding from the Government of Italy and implementation support from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is complemented by a number of other initiatives as indicated in the article on Advancing Agriculture in CARICOM. The word ‘advancing’ is used repeatedly throughout the newsletter because it is a key action word in the theme selected for the 9th Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) 2010. This AV also highlights the CWA from its inception in 1999 and promotes the 9th CWA to be held in Grenada in late October. So mark your calendar. The issue of Food Security is also an integral part of the 9th CWA’s theme and on that score, Ian Ivey feels certain that Food prices will soar as he speaks to an AV contributor on the subject of food prices and the capacity and competitiveness of local food production. AV follows this perspective with two contributions on the role and importance of small producers – farmers and fisherfolk to food security, with a view to promoting the acceptance of small producers as the ‘backbone of food security’. This view is, however debatable, given the policy of the former Government of Trinidad and Tobago to promote ‘mega farms’ as a major solution to rising food prices and dependence on imported foods. AV contributor Waheeda Abass provides some insights to the small vs mega farm issue from a Trinidad perspective. While not enough time has elapsed to make a judgement on the relative role and impact of mega farms in Trinidad, there is a widely held view that the expectations have been over stated. AV also took this opportunity to update- for those involved in the network, remind- for those who already knew of its existence and introduce- for those who did not know it existed, the CaRAPN, i.e., Caribbean Regional Agricultural Policy Network, which according to one stakeholder at a 27-30 July Medium Term Strategy meeting, “should contribute to agricultural development in a holistic way, looking at the traditional production and marketing issues, but also adding aspects of the environment, the social dimensions and the global dimensions.” We invite you to read, ponder and contact us for clarification, more information and any contributions you may wish to make on the topics covered or any other topic of interest to agricultural and rural development in the region.Small producers, i.e., both farmers and food processors, are a big business in agriculture in the Caribbean. Their numbers far outweigh their relatively larger counterparts. Despite the difficult conditions under which they operate, including marginal lands, limited access to credit and the virtual non-existence of risk mitigation mechanisms, the contributions of these micro and small entrepreneurs to economic development, social stability and food security are big by comparison to their size..

Integral Plan for Research, Training and Technical Assistance for Protein Food Production in Central America and the Caribbean

Project submitted by Manuel Elgueta, a TAC member and Director of the Tropical Training and Research Center (CTEI) at Turrialba, Costa Rica, an affiliate of the northern zone of IICA. It provides the current status, operational plans, facilities, expected benefits, and proposed budget of programs on beef and dairy cattle and pulses designed to implement IICA's plan for protein food production in Central America and the Caribbean. Agenda item presented at TAC Third Meeting, April 1972. See also TAC Second Meeting October 1971

Managing hazards, reducing risks and increasing investments in agriculture – some perspectives: critical analysis of policy issues for repositioning agriculture in the Caribbean

This Special paper seeks to widen understanding and promote a new mindset with respect to three issues critical to the agriculture development process

Agriculture after Disaster

The five inter-related briefs are: 1. Natural hazards, disasters and agricultural impacts highlights agriculture’s vulnerabilities to natural hazards, the costs of associated disasters and the consequent risks to development. 2. Managing development amidst natural hazards recognizes the importance of forward planning and good practices in mitigating losses and accelerating recovery in agriculture. 3. Fast tracking Recovery –prioritizing agriculture calls for greater focus on resuscitating agriculture after disaster since it is perhaps the only productive sector that can be reactivated with the least delay to meet food needs and stabilize rural economies. Such relief and recovery efforts must also foster institutional coordination to give priority to the national agenda versus individual agency agendas 4. Securing food supplies after disaster acknowledges that while emergency food aid is an important aspect of disaster relief, it must be understood by all, to be a temporary measure and no effort should be spared in rebuilding national food production capacity. 5. Disaster, agriculture and media response emphasizes the need for balanced and responsible reporting that goes beyond images of human suffering and infrastructure destruction to issues that promote the need for focused and coordinated action to accelerate recovery of productive sectors, including and importantly, agriculture.This media kit highlights issues related to natural hazards, their associated disasters and the impact on and role of agriculture in relief and recovery. It seeks to put issues relevant to agricultural development ‘out there’ in the wider public through journalists and communicators, to promote better understanding and interest in agriculture’s issue..

Developing a Medium Term Strategy (MTS) 2011-2015 for the Caribbean Regional Agricultural Policy Network (CARAPN)

The meeting was managed by Diana Francis, Regional Specialist, Policies and Negotiations Programme, IICA Caribbean and Coordinator of the CTA-IICA CaRAPN project with support from IICA-CaRAPN Team members. Special acknowledgements and appreciation are extended to the Representative and staff of the IICA Office in Trinidad and Tobago Staff for the technical and administrative support provided in the planning and execution of the meeting. Appreciation is extended to all participants for the rich and positive dialogue, particularly significant given the relatively limited prior knowledge of CaRAPN (See Annex 1-Participant Contact information) and willingness to commit their individual and institutional time and expertise to the building of CaRAPN from a project to a sustainable network. At the end of the meeting, the participants: a) got a better appreciation of the regional policy context which circumscribes the environment and scope for agriculture policy networking (See Annex 2 – Agenda); b) got a better understanding of how CaRAPN emerged, its operation to date and the importance of the network in strengthening the agricultural policy process in the region; c) arrived at consensus and committed to participating and supporting CaRAPN as a central agricultural policy-related network in the Caribbean, d) identified and agreed to a CaRAPN Management Team to guide the process from project to sustainable networking; e) agreed to the elements defined in the Draft CaRAPN Medium Term Strategy 2011–2015 and defining a niche for CaRAPN; f) were provided with an opportunity for face-to-face dialogue, networking and exchange of information on agricultural development policy issues and processes.The origin of CaRAPN was an idea suggested by the CTA in 2002, discussed and agreed to at a regional meeting in 2003 and operationalised as a project between IICA and the CTA later that same year... This meeting provides the opportunity to expand that partnership and provide the base for strengthening and sustaining the networking

Choices: Caribbean Agriculture: Our way

Agriculture and food production should not be occupations of last resort. Showcasing many fascinating insights, this title features individuals, farm families and community groups in the Caribbean who have made a deliberate choice to enter, stay and focus on achieving success in this vibrant and rewarding sector. With stories that inform, educate and inspire, Choices provides accounts of innovations in aquaculture, hydroponics, permaculture, shade-house technology and organic farming

Managing Development amidst Natural Hazards

Key Messages: ? Agriculture is important from socio-economic, environmental and cultural perspectives! ? Unlike other sectors, agricultural development has operated in a high risk environment! ? Unmitigated natural hazards have led to frequent disruptions agriculture’s development! ? Hazard and disaster management is essential to agriculture’s development process! ? Well planned and managed post-disaster relief and recovery are also critical.If agriculture in the Caribbean is to achieve and sustain development, it must counteract these hazards through good forward planning and good practices. Widespread failure must not be tolerated (USAID-OAS, 1999

Fast Tracking Recovery: Prioritising Agriculture

Key Messages: ? Restoring order and reducing human suffering are essential first steps after a disaster! ? Agriculture is the only productive sector that can be reactivated with the least delay! ? Development objectives should not be set aside during crises and after disasters. ? There must be a clear plan to move agriculture from relief to recovery! ? The private sector has a critical role to play in rehabilitating agriculture after disaster! ? Financial institutions, including Credit Unions, are important to the recovery process!There's no disaster that can't become a blessing, and no blessing that can't become a disaste