cafan newsletter agrivybz 12

8/3/2019 CaFAN Newsletter Agrivybz 12

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AGRIVYBZ is the official Newsletter publication of the Caribbean Farmers Network (CaFAN)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Managing Editor: Jethro Greene | Administrative Support and Editor: Nyasha Durrant |

Contributors: Jeffrey Trotman, | Design & Layout: CaFAN Secretariat

In his address at the officialopening ceremony of the CaFANCARICOM Regional CropProduction and MarketingPlanning Workshop July 19

th, the

Honourable Robert Persaud,Minister of Agriculture in Guyana,explained how he had developedan allergy to strategies and plansas there have been so many in hislifetime, both as a minister ofgovernment and before. However,after hearing Mr. Jethro GreenesCaFAN address, he felt that hewould not suffer from suchallergies anymore. Mr. Greenespoke of many practical steps andmeasures, including that of movingaway from fancy, theory-basedapproaches for dealing with theissues that confront food securityand the plight of farmers in theagricultural sector in the region.

Minister Persaud commendedCaFAN for the initiative of theworkshop and believes that theorganisation is a powerful force inensuring the continuation of themomentum developed in recentyears to bring agriculture to theforefront of regional and global

thinking.Continues on page 2

Photo: Honorable Robert Persuadbeing presented with a token ofappreciation by Senator Norman Grant, CaFANs Interim Chairman, and Ms. Olivet Derret,Jamaicas National Farm Queen 2010. Also in the photo is Mr. Jethro Greene, CaFANsChief Coordinator.

CaFNewslet

Issue

IN THIS ISSUE

CARICOM CongratulatesCaFAN on a SuccessfulWorkshop

EU AAACP Final LessonsLearnt Workshop for theCaribbean

CaFAN and COLEACP- PIPforging closer links

CaFAN Members meet

Highlighting the Belle VueFarmers Cooperative

CaFAN FAO EU AAACPUpdate

CaFAN attended PROINVEClosure Workshop

Agri-summer programme for

Antiguan youth

GAPA strengtheningclusters

Caribbean Week ofAgriculture, 2011

Top Soil a one hour radioprogramme on agriculture

CaFAN hosts CanadianInterns

and M


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Editors NoteThe year 2011 has seen overwhelming support towards CaFAN fromregional and international development organisations.

CaFANs main sponsor and partner, the Technical Centre for Agriculturaland Rural Cooperation (CTA), has been with CaFAN since its inception in2002. It has continued to support the Network in providing financial supportto strengthen the capacity of CaFANs membership to be effective andsuccessful business organisations through training workshops andinformation sharing through its Website, Newsletter and other Factsheetpublications.

CTAs support has paved the way for CaFANs voice to be heard within theregion as an action-oriented network. The network has also been able todemonstrate its practical output to help its members achieve theirorganisations goals and objectives to work together, produce and markettheir agricultural commodities through the spirit of team work and

volunteerism.

The year has highlighted numerous success stories from support of theEuropean Union All ACP Agricultural Commodities Programme (EU AAACP)under the coordination of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO),Rural Infrastructure and Agro Industries Division in Rome from memberorganisations. The EU support has also helped to strengthen the capacity ofthe CaFAN Secretariat to coordinate its added responsibilities and activitiesof its members.

For the first time since its inception, CaFAN collaborated and held a jointregional activity with the CARICOM Secretariat and was commended for itssuccessful output. The relationship between CaFAN and CARICOM canonly grow stronger and CaFAN will continue to work with CARICOM for thecommon good of agricultural development within the region.

This twelfth issue of Agrivybz highlights some of the activities and initiativesof the Network during the year.

The CaFAN Secretariat would like to thank all who provided supportincluding, the EU, CTA, FAO (Rome and Caribbean), IICA, CARDI,COLEACP, Ministries of Agriculture, COADY, UNDP (CARUTA) and CFNI.

Special thanks are extended to all CaFAN members, focal pointrepresentatives, Interim Committee executives and technical volunteers foryour unweaving support and dedication.

On behalf of CaFAN, its Secretariat and partners, I now invite you to explorethis issue of Agrivybz with us.

Happy Reading!

Miss. Nyasha Durrant,Administrative Officer/ Project Coordinator

CaFAN Secretariat

Continued from front pag

Minister Persaud also expressed thhope that all parties subscribe anparticipate fully in the plan of actiodeveloped at the workshop for

CARICOM Market and how to link smafarmers to that larger, wider CARICOMarket.

The Guyana Minister of Agriculture alsexpressed the hope that individufarmers organizations in the spirit of single market would put pressure otheir leaders and representatives. Hwas happy to have a (JamaicanSenator at the workshop. There mube assurance that agreed decisiontaken at the level of COTED b

followed through with decisive actiothat would allow us to share anparticipate in this common CARICOMarket that we want our small farmeto have access to.

