This week is the Caribbean Week of Agriculture. This is the week in which we showcase all that is important in regional agriculture, the progress made and make changes where necessary, we demonstrate new technologies developed or introduced, we share knowledge and experiences to further enhance and develop our regional agriculture sector and we lobby for polices which will help the sector achieve its goals and objectives.
Agricultural stakeholders from around the region and some from across the world have descended on St Kitts and Nevis which in itself brings a lot of networking opportunities and opportunities for collaboration.
At the heart of all this is the farmer. At the end of the day, we at CARDI do all that we do for the farmer so that the region can achieve the goals of the 25×25 plus 5 agenda. We do our part in introducing or developing some of the tools required for farmers to improve production and productivity which will ultimately lead to improved profitability, income, lives and livelihoods. Whether this be Integrated pest management strategies to target pests of economic importance, provision of planting material, introducing new crop varieties or livestock breeds showing higher productivity under our conditions, new digital technologies to improve technology transfer or to improve farm operations, new post-harvest treatments to increase shelf life opening up new markets, developing value added products or development of new products out of traditional farm waste. The list can go on, but the point is that we do what we do primarily for the farming community, the producers of the primary product we all wish to increase.
Our farmers are resilient people. They face a host of challenges but remain in this business of producing food for our community. And when we speak about challenges, right now as we speak, farmers and indeed the people in the Bahamas are facing the wrath of Tropical Storm Imelda. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. Our farmers are resourceful, dedicated, hardworking and proud. We must do what we can to help them.
Agricultural research must be seen as a fundamental part of this support system. CARDI is the only Institution identified in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas responsible for conducting agriculture research in CARICOM. This is your Caribbean organisation. We need investments in R and D to meet the demand for food for an increasing world population, estimated to be more than 2 billion more people in 2050 than there are today.
Besides increasing productivity and stabilising food prices, agricultural R and D offers a high return on public investment, typically believed to be in the range of 40–60 per cent per year. Remember, knowledge and other outputs from agricultural research benefits all farmers and consumers. It is a public good justifying public investment. Sometimes we don’t even consider that producing higher amounts of local healthy food can reduce the expenses of healthcare for our Governments. The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has long argued that spending on agricultural research constitutes a sound investment in poverty reduction and agricultural and economic growth, through improvements in productivity.
And while I advocate for increasing public sector investment in agricultural research, equally I urge the private sector do so as well. There are too few and far in-between examples of private sector funding for agricultural research in our part of the world and these cases are generally limited in scope. Players in the private sector must understand that while some of them may believe they are in the business of import and distribution and not agricultural R and D, be wary that there may be a time when you cannot import due to conflicts abroad, or other incidents which disrupt shipping lines or causing countries to keep supplies for themselves, or prices which makes it uneconomical to import. So you too stand to benefit from R and D.
And yes, we in the Caribbean do access funding from International donors and while we are grateful and appreciate the support, it sometimes comes with conditions so that they may tell you that you cannot work in one territory or the other.
I urge Government representatives of Member States in particular, to consider this urgent matter of funding for Agricultural Research and Development during this week of activities and find a mechanism to address it. We cannot solve the problems of 2025 with 1986 money. The theme for this CWA is Sowing Change, Harvesting Resilience: Transforming our Caribbean Food Systems for 2025 and Beyond. I submit that a research and development function that is well financed is key to this transformation. It simply cannot happen without it.
This week, CARDI along with our national, regional and international partners will be hosting a number of events including sessions on roots and tubers, digital solutions for improving agri-
food system efficiency, protected agriculture, strengthening agricultural extension, building climate resilience, participating in technical meetings and so on.
We will also host our 38th Meeting of our Board of Governors, the highest governing Body of the Institute.
I take the opportunity to invite you also to our booth at the Trade Show and Exhibition and the one right out the hall, where you’ll learn more about our work in St Kitts and Nevis and across the wider Caribbean. We look forward to meeting and sharing our experiences, networking and strengthening our partnerships.
We at CARDI thank the people and Government of St Kitts and Nevis for being a most gracious host and the members of the various planning committees for your commitment and hard work in bringing this week to life. It is clear that you have done an excellent job.
To all participants have a successful and enriching CWA 2025! Thank you.
