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AARRTT HHiigghhlliigghhttss 1100tthh CCWWAA,, DDoommiinniiccaa OOccttoobbeerr 22001111
tthhee FFoooodd aanndd NNuuttrriitt iioonn cciirrccllee ccoonnnneeccttiinngg tthhee ddoottss
AARRTT iiss aa ppllaattffoorrmm tthhaatt......
Photos: Brent Theophille/CaRAPN
(1) Brings together a diverse group of
stakeholders. . .
(2) in an open, unscripted and free-flowing
dialogue on . . .
(3) important issues and initiatives in agriculture,
food and nutrition to. . .
(4) identify good practices and explore
possible ways forward. . .
(5) that could lead to genuine benefits for
stakeholders.
ootteess
SSppeecciiaall RReeppoorrtt 1166 NNoovveemmbbeerr 22001111
ppooll ii cciieess ffoorr
aaggrr iiccuu llttuurree
ffoorr
pprrooggrreessss
Caribbean
Regional
Agricultural Policy
Network - growing
as a vehicle and
platform for
networking on
issues, initiatives
and information
sharing for
agriculture, food
and nutrition
security in the
Caribbean.
CaRAPN’s main
focus is to:
#1: Foster net-
working and
collaboration
among institutions
and stake-holder
groups in
agriculture;
#2: Build capacity
for and support
the policy
dialogue, analysis
and formulation
process;
#3: Generate and
facilitate access
to information
and analysis to
support evidence
- based policy
and planning
TThhee FFoooodd aanndd NNuuttrriittiioonn CCiirrccllee .. .. .. CCoonnnneeccttiinngg tthhee DDoottss
DDeeaarr AAllll::
On behalf of our partners, IICA and CTA, our collaborators in the ART/Policy Forum the
ACM, FAO and CARICOM Secretariat, other strategic allies, partners in development
(pid) and the rest of the Network,
TThank YYou MMerci
for your open mind, full participation and contribution in
ART, CaRAPN‟s preferred form of dialogue and networking. Your genuine willingness to
engage, share experiences and enhance knowledge deeply enriched the dialogue,
information sharing and Caribbean perspectives on important issues in food, nutrition
and agricultural development.
For our local participants, including the farmers, students, Dominica Food and Nutrition
Council, staff of the Extension and Forestry Divisions of the Ministry of Agriculture, and
all others, thanks you for facilitating us and sharing your time, experiences, ideas,
information and genuine camaraderie with us.
For the external participants, we know that you left Dominica recharged and with
wonderful, green and some wet memories of the nature isle. We hope that the
experience was in some way meaningful, both professionally and personally.
Thanks to Lennox, Erle, Brent and Moses, you can all share those memories with us. Visit,
look and reminisce on the following facebook locations: Lennox:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.10150348134222834&type=1
Erle:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150365501363566.372664.698048565&ty
pe=1&l=efe5d3d6b1
CaRAPN:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/CaRAPN/189382034445974?sk=wall
Continue the journey with us. Become a CaRAPN pid Diane and the team
This report seeks to highlight the main issues discussed and to acknowledge the
contributions of all. CaRAPN is responsible for all errors and omissions.
1 -
INTROduction
ART was hosted within the week-long events of the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA).
The 2011 CWA theme “Caribbean Food and Nutrition Security in a Changing Climate – the
Nature Island Experience” provided the backdrop for ART on „the Food and nutrition circle-
connecting the dots‟ and a platform for promoting the Regional Food and Nutrition Security
and Action Plan (RFNSP& AP).
True to form and in its usual unconventional manner, ART tackled the issue of food and
nutrition security (FNS) in the Caribbean through a mixed format of (a) traditional „workshop‟
(kept to an absolute minimum), (b) open forum Round Tables and (c) field experiences.
Although a very topical issue in the region and around the world, there is still much
misinformation, misunderstandings, misinterpretations about FNS and the interface with
agriculture, industry, public health, education, services, the environment, and a number of
other cultural, socio-economic and political-institutional dimensions of equitable and
sustainable development.
The ART thus sought to raise awareness of the intent and contents of the RFNSP & AP and to
ground the policy into the realities and issues of producers and practitioners.
Merci tout moun! (Thanks everyone!) For keeping the dialogue open, frank and dynamic!
WELCOMING WORDS from our Sponsors & Collaborators
CaRAPN‟s principle supporter is the Technical Centre for Agriculture and Rural Cooperation
(CTA) in partnership with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).
IICA representative and CaRAPN Coordinator, Diana Francis, welcomed the participants
and briefly placed the ART in its historical context (details available in the ART Resource
Brief).
Director of the CTA, Mr. Michael Hailu, underscored the CTA‟s commitment to supporting
the policy process in the Caribbean and in particular, issues related to food and nutrition
which has been identified as a priority in the CTA‟s Strategic Plan 2011-2015.
The Association of Caribbean Media workers (ACM), which collaborates to host ART,
represented by Julius Gittens, welcomed participants, expressed satisfaction at being
present as an equal partner and invited all to engage freely in the open dialogue, advising
all resource persons to „speak in simple language‟ so that the message would be clear.
Representatives of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), collaborators in the Policy
Forum, emphasised the importance of understanding the FNS issue in its entirety and in
particular, the concept of the Right to Food, an inalienable human right.
2 -
SEEing the BIG picture
Panoramic view of the village of Soufriére (the location of Field Visit #2 and Round Table #4) to Roseau in the distance,
from the Southernmost tip of the Island, Scotts Head. (photo - Moses Mike)
ART
The ART theme gave recognition to the fact that FNS is a complex issue with "no
particular menu to deal with it'. Dealing with FNS also requires input from a wide cross-
section of stakeholders at all levels. The 1/2 day Policy Forum was a new addition to the
ART and its main purpose was to promote and enhance awareness that a regional
policy does exist and to provide a backdrop for the national consultations that are to
come towards the development of national FNS policy and Action Plans
The important role of policy in establishing the framework for action cannot be
understated. This set the context for a discussion on the RFNSP and Action Plan, the roles
and actions of producers in policy formulation and implementation, situation with both
external and domestic resources to finance policy implementation and issues related to
utilisation and nutritional adequacy.
Having adequate resources to finance and implement actions is as equally important
as having a policy. The main sources of such financing does exist include donors,
domestic savings and foreign direct investment. However, there is increasing
competition for such resources, particularly donor resources, which placed more
pressure on Caribbean countries to be more creative and strategic in how they go
about mobilising resources for policy implementation.
Policy implementation could be facilitated by emphasising a Nutrition Policy instead of
a Food and Nutrition Policy. This issue, tabled at a previous ART in St. Lucia in July this
year, resurfaced and opened the door for discussions on nutrition promotion
campaigns. The opportunities to replace the common 'an apple a day' slogan with
local foods, using internationally recognised Caribbean personalities, are hugely
underutilised. The experience of Jamaica in the „peel proud‟ (a pun on feel proud)
campaign targeted at encouraging school children to consumer bananas was briefly
recognised as an example.
School feeding policy and programmes must factor in any long-term FNS solution,
particularly to nutrition security. The Policy Forum provided a platform for sharing of
experiences in school feeding programmes in the region and their linkages to local
farm produce. Experiences from Jamaica, Grenada, St, Lucia, Dominica, among
others, revealed similar challenges but more importantly, novel approaches which
became the germ of ideas to those nutritionists and school-feeding managers present.
Cultivating good eating habits in the home was a good and essential place to start
and build from.
3 -
Essential to a long term solution is the need to ensure sustainability and stability of food
systems, i.e., food security. The issues and challenges experienced by farmers in
Dominica mirrored that in all CARICOM countries. The age of the farmers, both men
and women, averaged over 65. Of significance is that when these farmers „retire‟, there
is no family member waiting in the wings to continue the farming enterprise. There is a
strong likelihood that retired farmers' lands could be sold to housing, hotel or some
other activity that is totally disconnected from agriculture. This perhaps remains among
the several under-appreciated issues with respect to stability of the food system.