Pointing to the great potential in fooproduction not only for the nationbenefit and development of Guyana bualso for the country to play a critical roin the regions food insecurity statuMinister Persaud said that Guyana hanot depended or waited on any part

within the region but rather engaged iinternational partners to aggressivepursue its agenda for increaseproduction in the interest of addressinthe regions food insecurity status.

In highlighting Guyanas commitment taddressing the regions food insecuristatus, the countrys Agriculture Ministesaid that its President, who has the learole in Agriculture for the region, haset up the Jagdeo Initiative. This sethe approaches and steps that ought tbe taken in addressing the regionaagricultural challenges.

He reiterated his hope that CaFAwould be an engaging partner imoving the region from a food insecurto a food secure situation. Although thsituation in the region is acute, thershould be a level of optimism as thsituation faced by the region is morfavorable than in many other placeacross the globe.


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Mrs. Margaret Kalloo, Deputy

Programme Manager for the

Agriculture Division within the

CARICOM Secretariat, commendedCaFAN - and in particular Mr.

Greene - for helping to organize,

conceptualize, and conduct the

Production and Marketing

workshop successfully. It is not

very often that we work in harmony

as we worked during these last

couple of days, to be as

constructive as we were and to deal

without bitterness in terms of not

getting things done and ascribing

blame for not getting the job done.

The environment in which we

worked was most impressive.

Mrs. Kalloo added that it was very

unusual to have the diversity of

such a group to work together

without conflict, for which

participants should be commended.

To the importers, to the exporters,

to the supermarket chains, to the

private sector in general around the

table, to the bureaucrats around

the table and the members of the

network, really and truly its a job

well done, she said, adding that it

was one of the most successful four

days that she has spent in any of

CARICOMs meetings both within

and outside of the region.

CaFAN Launched Week of Activities in BarbadosCaFAN launched its week of Activities, whichran from September 22 to 28 2011, at the BlueHorizon Hotel in Barbados on Thursday,September 22nd. Specially invited speakers forthe evening ceremony were Mr. ZissimosVergos, Head of Social Development Section,European Union Delegation to Barbados andthe Eastern Caribbean and Mrs. Florita Kentish,Sub Regional Director of the Food andAgriculture Organisation of the United Nations

(FAO) in Barbados and the Caribbean. Otherspeakers were Mr. Jethro Greene, Chief

Coordinator of CaFAN, and Mr. Robert Reid,Hemispheric Specialist, Inter American Institutefor Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).

The Week of Activities included the CaFAN Value Chain Training Workshop, the CaFAN FAO EU AAACP FinalLessons Learnt Workshop for the Caribbean, and the CaFAN members meeting.

Mr. Sergio Garcia, Programme Manager, and Mrs. Margaret Kalloo,Deputy Programme Manager, Agriculture Division CARICOM

Secretariat

Photo L-R: Mr. Zissimos Vergos, Mr. Jethro Greene & Mr.

Robert Reid. Inset is Mrs. Florita Kentish


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EU AAACP Final Lessons Learnt Workshop for

the Caribbean

CaFAN members, farmersorganization leaders, and EU andFAO representatives recentlygathered in Barbados to sharevaluable experiences, lessonslearned, challenges and bestpractices from activitiesassociated with the networksRoots and Tubers Programme.The EU AAACP Final LessonsLearned Workshop presented byCaFAN under coordination by theFAO was held September 26-28

at the Blue Horizon Hotel. Thesuccessful event resulted in acomprehensive list ofrecommendations for CaFANmoving forward with its strategicaction plans both for itsintegrated Production andMarketing project as well as itsproject Linking Agriculture toHealth and Nutrition.

As this workshop marks theclosing phase of the overall

programme, the purpose was tosynthesize information collectedover the past few years related toLetters of Agreement, individualproject components, specificfarmers organizations, donorsupport and CaFANs role incoordination. The objective wasto formulate a practical guide ofrecommendations for CaFAN andits membership moving forward.Themes included marketing anddistribution, branding, financing,

advocacy and negotiations,production, capacity building andtraining, and communication.Specific examples were takenfrom individual countryexperiences related to valuechain upgrading strategies,formal contract negotiations, anduse of technology, pre- and post-harvest handling improvements,and protected agriculture.

Participants of the EU AAACP Final Lessons Learnt Caribbean Workshop

The workshop included impressive and detailed presentations of businessmodels by farmer group leaders representing NEFO, ECTAD, GAPA, KuruKururu, and CPGCA, as well as value chain strategies from BAS, NIPPA, andBelle Vue. CaFAN presented the results of its Members Needs Assessment.Cooperative working group discussions were conducted to brainstormimprovements for production and the supply base, marketing and post-harvestlinkages, and management and organizational structures. Interactive methods ofinformation sharing and creative suggestions for incorporating onlinetechnologies were discussed following presentations on the Eat CaribbeanPlatform (including its website, blog, radio show, and Facebook page) as well asthe networks administrative website. The three-day workshop concluded withfield visits to two farms: the first focused on seedling production and the use ofalternative energy, and the second was involved with the Barbados onion valuechain demonstration plots.

