FAO and Canada Launch CAD$10Mn Regional Project

• Farmers and entrepreneurs across 8 Caribbean countries stand to benefit from the new CAD$10Mn Regional Gender-Responsive Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Systems in the Caribbean project, officially launched on June 3, 2024, at United Nations House in Barbados.
• Funded by the Government of Canada, the 4-year project (2024-2028) will be implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) in Belize, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Suriname.
• A collaborative effort involving Canada, FAO, local government and civil society partners, the project will enhance Caribbean farmers’ resilience to climate change and contribute to economic growth in the region. First announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the Canada-Caricom Summit in October 2023, the regional project will contribute to improving the livelihoods of women and youth in climate-resilient agriculture value chains in the Caribbean.
• Through the Canada-funded project, FAO will work closely with local Ministries of Agriculture, farmer organisations, gender bureaus, research institutions, and community-based agro-processing centres to transform and upgrade these value chains ensuring that they are market-driven using relevant data and facilitate public-private sector partnerships.
• The project will also increase the use of climate-smart technologies, innovations, and practices by agricultural stakeholders to make more data-driven decisions and advocate for expanding more inclusive, gender-responsive climate-resilient value chains.
• Representatives from regional partner organisations, the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Secretariat and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), participating in the launch highlighted the project’s significance and its connection to the ‘Caricom 25 by 2025 Initiative’ (i.e. reducing the Region's large food import bill by 25% by 2025) and the 10-year Food and Agricultural Systems Transformation (FAST) Strategy.

(Source: Now Grenada)