Lack of succession planning in farming is serious enough to warrant urgent attention in
FNS policy. While hurricanes and other factors often disrupt food production and
distribution systems, loss of farm lands to a declining farming population is linked to the
apparent lack of youth involvement in agriculture. Extensionists in the Ministry of
Agriculture, Dominica, noted that there do exist a number of initiatives to get youth
involved in farming, such as including agriculture in curriculum at primary, secondary
and college levels and the National Association for Youth in Agriculture (NAYA), among
others. However challenges such as lack of access to capital, land, resources etc, still
hinder youth from entering and staying in the farming business.
Healthy forests and ecosystems are indispensible to productive agriculture and
sustainable and stable food supplies. There is need to bridge the gap in terms of linking
forestry and sustainable food production. Forestry experts from St. Lucia and Dominica
and a Permaculture practitioner from Trinidad all underscored this point in the context
of climate change, which is contributing to extreme weather variability and worsening
the vulnerability of agriculture and food production systems. As a result, the need to
balance the economics of agriculture with the health of eco-systems, including
effectively addressing the problem forests and watershed protection, soil conservation,
and in the case of the farmers in Syndicate, excessive parrot feedings on citrus fields, is
more important than ever before.
Diane (the ART-ists) saying ‘bon jour’ and
making sure that each one was
comfortable ....
(photo Erle Noronha)
...and on the same page
,...in the ART Resource Brief, that is
(LOL)!
(photo Brent Theophille)
4 -
Getting up close and personal with Mr. Charles
at his farm in Syndicate Participants are captured by the real life
experiences of Josepha on her farm in Syndicate Photos; Brent Theophille
Opportunities to balance economics with sustainable eco-system management are also
practical ways of connecting the FNS dots. The initiative taken by the Waitikubuli (Y-tee-
Ku-boo-lee) Trails that has inter-woven hiking and nature trails close to farmers‟ fields is
one example. The only and perhaps critical area of caution, as recognised by a few
participants, is attention to bio-security measures to minimize adverse effects on both
farmers‟ fields and indigenous forest species from the introductions of harmful invasive
alien species, which in the long run, could adversely impact both food availability and
food system stability.
Good policy is essential to channel the development process and particularly, to
mobilise action on the ground. Extension as the frontline of policy and interface
between government and producers must be used more effectively in the policy
implementation process. Enhancing effectiveness will require attention to better and
integrated planning and coordination of extension services. It will also require a
remodelling of Extension professionals as agents or change. In the case of agriculture,
Extension services were considered the ideal agency to reach farmers on issues
touching FNS and the broader agriculture environment to create a functional sector.
In reaching and teaching farmers and other stakeholders, language must be as simple
as possible. This was the main emphasis and message from the final Round Table, which
sought to ensure that the RFNSP and any other regional policy, is not relegated to
„collecting dust on the shelf in an office‟. The conversation was steered in the direction
of the „how to‟ in getting the real message across. This touched the heart of the ART –
communicating in a manner that brings enlightenment to inspire change.
Understanding the differences between issues and concerns and ‘building courses for
horses’ provided the base for animated final discussion. The common denominator in
the discussion was „information‟ – its availability, appropriate use and effective targeting
– to guide decision making and drive actions at all levels. Without the right information,
available in a timely manner, and messaged to the right people in the right language,
communication would be ineffective.
5 -
In Conclusion:-
the ART Round Tables, combined with the site visits provided this crop of ART-ists ART-
istes, ART-isans and the very few who consider themselves to be ART-efacts (like
Steve), an opportunity to ground the intent and content of policy into the realities
and expectations of the stakeholders, in this instance, small-scale producers,
traditional farmers, women in agriculture and professional farmers.
there was general agreement that all the issues in the FNS concept were integrally
connected. Some of the connectors in the FNS dots can be summed up in the
following inter-connected 'p' words: "policy parenting production promotions
projects public-private-partnerships" each important on its own merit, but critically
connected within the FNS concept. While there may not be any particular starting
point to making these connections, good integrated policy, „producing food while
taking care of the environment‟ and „enabling a healthy start‟ targeting children,
would be make some excellent starting points.
there was a concern that not all the dots in the FNS issue are recognised, well
understood or effectively connected. For example, conflicting trade policies that
enable imports of 'cheaper food', especially fast-food franchises, do so at the
expense of enabling local food producers and supporting the development of
'affordable local food products. High consumption of imported processed foods has
been linked to a similarly alarming rise in Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases
(CNDCs) in the region.
There was enhanced awareness that while the FNS concept is indeed multi-sectoral,
the RFNSP and AP were undeniably linked to the CARICOM Community Agriculture
Policy (CCAP) where most, if not all of the food production related issues would be
more comprehensively addressed, including issues related to seed policy, soil
conservation and small farmer production.
The issues and challenges in FNS are not unique to the Caribbean, as indicated by
Sithembie Mwamakamba of the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy
Analysis Network (FANRPAN) a sister network to CaRAPN in Southern Africa. Ms.
Mwamakamba noted that the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development
Programme (CAADP) 'changed the face of Agriculture in Southern Africa, making it
a top priority for the region'. CAADP can be considered to be the equivalent to the
RFNSP + CCAP in CARICOM.
good communication is central to informed and collective actions. In this regard,
CaRAPN made a start by preparing a special, easy on the eyes and brain document
that provides the basic information on the policy in contribution to the process for
'rolling out' the policy and action plan, once the latter is approved by COTED in
principle during the CWA (Friday 14th October). UWI's Faculty of Food and Agriculture
which will come on stream in 2012 is also positioning itself to support this 'roll out'
through outreach and other collaborative activities.
The bottom line message is that each ONE of us is a DOT with a concern
that collectively connects to become an FNS ISSUE that should be
EVRYONE‟s business!
6 -
SYNopsis Policy Forum The Policy Forum resembled the more traditional „workshop‟. The aim was
to introduce and raise awareness of the food and nutrition topic and the
RFNSP (2010) and Action Plan (2011). This was facilitated by the circulation
of a CaRAPN Summary of the CARICOM RFNSP & AP and presentations
from the CARICOM Secretariat, the Food and Agriculture Organisation
(FAO), the Caribbean Farmers Network (CAFAN), the Dominica Food and
Nutrition Council (DFNC) and the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources
Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) from South Africa.
“You can lead a reader to the water but you can‟t make him think” Words of wisdom and caution that moderator
Julius Gittens (ACM) extracted from the New
York Times to place the ART in context and
kick-off dialogue on the absolute need for
policy makers, stakeholders and even the
media, to think critically on development
issues, such as FNS. He underscored that the
media must play a direct and explicit role in
guiding such critical thinking so that all
stakeholders are aware, knowledgeable and
involved in the processes that bring about
meaningful change. This is essentially a
governance issue and must take prominence in FNS. Julius challenged all stakeholders to use
ART and any other available platform and avenues to agitate change -a type of quiet green
revolution. Such change must include the need for (a) more friendly articulated policies, (b)
actions that make the implementation process less difficult and uncertain and (c) adopting
responsible policy directives that do not dis-enfranchise vulnerable stakeholder groups for
political expedience.
“there are different varieties of parents”
This simple, yet profound statement positions parenting as a major dot
in the F&N circle. In placing the FNS topic in context, Mrs. Lambert
raised a number of fundamental issues, including, the role of parents,
particularly mothers, in building the foundation for healthy food
choices, the role of the education system for both complementing
and/or replacing that function, particularly in vulnerable households.
The role of policy makers is also critical in clearly understanding the
task ahead and responding through the design and implementation
of effective policies and programmes. In using the current experience
of the DFNC in formulating a national F&N policy, Mrs. Lambert
underscored the importance of good policy, in terms of a fully
participatory process, meaningful and well communicated content
and practical actions that can be implemented for real impact.
