Food and Nutrition Security
Under this agenda, the Caribbean Community has been accelerating efforts to cut the Region’s food import cost by 25% by 2025. The Vision 25 by 2025 Initiative is a long-term social and economic partnership between CARICOM Member States, the regional private sector, regional organisations, producer groups, development partners and civil society. It outlines actions and critical areas of intervention to tackle the rising food import bill and reduce food insecurity, improve intra-regional trade, and create wealth and economic opportunity for every CARICOM Member State.
The CARICOM Ministerial Task Force on Agriculture (MTF), chaired by Guyana’s Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Zulfikar Mustapha, has been driving policy initiatives to:
a. Reduce trade barriers to increase intra-regional trade.
b. De-risk the agricultural sector for alternative financing and insurance.
c. Improve regional air and sea transportation and logistics to support intra-regional trade and food security.
d. To diversify the agro-food system, support the growth of agro-industries and food processing MSME.
e. increase primary production of economically important crops like vegetables, corn, soya, and poultry.
f. increase public/private sector investment in production and research and development.
g. Implementing climate-smart agriculture can boost resilience and reduce production hazards.
g. Digitalize the agricultural industry.
Vision 25 by 2025, as it is popularly called, has benefited from targeted actions by CARICOM Member States, such as the agreement on and preparations for a sub-regional ferry service, enhanced trade arrangements, self-sufficiency in particular agricultural produce, reductions in import permits, expansions of agricultural lands, the introduction of special breeding facilities, the promotion of backyard farming, increased public and private sector partnerships, and the participation of women and youth in agriculture.
Several policy initiatives have also been developed to buttress Vision 25 by 2025.
These include:
• CARICOM Regional Agricultural Health and Food Safety (AHFS) Policy and National Framework;
• CARICOM Trade Policy for Animals and Animal Products;
• Alternate Sanitary Phytosanitary (SPS) Dispute Resolution Mechanism; and
• 19 Special Guidelines for the Trade in Animal and Plant Commodities
Some major achievements under food security initiative
The 25 by 2025 food and nutrition security initiative has recorded major achievements including increased production across the Region, and the implementation of key agricultural policies, the CARICOM Secretariat’s Agriculture Programme has reported.
Ms. Milagro Matus, Deputy Programme Manager, Agriculture and Agro-Industrial Development at the CARICOM Secretariat, provided an update on the Initiative during an interview prior to the Forty-Eighth Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM. The Meeting will be held in Bridgetown, Barbados, 19 – 21 February under the Chairmanship of the Hon. Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados.
Ms. Matus pointed out that governments have increased budget allocations for agricultural development and have incorporated climate-smart project development in their planning. There has also been improvement in the adaptation of digital technologies in the sector.
Successes have occurred despite the challenges in the form of natural disasters, global supply trade disruptions and other events that were beyond the Region’s control. Listen to Milagro Matus as she highlights these successes.
Hurricane Beryl, for example, which swept through the Region in July, last year, caused significant damage to the agriculture sectors of Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Advances being made to encourage youth in agriculture
The Caribbean Community Secretariat continues to make advances in its quest to encourage the Region’s youth to become more involved in the agriculture sector.
Last year, the Secretariat consolidated its approach to youth with several targeted programmes including the continuation of the ‘I am CARICOM: Youth in agriculture’ programme, and the introduction of a climate-smart initiative that has benefitted youth and women.
A Youth Advisory Body, established by the Special Ministerial Task Force on Food Production and Food and Nutrition Security, also became operational and launched an Agriculture Youth Strategy last year.
The CARICOM Ministerial Task Force on Agriculture (MTF), chaired by Guyana’s Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Zulfikar Mustapha, has been driving policy initiatives to:
a. Reduce trade barriers to increase intra-regional trade.
b. De-risk the agricultural sector for alternative financing and insurance.
c. Improve regional air and sea transportation and logistics to support intra-regional trade and food security.
d. To diversify the agro-food system, support the growth of agro-industries and food processing MSME.
e. increase primary production of economically important crops like vegetables, corn, soya, and poultry.
f. increase public/private sector investment in production and research and development.
g. Implementing climate-smart agriculture can boost resilience and reduce production hazards.
g. Digitalize the agricultural industry.
Vision 25 by 2025, as it is popularly called, has benefited from targeted actions by CARICOM Member States, such as the agreement on and preparations for a sub-regional ferry service, enhanced trade arrangements, self-sufficiency in particular agricultural produce, reductions in import permits, expansions of agricultural lands, the introduction of special breeding facilities, the promotion of backyard farming, increased public and private sector partnerships, and the participation of women and youth in agriculture.
Several policy initiatives have also been developed to buttress Vision 25 by 2025.
These include:
• CARICOM Regional Agricultural Health and Food Safety (AHFS) Policy and National Framework;
• CARICOM Trade Policy for Animals and Animal Products;
• Alternate Sanitary Phytosanitary (SPS) Dispute Resolution Mechanism; and
• 19 Special Guidelines for the Trade in Animal and Plant Commodities
Some major achievements under food security initiative
The 25 by 2025 food and nutrition security initiative has recorded major achievements including increased production across the Region, and the implementation of key agricultural policies, the CARICOM Secretariat’s Agriculture Programme has reported.
Ms. Milagro Matus, Deputy Programme Manager, Agriculture and Agro-Industrial Development at the CARICOM Secretariat, provided an update on the Initiative during an interview prior to the Forty-Eighth Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM. The Meeting will be held in Bridgetown, Barbados, 19 – 21 February under the Chairmanship of the Hon. Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados.
Ms. Matus pointed out that governments have increased budget allocations for agricultural development and have incorporated climate-smart project development in their planning. There has also been improvement in the adaptation of digital technologies in the sector.
Successes have occurred despite the challenges in the form of natural disasters, global supply trade disruptions and other events that were beyond the Region’s control. Listen to Milagro Matus as she highlights these successes.
Hurricane Beryl, for example, which swept through the Region in July, last year, caused significant damage to the agriculture sectors of Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Advances being made to encourage youth in agriculture
The Caribbean Community Secretariat continues to make advances in its quest to encourage the Region’s youth to become more involved in the agriculture sector.
Last year, the Secretariat consolidated its approach to youth with several targeted programmes including the continuation of the ‘I am CARICOM: Youth in agriculture’ programme, and the introduction of a climate-smart initiative that has benefitted youth and women.
A Youth Advisory Body, established by the Special Ministerial Task Force on Food Production and Food and Nutrition Security, also became operational and launched an Agriculture Youth Strategy last year.
Agricultural equipment and products on display at an exhibition on the sidelined of the 46th Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in Georgetown, Guyana, February 2024
Mr. Kevorn Vidal of Dominica, 2024 CARICOM Youth Farmer of the Year awardee