This outstanding exhibition of CaFANs emphasis on information sharing andgroup collaboration will hopefully continue as farmers organization leaders bringknowledge and skills from the workshop to their individual countries to enhancecurrent and future projects and upgrading strategies. Based on the impressionleft by participants, CaFAN has a very positive outlook on the futuresustainability of the network as it promotes farming as a business and continuesto facilitate the capacity building of small farmers in the Caribbean.


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CaFAN and COLEACP-PIP forging closer links

Participants at the workshop

The Caribbean Famers Network (CaFAN) and Europe-Africa-Caribbean-PacificLiaison Committee (COLEACP-PIP) collaborated on a two day workshop at theBay Gardens Inn, St. Lucia, from April 4-5 2011. The objectives were todevelop a technical cooperation agreement between CaFAN and PIP-COLEACP and enhance the capacity of CaFANs members to produce andmarket more competitively.

A three-member COLEACP delegation attended the two day workshop, whichwas held under the theme Putting small scale producers at the heart of thefruit and vegetable industry.

Presentation by COLEACPAn important feature of the COLEACPs contribution was an audio-visualpresentation by Morag Webb, Policy Advisor of COLEACP-PIP, on the first dayof the workshop. She outlined that PIP is a cooperation programme, managedby COLEACP and financed by the European Development Fund, to work insupport of the horticultural sector in Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states.

The COLEACP-PIP programme was implemented at the request of the ACPGroup of States and is managed by COLEACP, an inter-professionalassociation that represents and defends the collective interests of ACPproducers/exporters and EU importers of fruit, vegetables, flowers and plants.The COLEACP association was formed in 1973 with the goal of helping

producers from the ACP Group of states to achieve the requirements for theirproduce to be exported to Europe without hindrance. In this regard, COLEACPtakes an integrated approach in working along with farmers organisations intheir respective ACP states. The first phase of its operation ran from 2001 to2009.

During the presentation it was stated that over the past nine years, PIP hashelped fruit and vegetable producers/exporters in 28 countries mainly in Africaand the Caribbean - to comply with EU food safety requirements. It was also

stressed that these companieshave accounted for over 80% of

ACP exports of fresh fruit andvegetables to the EU from morethan 150,000 smallholdersuppliers.

MatchmakingThe workshop was geared atmatchmaking between CaFANsmembers needs and possiblesupport from COLEACP. Assuch, much time was spent onidentifying CaFANs needs and toput in place a capacity building

programme for Caribbeanfarmers. The two areas of focuswere: (i) Training of trainers fromCAFAN's 13 member countries inareas such as food safety andtraceability of agriculturalproduce; and (ii) Developing ofcapacity within CaFAN and themembers of its network withemphasis on exchange ofinformation, communication andcreation of partnerships amongits members.

Possible cooperationMr. Green pointed out that aMemorandum of Agreement(MOA) would have to be reachedbetween CaFAN and COLEACP.CaFAN would need to assess itscapacity to offer services tomembers, and this would raisethe need for an InformationCentre. He also pointed to theimportance of sustainable trainingcapacity both from internal andexternal sources, and who would

provide this training.

Mr. Greene said CaFAN wouldhave to draft and implement anaction plan with detailedinformation geared for collectiveaction by members of thenetwork.


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Value Chain Training

On September 23rd

, CaFAN kicked off its two dayRegional Value Chain Training Workshop in Barbados.CaFAN organized the event with support from the

Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation(CTA-ACP-EU), the Inter-American Institute forCooperation on Agriculture (IICA), FAO, and theBarbados Agricultural Society and Government ofBarbados. The workshop was a big success, andparticipants walked away with much more than valuechain methodologies and theories. Mr. Jethro Greene,Chief Coordinator of CaFAN, was quoted as saying [he]expects - not hopes - that action will follow up and thatwe will bring about effective change.

The objective of the workshop was to improve theunderstanding of value chain frameworks, mechanismsand tools to be used in the development andimplementation of projects within the regional network ofCaFAN. Specifically, CaFAN aimed to build capacityamong farmer leaders in upgrading and managingcommodity value chains, which will assist in formulatingeffective action plans for integrated production andmarketing strategies related to specific crops.

Specific outcomes of the workshop included a strongerunderstanding of dialogue mechanisms and informationsharing, and how to motivate parties to get involved inthe value chain. More practical outcomes were seen aswell, such as detailed action plans for upgrading valuechains in the ginger, pineapple, sweet potato, and

golden apple industries.