Mrs Eleanore Lambert
Chair,
Dominica Food and
Nutrition Council
(DFNC) (Photo: Brent
Theophille)
Julius Gittens, ACM
(Photo: Lennox Lampkin)
7 -
SYNopsis of Presentations
Do something very new and very creative; don‟t just think outside the
box, kick away the box
This was the advice of a CARICOM Minister of Agriculture in
relation to the drafting of a regional Action Plan to implement
the RFNSP. The CARICOM representative introduced the RFNSP
focus areas and action plan and underscored the general
sentiments that policy has to be friendly and move with the
times. She provided information on the regional process, the
goals and objectives of the RFNSP and its Action Plan. She also
agreed that “civil society groups are a great way to influence
these policy makers. It is these types of forums that lend
themselves to making decisions on how to make nutritious foods
more readily available to the populace.” (The RFNSP & AP
available from CaRAPN and CARICOM Secretariat websites)
Ms. Johan David
CARICOM Secretariat
Agriculture and Industry
Programme
(Photo: Brent Theophille)
Dr. Vincent Little
Food Security Advisor,
FAO
(Photo: Brent Theophille)
“there is money out there to finance actions for food and nutrition security, but the region must be strategic to access it”.
Financing policy is a critical and sometimes defining connector
of the FNS dots. Dr. Little noted that the situation with respect to
the four main available sources for financing, including external
sources and government budgets and domestic savings, was
volatile, offering limited prospects as economic recession in
developed countries is once again being projected. He noted
that in terms of internal sources, the „buying habit‟ that
characterises Caribbean economies has contributed to low
domestic savings. Also, government budgets for agriculture,
which have been historically low, continue to decline and often
what is budgeted is not driven by the country‟s strategic needs.
Despite the apparent sombre financial situation, he is confident
that there is money out there to finance actions for agriculture,
food and nutrition security, but the region must be strategic to
access it.
Najja Gallion (r), student of agriculture in the
Dominica State Colleges believes that by 2026,
(the Action Plan Vision), he won‟t be in a state
of good health since „unhealthy foods are more
easily accessible‟. Looking on is one of State
College lecturers.
(Photo Moses Mike)
8 -
SYNopsis of Experiences:
Ms. SIthembie Sithembile
Ndema-Mwamakamba
from the Food,
Agriculture & Natural
Resources Policy
Network (FANRPAN)
South Africa
(Photo: Brent Theophille)
“the Caribbean and South Africa can learn from each other in dealing with the issue of food and nutrition security”
„Thembi‟ for short, represents a sister network to CaRAPN in
Southern Africa – FANRPAN, which is very engaged and
influential in policy making in that region. The FANRPAN
experiences so far validate the importance of collective and
coordinated response to development issues in a region. She
confirmed that South Africa shared similar problems and
challenges with the Caribbean, such as, the usual silo approach,
lack of commitment among key players and the „speaking to
ourselves‟ syndrome. In 2003, the formulation and consensus on
the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme
(CAADP) changed the face of agriculture making it a top priority
in South Africa. Since then, priority has been given to partnerships
and coordinated actions for „a food secure Africa‟. The
FANRPAN 2012 Policy Dialogue has already chosen as its theme,
„Investing in intra-African trade for a Food Secure Africa‟. Visit
FANRPAN at http://www.fanrpan.org/.
“without the stakeholders, whoever they may be, the policy won‟t go forward”
CAFAN represents a network of farmers numbered at
around 500,000 operating on farms of varying sizes around
the Caribbean. The group is moving towards a more
formalised network and over the past two years, have been
directly involved in the regional policy process through
membership on the CARICOM Agriculture Programme
Technical Working Group (TWG). Given a voice in regional
policymaking, farmers themselves are now better
empowered to implement FNS actions at both the national
and regional levels. CAFAN has also been defining actions
to support the policy implementation developing: (a) a
basket of crops (livestock to come later) for exchange and
trade throughout the region and (b) two projects aimed at
promoting Caribbean foods and enhancing farm to market
linkages. CAFAN, comprised mainly of volunteers, will
continue to mobilise support and financing through
strategic partnerships and project development in order to
meet its objectives and contribute to food and nutrition
security and regional integration through agricultural
development.
Mrs. Stacy Rose-Richards
Representative of the
Caribbean Farmers
Network (CAFAN)
(Photo: Brent Theophille)
9 -
Some of the other key points that emerged from the Policy Forum included issues of:
Scope:
- The region still has not solved the problem of food availability and the focus on food
production in the RFNSP & AP, including preservation of soil and other natural resource
bases for agriculture, is welcomed.
- But there is need for a more inter-sectoral approach. In the past policies usually looked
at one side or aspect of the issue and similarly the RFNSP is largely of an agricultural
orientation and there appears not to be clear enough distinction between what is in the
agricultural policy vs the RFNSP. Also, the overlap in priorities, objectives and actions is
significant;
Nutrition and Safety Focus:
- nutritional aspects of food and investment in nutrition promotion must be central points of
the policy given the situation of poor diets in the Caribbean, contributing to CNCDs and
deteriorating health which is adversely impacting countries in the region. Food must be
seen as providing the basic protein and energy requirements for health and not limited
to just satisfying hunger. This should be the basis premise of the Right to Food principle.
- there is need for caution in promoting food availability and utilization. The region has
moved from with one type of malnutrition in the 70‟s (under-nutrition) to another (obesity
or over-nutrition). Fruits and vegetables are healthy but only in the right quantities;
- Food safety needs to be emphasised at all levels, including in locally processed foods
and removing labelling discrepancies between imported and local foods;
Society and Policy Interface:
- the policy has to address the changing environment and culture in the Caribbean (e.g.
convenience, large population of working mothers, etc.) to develop a strong base for
implementation;
- the level of private sector involvement (policy formation and implementation) should be
built upon;
- in communicating the policy and promoting nutritious food and lifestyle choices, the
language must be simple and the strategy should consider use of local celebrities and
popular culture in order to reach all stakeholders;
Some areas that could be covered and/or strengthened in the policy include the issue of:
- physical exercise, is an important part of a healthy lifestyle that requires policy
intervention;
- seed germplasm as an important action;
- specific measures in relation to agro-chemical use which may compromise the safety of
healthy foods. To that end, the following were proposed: (i) some form of chemical
register and traceability list that keeps record of proper agro-chemical use and (ii)
addressing the issue of banned agro-chemicals being sold to the Region which have the
capacity to destroy the natural environment and affect health;
While the latter issues are valid and important, they are being accommodated in the CARICOM
Community Agriculture Policy (CCAP) which was subsequently tabled at the COTED during the
Caribbean Week of Agriculture.
10 -
Synopsis Round Table #1: Tackling Nutrition and Utilisation
The focus of this first RT was nutrition, seen as the starting point of the RFNSP to guide decisions on appropriate
policy and business activities. Moderator Julius Gittens from the ACM ensured that the dialogue was as witty as it
was thought provoking.
RT#1: Guests / Main Message. . .
Ms. Helen Constance
Robertson
Director of School
Feeding Programme,
Ministry of Education,
Jamaica
(Photo: Brent
Theophille)
“We eat with our eyes; if food is not attractive we won‟t buy it to eat”
Helen promoted the need for product development and
transformation to meet consumer requirements for safe, nutritious
and convenient foods is essential. This is especially as it relates to
options for marketing healthy foods to children and their parents
(in particular). There is need for better inter-sectoral cooperation
on the nutrition and food availability issue. The link between
agriculture and education was a focal point in early education
on healthy food choices. An understanding and appreciation for
agriculture and the resource base that supports it must also be
tied into the formal education process. This also provides an
opportunity to address proper (balanced) nutrition while
supporting an early involvement in agriculture that may
encourage the number of skilled persons entering the field,
agribusiness development and innovation. Interestingly, specific
legislation was not advocated as being essential to adopting
healthy consumption options at pre-natal and early childhood
stages when health is a major factor in lifestyle choices. This offers
scope for agribusiness development that is largely under-utilized
and would support FNS.
“in promoting foods for healthy choices, people need to understand WHY; don‟t give
them half the story!”
Lisa noted that actions for FNS require targeting households as the
essential step in tackling nutrition and improving the utilization of
healthy foods, especially local foods in supporting local agribusiness.
There is a critical paradox issue where persons are choosing less
nutritious food options while taking in too much food without proper
nutritional balance or exercise. This is essentially the crux of the
matter, evidenced in the growing number of cases of chronic non-
communicable diseases (CNCDs, e.g. diabetes, hypertension). If we
want to achieve balanced diets, local fruits and food stuffs in many
instances are nutritionally better, especially in their fresh form,
relative to the highly marketed imported and often preserved
options for balanced diet and food choices. Interventions that
breach social and economic barriers to utilizing local foods would
then be essential to improving the current situation.
