The Food for Lunch webinar series continues Friday, 15 May, with a focus on protecting livestock in the event of a hurricane.
The 2026 series, which is being held under the theme ‘Be ready for the storm: Caribbean Hurricane Preparedness 2026’, commenced on 8 May, ahead of the hurricane season, which begins on 1 June, and zeroed in on protecting crops and assets.
Delivering brief remarks at the first webinar, Dr. Wendell Samuel, CARICOM Assistant Secretary-General (ag), reflected on recent experiences, including Hurricane Melissa, which he said, “remind us that the impacts of such events extend far beyond immediate destruction.”
“Hurricanes disrupt livelihoods, damage crops and livestock, and destroy critical infrastructure such as irrigation and storage. They also increase the risk of pests and diseases, further compounding the losses for farmers and threatening food production systems,” he said.
As the hurricane season approaches, Dr. Samuel called on participants to remain vigilant, proactive and united in efforts as strengthened preparedness will help to better safeguard livelihoods, protect the agriculture sector, and ensure regional food and nutrition security.
Dr. Renata Clarke, Sub-regional Coordinator for the Caribbean of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, encouraged farmers, fishers and other agriculture stakeholders to use climate data to help to plan and act to reduce exposure to risk from weather events.
She pointed out that the problems are far more extensive, as apart from the impacts of major natural disasters and “big-name events, like the Beryls and the Melissas”, there are smaller events that wreak havoc and disrupt livelihoods and food security. The webinar, she said, provides a good opportunity to share practical experience, best practices and approaches to help the agricultural community prepare for the hurricane season, and to strengthen partnerships and collaboration across the Region.
The series continues each Friday in May.