Ms. Lisa Hunt
Chief Nutritionist,
Ministry of Health,
Saint Lucia
(Photo: Brent
Theophille)
11 -
Key points emerging from Round Table #1 are that:-
the FNS issue is a complex one that will need:
- novel and varied approaches from collective or multiple starting points in tackling FNS
challenges in a systematic and continuous manner;
- to definitely target early nutrition of children to encourage healthy and nutritious food
choices (in education and child care): e.g. developing baby foods and purees;
- to properly identify and effectively respond to the need to the vulnerable, such as
young children, the aged and women. Women/mothers have been identified as
vulnerable in the context of encouraging poor consumption choices. This group should
be considered amongst the first-level interventions for FNS.
greater efforts should be made on utilisation of local foods, through, inter alia:
- higher consumption of in-season food crops and appropriate food processing and
storage systems, especially in households and communities, to strengthen home
utilization of healthy and nutritious foods, reduce wastage and enhance year round
availability;
- support to continuous adult education/skills training programmes to build capacity for
utilisation of local food items (e.g. home economics, life-skills training).
- building alliances with Local agro-processing awareness to encourage greater use of
local content and produce affordable, healthy and safe local food products that cater
to the convenience and acceptability factors of consumer choice;
- support to programmes, such as, school feeding, particularly to vulnerable groups,
including extending such provisions to vulnerable pockets at tertiary level institutions,
school gardens, summer activities (e.g. within summer school) that give greater reach
and food access to students;
- innovative and appropriate information systems to reach housewives and those at
home towards greater awareness on health and nutrition options using local food items.
This could counter the constant messages encouraging unhealthy food choices as
given by commercials, etc.
there is a critical need to promote and maintain balance in FNS actions, through, inter alia:-
- scientific investigation on the benefits and risks of imported, mainly processed foods that
contribute to deteriorating health and poor food utilisation. Special attention was drawn
to the absence of appropriate ingredients labelling;
- identifying the economic value of nutrition on development and defining measures for
protection of local food industry and encourage investment;
- reducing the time-span between policy articulation and implementation especially
where investment (e.g. from farmers, agribusinesses, lending institutions) are motivated
by policy directives;
- paying greater attention to youth entrepreneurial development in areas of product
development utilising local foods;
There was a general consensus that on the need for the „average Joe‟ to push national
authorities to implement suitable actions from the RFNSP at the national level, based on a
recognition that this would probably be the most effective way for the policy to gain
acceptance, traction and give „teeth‟ to the RFNSP and make it more instrumental in
agriculture development.
12 -
Synopsis Round Table #2: Tackling Availability and Stability
Media consultant, Chester Connell, kicked off the discussion by highlighting the errors in
development thinking and action in equating food availability with simply producing more food,
often times without careful consideration of the sustainability of natural systems (e.g. native
fauna and flora, environmental services, water, soil, etc) that support the process.
RT#2: Guests/Main Message. . .
Mr. Erle Rahaman-
Noronha,
Director, Wasamaki
Ecosystems Ltd. Trinidad
(Photo Lennox Lampkin)
“feed the soils, not the plants; creating healthy soils will lead to healthy foods”
Erle introduced and explained permaculture as an option for
creating sustainable food production systems. Permaculture
focuses on stabilizing food systems by practicing agriculture in
such a way that is not tied to increasing oil prices. Rising oil prices
are felt in inputs, transportation and other costs. Reducing
vulnerability to volatile prices will, eventually, help to moderate
increases in the price of food. „Permanent agriculture‟ takes
advantage of, and protects the natural environment in
supporting the growth of crops – particularly in areas of pest
control and soil health. This effectively reduces production costs
and food losses while maintaining the irreplaceable natural
resources that support agriculture. The basis behind this system is
to ensure that food is continuously (permanently) available from
the farm as opposed to waiting on one crop or a few crops over
extended periods of time.
“adaptive strategies, including choice of crops, farming systems and more
youth involvement are needed”
Kean believes that crop choice and crop stability are
important to develop stability and resilience against issues
such as climate change, storm virulence and preventing land
degradation. The ability to incorporate these into existing
systems would better steady farming activities (e.g. income,
natural resource preservation and farm-loss reduction) and
encourage a shift at the farm level towards more stable food
supply. These will require adaptive strategies, and maybe
more challenging, management of agriculture to limit the
shocks to food production. Kean used of work (measured as
the product of force and distance in Physics) to illustrate the
need for working smart. This was used to convey the message
that steps must be taken to cover more distance as opposed
to being force-intensive so that meaningful results can be
achieved for agriculture. This also requires an understanding
that sometimes it is improvements in the little things that make
the biggest difference.
Kean Stephenson
Extension Office, Ministry of
Agriculture, Dominica
(Photo Lennox Lampkin)
13 -
RT#2: Guests/Main Message. . .
Mr Cecil John
Chief Forestry Officer,
Ministry of Agriculture
and Forestry,
Saint Lucia
(Photo Lennox Lampkin)
We need to be less conventional in developing plans for using our biodiversity, that includes commercialising forest products for food
Cecil is an adamant advocate for strong management and the
need for a holistic or integrated strategy that harmonizes the laws
and interests of the numerous sectors seeking to sustainably use
the natural resource. There is need to identify and develop options
for sustainably using the extensive biodiversity and indigenous
species of the Caribbean, instead of always relying on wholesale
'imported' commodities and varieties. Cecil used the example of
forest products that could be grown more commercially as a
source of food or for non-food product development, such as the
Pasiflora glandulosa known locally as pomme dilliene. This is a local
wild fruit whose potential for food and nutrition is not being
harnessed in conventional farming and agribusiness. According to
Cecil, P. glandulosa is very sweet and savoury, with commercial
applications in juicing, confectionery and ice-cream food
processing. This will require research and development, a cost that
we have to bear in commercialising our indigenous species.
SSppeecciiaall TThhaannkkss
to the Management of the Waitukubuli National Trail (WNT) Project
(l to 2)Giant fern; WNT Signage; WNT‟s Eddie Henry briefing ART; and Forester Albert Gallion under a Gommier tree
standing tall and proud in the field of Ruby Joyce in Syndicate (photos Erle Noronha).
The WNT is developing through a project of the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica in
partnership with the Regional Council of Martinique and funded by the European Union. The WNT is expected
to be a major tourist product in Dominica with linkages to Health Tourism, Community Tourism, Culture Tourism
and Agro-Tourism. The WNT will meet international standards with required facilities and proper operational
guidelines. The trail has the potential to expand Dominica‟s tourist market and significantly contribute to the
rural economy. This development initiative also promotes environmental conservation, historical and cultural
preservation and sustainable development at all levels. In addition walking the trail can deepen citizens and
visitors appreciation for Dominica as the Nature Isle. It can help to foster a greater sense of national pride as
citizens discover themselves through journeying the trail. Nature lovers, hikers, cultural enthusiasts and others
are encouraged to hike the WNT. For each trail there are stories to tell and experiences to sell. The Waitikubuli
nature trail (an island-long path for hikers) skirts their farms, as well as several streams and natural run-offs from
the mountainous interior. The Syndicate area is also an important habitat for the Sisserou parrot – the national
bird of Dominica.
(See more at: http://www.dominica.gov.dm/cms/files/wntp_Booklet_final.pdf)
14 -
Key points from the discussion were that:
Attention needs to be given to:
- the whole system that provides environmental services (e.g. water catchments such as forest and
soil)as these are essential to a stable environment for agriculture;
- identifying and discouraging tourism development options (e.g. converting tropical dry forests to golf
courses) that are unsustainable at the scale being pursued in small island states of the Caribbean;
- identifying and building synergies between agriculture (e.g. agro-tourism and ecotourism) and
sometimes competing industries that support solutions to problems in the existing operating system;
- identifying and discouraging bad practices in agriculture that degrade forests and contaminate
water courses, including type of crops grown and accompanying cropping system (e.g.
permaculture) to ensure stable production (e.g. against hurricanes and drought) and food supplies,
and the nutrition value of foods coming out of these systems.
- recognizing other external factors (e.g. environmental services) that are directly attached to
agriculture in building stable food production systems;
- the small, operational issues that bring early meaningful results and that pave the way for further
development in efforts to reconcile issues and their consequent actions;
- demonstrating the economic cost and value of sustainable systems, important to gaining public and
political support and to motivate personal changes by showing the benefits of adopting alternative
approaches.
It is important to:
- giving equal treatment to forestry issues in discussions on food and agriculture, since healthy forests
are a critical part of the solution for sustainable food production and adaptation to climate change;
- maintain forested hillsides to help curb severity of natural disasters through forest functions, such as,
slope stabilization and moderation of water flow into the river systems. However, the effects of more
virulent storms associated with climate change produce additional gaps in the forest space that
make it more vulnerable;
- strengthen cooperation between ministries (Agriculture, Environment, etc) and administrative offices
to remove gaps that hinder overall management to form consensus on appropriate actions. Linkages
between policies and operations of these institutions is severely lacking;
- integrate and facilitate formal and informal groupings of youth in agriculture, since youth are more
inclined to new ideas and adopting alternative farming systems.
a group of ART-explorers armed with
their cameras and curiosity, on the
Syndicate trail in search of 70+ year
old Ruby Joyce a fiercely
independent female farmer of
coffee, dasheen, citrus and
bananas, who continues to
persevere in the face of labour and
market difficulties. (photo: Brent Theophille)
15 -
There is need to find innovative and sometimes unconventional solutions for:
- making more effective use of native forestry resources in the region. There are many opportunities to
introduce wild species of flora and fauna into structured farming systems as a means of increasing
utilization for food production and agribusiness. An appropriate structure would ensure sustainable food
sources without compromising the stability of the natural environment;
- balancing ecology with economics, especially in situations where natural and protected species
conflict with farm production, such as with the e.g. Sisserou parrots feeding on crops can be turned into
a tourist attraction in compensating the loss of revenue. In some situations, the problem can be made
part of the solution;
- sustainable food production that should include alternative systems, such as, permaculture, the utilize
or sustain services provided by the natural environment and native species (e.g. growing „immortelle‟
for shade, soil stabilization and nitrogen fixing and palm leaves for incorporating trace minerals via
mulching);
- indigenous research and development and models of adaptation to climate change and building
resilience in farming systems.
SSppeecciiaall TThhaannkkss
CCaabbrriittss -- FFoorrtt SShhiirrlleeyy NNaattttiioonnaall PPaarrkk
ppaarrtt ooff SSeeggmmeenntt 1144,, tthhee FFiinnaall SSeeggmmeenntt ooff tthhee WWaaiittuukkuubbuullii NNaattiioonnaall TTrraaiill ((WWNNTT)) PPrroojjeecctt
Photos: Erle Noronha
The Cabrits Fort Shirley National Park
provided the idyllic setting and
backdrop for Round Table #2 –
Tackling Availability and Stability.
Special Thanks to Dr. Lennox
Honeychurch (below), who has been
painstakingly resorting the site to its
former glory.
16 -
SYNopsis Round Table #3: Innovating Extension for Implementing FNP
This session started with focus on the value of good policy to development by guiding activi ties
on the ground. To that end, extension as the first line of interaction between government and
farmers is an important area for intervention on current development areas. Christopher Sirju of
the Jamaica Gleaner moderated.
Guests/Main Message. . .
“all the experiences pointed to a need for better planning and coordination of extension services...”
Alain brought unique examples from Haiti that touched on
strategic planning of extension efforts, institutional
cooperation and political support to improve the
effectiveness of extension in a country with some 1 million
small farmers with an average of 1.5 ha and a responsibility
to feed about 10 million. His contributions highlighted
avenues for other Caribbean institutions to draw on the
Haitian experience in managing large-scale initiatives as
well as farmer organization to enable extension and other
institutions to better support development at the farm-level
for coordination of food production and supply. On that
point, he advocated for more dialogue and cooperation
for comprehensive planning before seeking
implementation or action.
Mr. Alain Thermil
Project Manager,
IICA Haiti
(Photo: Brent
Theophille)
Mr. Steve Maximay
Director, Science Based
Initiatives
(Photo: Brent
Theophille)
“farmers are not resistant to change; just cautious of drastically altering their operations at the request of „experts‟”
Steve broadened the conversation into areas of training
and implementation of extension support with the focus
being on having the strategic scope for extension to be
what farmers need as opposed to what is traditionally
understood. The discussion was sobered in reflecting on
the need for institutions and trained professionals to guide
an iterative policy implementation process through
dialogue with the primary stakeholders. In the case of
agriculture and the ART, extension services were
considered the ideal agency to reach farmers on issues
touching FNS and the broader agriculture environment to
create a functional sector.
17 -
The discussion recognised that:
as the demands on Extension continue to grow and change, there is need:
- to change the way we perceive and plan Extension, away from the traditional „telling
farmers about what they‟ve already been doing‟ to encouraging farmers to understand
and apply technologies that add value to the farming operation, comply with
production and food safety standards, among others;
- for more strategic focus/plan in extension services to develop core competences in the
main development areas. This plan could include parties outside of solely extension (as
partners) who can contribute to the overall process;
- more clearly understand the differences between the job description of an Extension
officer and expectations of the farmer. Lack of understanding hinders the ability of the
Ministry of Agriculture to interact with farmers on development issues while farmers‟
concerns are generally left unanswered;
- to upgrade and expand the type, frequency and scope of training provided to
extension officers, including exploring additional uses of available technology, to keep
Extension current and relevant to their clients with respect to the range and dynamics of
issues that now confront food production, trade and nutrition security;
- to involve farmers in defining the solutions to the problems through methods such as,
farmer field schools, that have good and proven successes. Effective and efficient
communication between farmers and extension personnel in getting actions from the
RFNSP understood and implemented at the farm level (e.g. in translating calorific or
nutritional requirements into nation-wide food production systems) is also key. This may
be achieved in forums that give farmers the opportunity to come up with the answers
on how best F&N actions may be implemented;
- recognize that farmers are not resistant to change but rather cautious of drastically
altering their operations at the request of „experts‟ with changing information, opinions,
advice and suggestions. Inconsistent „messages‟ and information creates tensions and
distrust between farmers and extension officers. There is need therefore, for some
strategic review to identify a long-term and non-transitory basis for engaging farmers
and to validate research and technologies so that farmers are less hesitant to
adopt/adapt;
- to promote and foster group/cooperative development and manage the dynamics in
order to maximise on good communication, information sharing, enhance project
management involving activities with large number of farmers, as well as empowering
farmers to act on issues of importance to them;
- for greater inter-agency cooperation in identifying the message (through individual
information repositories) and appropriate medium (asking the who, what, where and
how) for getting the message across;
- for other agricultural institutions to get on the ground and support front-line activities that
are meaningful in improving the way that technical support is delivered. This may
challenge the traditional concept of how extension works by giving more support at
different stages to the process of getting a message across that would effect change;
There was a general sentiment that while Extension is perceived as the lowest position within
the Ministry of Agriculture, there is a high expectation from Extension to get things moving
on the ground.
18 -
SYNopsis Round Table #4: Strengthening Communication and
Knowledge-sharing for FNP
Guests/Main Message. . .
Mr. Adissa Trotter
Ministry of Agriculture,
Dominica
(Photo: Moses
Mike)
“Because to the farmer if it does not make economic sense for him, then it is a problem for him to actually take up that technology and see the usefulness and the benefit of it.” Speaking on the challenge of communicating to farmers on
adoption of new technologies and interventions, Adisa
reconfirmed the recurring problems in getting reliable and
consistent data as the base to develop programmes. All
Ministries want information from agriculture but the issue of
making this an additional responsibility of Extension may be
difficult under the existing modus operandi of extension. The
process of data gathering and verification is also not well
coordinated. Communication with farmers must focus on
communicating the monetary benefit of adopting alternative
farming systems. The economic sense of the message is a major
factor in his decision making. Strategies for targeting younger
farmers can be difficult for extension as many of the young
farmers are part-time and may operate on the farm outside of
the normal working hours of extension. While the message is the
same, the tool/transport for communicating the message may
not be adequate for all.
Effective communication means that we need to understand the difference between an issue and a
concern and then framing the message to suit.
Steve gave several clear examples of separating the concern
from the issue in much the same way the symptom would be
distinguished from the cause. This will help to de-bungle the real
development challenges that need to be understood so that
effective responses can be developed. There is a serious need to
focus on the development issues of importance in the messages
as opposed to just the concerns of individuals or specific groups.
Similarly, policy-makers should be approached with the issues
and not the concerns. There is a need for framing issues affecting
agriculture and not venting concerns when communicating to a
wide audience because once we deviate towards concerns,
the issue may be effectually lost to the overall policy
development process and agenda. In that light, the message
communicated must address the needs of the target audience
and not simple relay problems.
Mr. Steve Maximay
Director, Science Based
Initiatives
(Photo: Erle
Noronha)
19 -
Guests/Main Message. . .
Mr. Julius Gittens
Association of
Caribbean Media
(ACM) workers
(Photo: Erle
Noronha)
“News is not what people say; It‟s what people do!” Getting the message across means having the right message for
the right people so that it could be understood and could
accomplish the desired intention of the message. Generally the
idea of communication is that of reporting on what the Minister
or ruling government has done. Agriculture needs to go beyond
this and should keep upgrading its techniques and approaches
being used. Communication has to be appropriate! Exactly
what goes into this process can vary, but must include
everything from correct and up-to-date information to central
communication strategies and agencies to ensure consistency.
There is need therefore, for programmes that develop
communication skills in Extension officers so that the nature of
messages is appropriate for the target audience. The
Commonwealth of learning provides training in communication
which some agricultural professionals have been already
received. We need to avoid making assumptions on the
effectiveness of the methods of communication we use. If there
is no meaningful response to the message then the effectiveness
of the communication approach is in question.
Communication is not just one dot but a collection of dots” – speaking on identifying the message of importance to agriculture
stakeholders and getting that message across to them;
Nicole wrapped up the final Round Table by recognising that the
expanded demands of agriculture call for sophistication in
agriculture. It also similarly requires that communication becomes
more sophisticated, considering meaningful avenues for reaching
the youth and encouraging their practical involvement in
different areas of agriculture (e.g. food utilization and nutrition).
We need to build relationships with journalists where information
can be shared and both sides can be better sensitized on how to
communicate. The mindset to form relationships and bridge
existing gaps is the biggest dot and part of the entire „connecting
the dots‟ process. “Let‟s not demonize farming” so that the youth
can be encouraged to become involved in agriculture.
Mrs. Nicole Best
Freelance Journalist/ACM
20 -
SYNopsis: Field Experiences Site #1: Syndicate
ART took participants to visit five (5) farmers, four in Syndicate, the Northern Forest Reserve and one in Soufriére, in
the South. For these ART-ourists the experience was both enriching and a great break from the usual „hotel
conference room‟-based meetings!
We thank the Extension Division, particularly Dianna Henry and the team of Extension Officers, and Albert Gallion,
Stephen Durand and the rest of the team from the Forestry Division for arranging and facilitating the Farm Visits.
We would particularly like to thank the farmers, profiled below, for the unconditional access to their farms, their
thoughts, feel and tastes of their fruits and a glimpse in the life and times of farming in Dominica.
Witnell Louis (Photos: Lennox Lampkin (bottom left)
Louis is knocking the door of 80 years and still going
strong in his farming enterprise. Farming is all he
knows and what he has spent his entire life doing.
His farm is 29 acres, relatively large by Dominican
standards in the Syndicate, in the vicinity of the
Waitikubuli Nature Trail. He has owned this farm since
1979. His farm is filled with well organised and
maintained stands of citrus varieties interspaced
with dasheen, cocoa, sugar-cane, among
others. Louis and six workers do all the farm work.
Louis has dealt with all the usual challenges that
farmers in the Caribbean face, except one, -
competition for his fruits from Dominica‟s national
bird, the Sisserou Parrot (Amazona imperialis),
protected by law. Since Hurricane David (in 1979)
which destroyed the forests, the parrots‟ natural
food source, the birds have taken a liking to citrus
seeds. Since 1982, the birds have been steadily
pecking away at his profits. Louis‟s frustrations are
obvious in his voice and gesticulations. He needs a
solution, and fast, since he has a keen interest in
exploring juicing, especially using his pineapple
orange, a very sweet variety that he thinks is a good
choice for fresh juice.
Ruby Joyce (Photos: Erle Noronha)
Ruby is 72 years, and like Witnell, has been
farming all her life. Her farm, walking distance
from Witnell, also borders the Waitukubuli Nature
Trail. She has more than 200 citrus trees, mainly
grapefruit and orange and root crops, such as
dasheen, yam and tannia.
In an interview with Dixie-Ann Dixon representing
the Trinidad and Tobago, Guardian newspaper,
Joyce commented that her production and
labour are low since, among other reasons, “it‟s
just my husband, a couple workers and
myself.” Her average weekly production is 900
grafted oranges. Joyce, who has been in
farming since she was a little child, finds it difficult
to persuade any of her nine children-the
youngest being 32, to step into farming. Joyce
said unlike her children, farming is all she has ever
known.
“I grew up in farming and prefer to work for
myself, but it‟s a challenge for the youth to get
involved.” Farming in Dominica, she said, is
looked upon as a last resort for people who
cannot find a job or have limited education.
21 -
Field Experiences Site #1: Syndicate
Ross Charles
(Photos: Erle Noronha)
Ross is a 61-year one-year farmer also in the Syndicate
areas. Charles said he has been farming since the
age of 20. He has three daughters, all educated and
none interested in agriculture.
His main produce is eggs. He has 700 layers on his
almost seven acres of land. For most of the ART-
ourists, the „bespectacled‟ hens, according to Lennox
and Chris Sirju, were a first time experience. Mr.
Charles explained that the „blinders‟ were used to
prevent the hens from pecking each other to death
and in rare situations, from damaging the eggs, the
main source of his livelihood. These „blinkers‟, chicken
feed and a major part of his inputs are all imported.
The feed, as is the case for all other poultry producers,
is expensive and is purchased mainly from Trinidad.
Noticing the padlocked hen houses, some
participants assumed that Mr. Charles suffered from
praedial larceny. But according to Ross, the main
problem was with the wild animals, including feral
cats who used his hens as their food source. As Bob,
explained, cats are essentially invasive alien species,
which, when abandoned, in the wild, can become
pests, hence the term feral cats.
Ross felt generally satisfied with his production levels,
since his eggs are all sold locally market. Targeting the
export market is not in his immediate plans at the
moment since at the price he would have to sell he
may not be able to competitive or cover his costs.
Josepha Charles (Photos: Erle Noronha)
Josepha, (no, not Ross’s wife or immediate
relation) also over 60 female farmer, also
operates in the heights of Syndicate. She owns a
mixed farm where she rears pigs, chicken and
grows a mix of dasheen, banana and several
fruits. But her primary product is pork.
As with all small farmers, she confronts the same
issues of labour availability and cost, other farm
inputs, farm roads and other infrastructure and
markets. She must consider her options for being
able to both attract and properly pay labour as
a result of shortage brought on in part by the
serious decline in the banana industry and
growing disinterest amongst youth in traditional
farming.
Despite the challenges, she has plans to build her
business and is interested in improving the quality
of her cuts so that she can expand her options
within the circle of consumers that she supplies.
She in fact slaughters and butchers herself, selling
the choice cuts to local restaurants and
households. She reflects that among the issues of
most importance to her are the high cost of feed,
timely technical advice and cost-saving options
with respect to treatments and fertilizers. Many of
the inputs are costly at the retail level on account
of the small volumes coming into Dominica which
raise the transportation cost. As a result,
alternative options for keeping costs down are
very important to her.
22 -
Located lock, stock and barrel in one of the 14 Trails of the Waitikubuli Nature Trails, the four farmers are
somewhat interested in exploring opportunities in „agro and eco-tourism. Further investment in tourism and
improved access to the Syndicate nature trails could provide additional avenues to expand and diversify
their operations to accommodate tourists, ease the farm to market transportation through improved roads,
and perhaps encourage the interest of youth to get involved in modern farming experiences. However, this
has to be well thought out, planned and managed, especially as it relates to introduction of pests and
diseases, particularly invasive alien species which has the potential to devastate their livelihoods.
Field Experiences Site #2: Soufriére Soufriére brought an entirely new experience and different perspective to the ART-ourists. Soufriére also
hosts Segment 1 of the Waitikubuli National Trail. The farms in the Soufriére valley are a legacy of the
traditional L.Rose and Co. Ltd., a firm from the United Kingdom which owned and successfully operated the
lime and citrus (mainly grapefruits) estates in Dominica in the pre-Hurricane David (1979) era. Since the
Hurricane, the Government of Dominica which bought over the destroyed juicing plant and the estates,
struggled to maintain the operations, and eventually sub-divided and sold the estates to former workers. Dr.
Moise is one such recipient of this sub-division programme.
Vivian Moise (Photos: Erle Noronha)
Moise, a retired medical doctor and now successful „professional farmer‟ operates a 4.25
acre farm in the volcanic soils of the Soufriére valley. Of this, 3 acres are currently under
pineapple, two of the Taiwanese varieties T-4 and T-11 and the smooth Cayenne. He is a
member of the 12-year old Nature Island Pineapple Producers (NIPPA) association which
was involved in the recently concluded FAO value chain development project.
Dr. Moise is positive that pineapple is a very profitable crop. His 4-yr old field requires very
little maintenance and thus keeps costs down. For health and safety reasons, he is also
moving towards a low-chemical operation. Hence having standards in agriculture is fair;
they ensure product quality and guarantee safety to the consumer. This is also beneficial
to farmers as roughly80% of NIPPA‟s product is exported to the USVI, Martinique, Antigua,
St. Kitts and Nevis, using Geest Shipping. But the cost is prohibitive. Through NIPPA, the
farmers are able to engage LIAT for more favourable terms for shipping. NIPPA recently
engaged with local processor, Bello and co. Ltd. in developing 3 value-added products:
jams, concentrates and ready-mix drink.
For Dr. Moise, succession planning is not a problem. One son, who has taken an interest
in cuisine and cooking and is also into healthy eating and organic has expressed interest
in continuing the farming business. The other son is also warming up to the farming
prospect.
23 -
(l) WNT Signage (c) one of the „secluded‟ hot tubs and (r) mediART making merry in the hot pool
in the Soufriére volcanic hot springs (photos: Erle Noronha)
ART-ists (l) sharing a light moment at the last Round Table and (r) sharing a joke on the Scotts Head point
(Photos: Lennox Lampkin)
ART participants getting ready to hit
the tables, with a hearty, healthy,
all-local meal prepared by our
resident host, Euvilla Lewis (extreme
right) and family.
(Photos: Erle Noronha)
SSppeecciiaall TThhaannkkss ttoo::
RRooddnneeyy‟‟ss WWeellllnneessss RReettrreeaatt ((RRWWRR)) KKaannaawwaa,, BBrrooookkllyynn
iinn tthhee vviillllaaggee ooff SSoouuffrriiéérree,,
tthhee vveennuuee ffoorr oouutt ffiinnaall lluunncchh aanndd RRoouunndd TTaabbllee
The Rodney family has converted their plot of land, acquired
under the government‟s sub-division of the Soufriére Estate into
an agro-tourism enterprise. Entrepreneur, Bevin Lewis indicated
that though this work-in-progress is a true family and integrated
business. Food and fresh juices served at the restaurant is either
harvested on the spot, from amongst the varied fruit, roots,
vegetables and herbs grown in the sprawling and beautiful
gardens or purchased (mostly meat products) from village
farmers. The gardens also host the adventurous „camper‟ who
is welcome to bunker down in the camp sites and tents pitched
primarily for this purpose. Euvilla, Bevin‟s sister commended the
IICA Dominica office for its continued guidance and support
throughout this process.
Visit them at: http://rodneyswellness.com/
24 -
Connecting the dots Food for thought!
If anything, the discussions taught us that there is no one menu or recipe for addressing the food and nutrition
challenge, and as a result, the ingredients and the way in which they are used will change according to the
circumstances. What this means is that although the specifics may vary, the central focus remains on linking the
core issues that mark the most important to the pillars and associated aspects of FNS.
The illustration below seeks to indentify and link some of the critical dots (from policy to operational) between
issues, opportunities and outstanding concerns that tie the various segments of the inter-connected Round
Tables, The strong (bold) arrows highlight linear connections which remain fairly fixed across the board, whereas
the softer (curved) arrows highlight the more dynamic interconnections that are at the heart of the FNS issues and
solutions.
Linear connections
Dynamic connections
Communication
1. Policy Focus on
Nutrition
Adequacy
Availability
Safety
Determination
(R&D)
Acceptability
Changing socio-
cultural realities
Labelling
Agro-chemical
regulation
Production
Planning
Sustainability of
Supply
Utilization
Preservation of
genetic material
Conservation of
the natural
environment
Extension
Support
Process Planning
Innovation &
product
development
Coordination &
training
Expanded
agriculture
Market
development
25
Thank you to
Mr. Kingsley Thomas, General Manager/Consultant,
and the staff of the
Dominica Agricultural Industrial Development Bank
for sponsoring what turned out to be
a ‘Wet but Wonder-filled Wednesday’
first taking to the high seas with Anchorage Whale Watching
then soaring like eagles on the Rain Forest Arial Tram
Photos courtesy Lennox Lampkin, Erle Noronha and Brent Theophille
26
List of Participants - External NNaammee RReepprreesseennttaattiioonn EE--mmaaiill
1. De Sormeaux. Afyia Agribusiness Society, UWI, Trinidad [email protected]
2. Mike. Moses Agribusiness Society, UWI, Trinidad [email protected]
3. Carr. Tsian Agribusiness Society, UWI, Trinidad;
CaRAPN
4. Ramnanan. Naitram CABI, Trinidad - IAS Specialist [email protected]
5. Theophille. Brent CaRAPN, Research/Project Assistant [email protected]
6. Fonseca. Jose CTA,Programme Manager, The
Netherlands [email protected]
7. Evelyn. Eric Dept. of Agriculture, Nevis -
Communications
8. Ndema-Mwamakamba.
Sithembile
FANRAPN, South Africa [email protected]
9. Rawlins. Gregg IICA, Representative, Trinidad and
Tobago & Coordinator, Regional
Integration-Caribbean Region
10. Budhram, Dowlat IICA Director, Headquarters [email protected]
11. Thermil. Alain IICA Haiti, Project Manager [email protected]
12. Hodge. Geselle IICA Trinidad, Technical Secretary [email protected]
13. Best. Nicole Journalist; ACM/CMC; Grenada [email protected]
14. Gittens. Julius Journalist; ACM; Barbados [email protected]
15. Wilkinson. Relwick, Bert Journalist; ACM; Guyana [email protected]
16. Daniel. Theresa Journalist; ACM; St. Vincent [email protected]
17. Sirju. Christopher Journalist; Jamaica Gleaner [email protected]
18. Dickson. Dixie-Ann Journalist; the Trinidad & Tobago
Guardian
19. Connell.Chester Media Consultants, St. Vincent [email protected]
20. Campbell. Onika Min. of Agriculture, Antigua -
Communications
21. Peters. Zane Sharon Min. of Agriculture, Antigua,
Permanent Secretary [email protected]
22. Thoms. Cecil Min. of Agriculture, Jamaica -
Communications
23. John. Cecil Lundon Min. of Agriculture, St Lucia - Forestry [email protected]
24. Robertson. iHelen Min. of Education, Jamaica - School
feeding
25. Agard-Simmons. Yolande Min. of Food Production, Trinidad,
Communications [email protected]
26. Hunt. Lisa Min. of Health, St. Lucia - Chief
Nutritionist
27. Lampkin. Lennox St.Vincent Chamber of Agriculture &
Nutrition
28. Rahaman-Noronha. Erle Wasamaki Permaculture, Trinidad [email protected]
29. Maximay. Steve Science Based Initiatives, Trinidad [email protected]
30. Baccus-Taylor. Gail UWI, St. Augustine, Trinidad [email protected]
31. Edwards. Brian Breekat Enterprises Ltd [email protected]
32. Little. Vincent FAO Food Security Advisor [email protected]
33. Rose-Richards. Stacy CaFAN member [email protected]
34. David. Johan CARICOM, Agriculture and Industry
Programme
27
List of Participants: Local NNaammee RReepprreesseennttaattiioonn EE--mmaaiill
We wish to thank the following local participants for accepting our invitation and for participating and
contributing to the discussion in one or more of the ART sessions held on the Monday 10th, Tuesday 11th and
Thursday 13th of October. Your time with us was greatly appreciated!
1. Laudat. Ing. Taletha Agronomist [email protected]
2. Benjamin. Kelvin CALLS, Student [email protected]
3. Henry. Jermaine CALLS, Student [email protected]
4. Honore. Tousley CALLS, Student [email protected]
5. Leslie. Sherian CALLS, Student [email protected]
6. Shem. Victor CALLS, Student [email protected]
7. Roberts. Claudine Dept. of Local Govt. & Community
Dev. Local Govt. Commissioner (Ag)
localgovernment.gov.dm/
8. Gregoire. Thomas DEXIA, General Manager [email protected]
9. Pacquette-Anselm. Nadia DEXIA/National Export Strategy/
Trade Promotion Officer/
Agriculture/Agribusiness
10. Joseph. Stephen Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry [email protected]
11. Alexander. Norman Division of Agriculture; Agricultural
Officer lll (Ag)
12. Anthony. Cyrille Division of Agriculture; Agricultural
Officer ll (Ag)
13. Bertand. Bryan Division of Agriculture; Agricultural
Officer lll (Ag)
14. Casimir. Caren Division of Agriculture; Agricultural
Trainee
15. Constance. Edward Division of Agriculture; Agricultural
Officer ll (Ag)
16. Henry. Dianna Division of Agriculture; Agricultural
Officer llI (Ag)
17. Phillip. Marcus Division of Agriculture; Agricultural
Officer ll (Ag)
18. Trotter. Adisa Division of Agriculture; Agricultural
Officer l (Ag)
19. Stephenson. Keian Division of Agriculture; Agricultural
officer ll
20. Williams. Delroy Division of Agriculture/NAYA;
Agricultural officer ll (Ag)
21. Obonyo. Olu DOAM, President [email protected];
22. Seaman. Lesia Dominica Grammar School;
Teacher/ Home Economics
23. Dublin-Prince. Josephine Dominica National Council of
Women; President
[email protected]/[email protected]
m
24. Harris. Errol Dominica Poultry Association;
President [email protected]
25. Allicock-Joseph. Sharon Dominica State College; Lecturer [email protected]
26. Gallion. Najja Dominica State College; Student [email protected]
27. Laurent. Giselle Domnitjen Magazine; Editor [email protected]
28. Charles. Josepha Farmer
29. Charles. Ross Farmer
30. Daniel. Morril Farmer
31. Darroux. Wendell Farmer
28
List of Participants: Local NNaammee RReepprreesseennttaattiioonn EE--mmaaiill
32. Gussie. Deles Farmer
33. James. Royer Farmer
34. Jean. Mac-Morris Farmer
35. Joyce. Erickson Farmer
36. Julien. James Farmer
37. Laudat. Petterson Farmer
38. Louis. Whitnel Farmer
39. Nicholas. John Farmer
40. Peter. Henson Farmer
41. Prosper. Phillip Farmer
42. Shillingford. Richmond Farmer
43. Shillingford. Wilmot Farmer
44. Shillingford. Cumming Farmer
45. Shillingford. Bellot Farmer
46. Vidal. Pat Farmer
47. Lambert. Eleanore Food and Nutrition Council; Chair [email protected]
48. Harvey. Nigel Forestry Wildlife & Parks Division;
Forest Technician
[email protected],nigguie2@h
otmail.com
49. Gallion. Albert Forestry, Wildlife & Parks; Assistant
Forest Officer
[email protected]/galliona@d
ominica.gov.dm
50. Maffei. Francisco Forestry, Wildlife & Parks; Forester [email protected]
51. Durand. Stephen Forestry, Wildlife & Parks Division;
Assist. Forest Officer, Protection Unit
1
52. Titre. Marynese Ministry of Health; Nutritionist [email protected]
53. Thomas. Esther Ministry of Social Services;
Permanent Secretary
54. George. Mornette Ministry of Trade; Trade officer lll [email protected]
55. Harris. Marcella National Pig Producers Cooperative;
Manager/ Member
56. Cyrille. Norma The Social Centre; CEO [email protected]
57. Hilaire. Rosie Toloma Women in Action, Delices;
Secretary
58. Henry. Eddison Waitukubuli National Trail; Project
Manager
59. Paul. Roselyn Waitukubuli National Trail; Promotion
and Community Animator
60. Royer. Roland Waitukubuli National Trail; Project
Officer
61. Pascal. Jules Youth Development Division; Chief
Youth Development Officer
29
Dear All,
I would like to join Diane in thanking each and every one of you for your participation
and support in making ART at CWA 2011 a success.
I would also wish to place on record my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Diane and
her team (Brent, Tsian, Geselle and the IICA T&T Team) for all the hard work, the
dedication, the commitment to pull together the ART in very short time given some
limitations which were outside of our control. I have to single out the "champion" Diane
Francis for once again demonstrating her outstanding creativity and capacity to do so
much in so little time. Diane.....you are truly an ARTIST. Your hard work has kept the
CaRAPN Network alive and well and we applaud and thank you for your efforts.
To all the presenters, moderators and everyone who in anyway contributed, I wish to say
thanks on behalf of IICA Caribbean and look forward to your continued support and
participation in the future.
To our partners - CTA, FAO and CARICOM Secretariat, we welcomed the opportunity to
collaborate and thank you for your willingness to work with us in staging the Policy Forum
and Round Table sessions. Special thanks to our friend José Fonseca of the CTA who has
been at our side walking stride for stride with us as we continue this journey......your
unstinting support and dedication are greatly appreciated. I also wish to recognize Mrs.
Florita Kentish, FAO Sub-Regional Coordinator for the Caribbean for leading the
collaboration on behalf of FAO and the contributions of her colleagues and we look
forward to even closer relations with FAO as we undertake these activities. We also
appreciated the inputs of our friends at the CARICOM Secretariat, the leading regional
institution engaged in the policy formulation processes.
A special word of appreciation to the IICA Representation in the ECS, more specifically
the Representative, Ms. Una May Gordon and the Office in Dominica, Kent Coipel and
Maureen Dominique, for the support provided with logistics.
Once again thanks to everyone and we look forward to working with you we foster
dialogue, the sharing of experiences and networking towards improved policies and
agricultural development and food and nutrition security.
Gregg C. E Rawlins
CCaaRRAAPPNN .. .. .. aa „„nneettwwoorrkk--iinn--pprrooggrreessss‟‟
CaRAPN has/is working, as far as its focus on adding value to
agriculture policy and regional consensus-building processes through
policy research, communication and information dissemination,
CaRAPN is still a „network in progress‟, as far as fostering and
strengthening networking among stakeholders in agriculture policy in
the region and between the Caribbean and other regions in the ACP.
CaRAPN is working to …
- strengthen its networking functions within and outside of the
agricultural community in CARICOM. Placing efforts on networking
is based on the premise and acknowledgement that agricultural
policy networking is important in the Region.
- consolidate and widen its central hub, establish firm links with
existing public, private sector and non-governmental networks in
the region and forge relations with similar networks in the African
and Pacific regions.
Continue the journey with us.
Become a CaRAPN PiD Keep in touch on:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/CaRAPN/189382034445974?sk=wall
website being upgraded. Soon come!
filling the gap good agriculture policies