Mr. Greene went on to express his gratitude to theparticipants, stating how very impressed [he] was by thelevel of sophistication and quality of participantsthroughout the workshop. FAO representative HeikoBammann and IICA member Robert Reid, alsoexpressed their positive impression from theparticipants, and commended CaFAN on their efforts inputting together a very successful workshop.

Participants of the Value Chain Training Workshop

CaFAN Members meet

Amidst the whirlwind of regional workshops andmeetings for the year 2011, CaFAN took the opportunityto hold two membership meetings.

The first meeting took place on July 18th, 2011 at thePrincess International Hotel in Guyana and broughttogether CaFAN members to discuss the following:

1) Overview of CaFAN during the years2) CaFAN Constitution3) Strategic Plan4) CaFAN Publications (Newsletters)5) CaFAN partnership with CTA, FAO, CARICOM

and COLEACP6) Representation at COTED7) CaFAN Joint Marketing Proposal

A follow up meeting was later held on September 27th

2011 at the Blue Horizon Hotel in Barbados. The mainpurpose for the meeting was to present an updatedCaFAN Constitution which was discussed at theprevious meeting in Guyana. Members received a copyof the official Constitution that was compiled based oninput and suggestions from across the region, and vettedand approved by a lawyer. Certain key items werediscussed such as establishing membership fees for allorganisations, setting up focal points in each country,and electing an executive board.

Mr. Greene expressed his concern that all organisationshave an equal voice, thus explaining the flat rate

membership fee, regardless of organisation size. Hefurther stated that the Constitution was drafted to be asinclusive as possible, in order to encourage greatermembership. The Constitution will be invoked later thisyear, once all 2011 membership fees are collected.

A total of 26 members were in attendance. Along withthe Constitution, major topics of discussion includedoutcomes of the workshop in Guyana, the COTEDsubmission, and the Members Needs Survey, as well asmatters related to CaFANs strategic plan movingforward and the continuation of the Roots and TubersProject.

Members were informed of upcoming agricultural eventsaround the world that will be attended by CaFANmembers, including the Caribbean Week of Agriculturein Dominica. Looking ahead, members were asked tobegin planning activities for CaFANs 10th anniversary inJanuary.

Members were also reminded to pay 2011 membershipfees and encouraged to submit articles for the newsletterto increase information sharing.


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Photo:Mr. Mark RemyPresident of theBelle VueFarmers

CooperativeSociety Limited.

Belle Vue Coopis the CaFANFocal point inSt. Lucia.

Highlighting the Belle Vue Farmers Cooperative, St. Lucia

Belle Vue Farmers Cooperative held its 15th AnnualGeneral Meeting on Thursday 30th June, 2011 with thenew theme Building upon success, ExpandingCommunity Participation.

Belle Vue was commended by the Registrar ofCooperatives on their success in growth anddevelopment over the past years and have beenrecognized as the best and leading cooperative in St.Lucia.

Mr. Tom Kurk, Peace Corps volunteer associated withthe cooperative, presented the conditions report for thefinancial year ended 31st December 2010 with growthfrom increased revenue which resulted a net surplus forthe organisation. There was also an increase in netassets and members equity for the year. Belle Vue

cooperative derives its revenue from four operationcenters: input supply stores, marketing of farm produce,nursery for production of seedlings, and organic farmproduction of herbs and vegetables.

Belle Vue secretary Miss Vincentia Fatal presented theBoard of Directors report. The year under review wasone of the most challenging periods as the countryexperienced a prolonged dry period followed byhurricane Tomas. Hurricane Tomas wreaked havoc onthe agricultural sector during its passage on October31st and seriously affected Belle Vue farmersproduction and marketing.

Despite these negative impacts, Belle Vue underwentseveral joint ventures with social partners in keeping withthe theme of fostering partnerships through agriculturaldevelopment. These partnerships include the following:1. Office for private sector relations (OPSR)

assisted in the cocoa cassava project aimed atrevitalizing the cassava/ferine cottage industry in thecommunity.

2. FAO provided funding for the Value Chain SaladFruit Project which seeks to add value by packaging,slicing and processing in an effort to increaseproduction to meet market demands.

3. Global Environmental Fund (GEF) project seeks toencourage farmers to use local materials in theproduction of compost in an effort to grow organic,thus reducing their dependency on inorganicfertilizers and other materials use in farm practices.

4. OXFAM Great Britain has been of tremendoussupport in the area of strengthening the linkagebetween agriculture and tourism through Belle Vue.They provided funds for procurement of farm inputssuch as seeds, pesticides, fertilizers and irrigationequipment for increased production, a supply credit

facility for supporting crop production, and amarketing revolving fund to buffer timely paymentsto farmers for their produce. They also providedcomputers and office equipment to facilitateimproved administrative and financial management.Very importantly, they introduced the farmercounterpart programme, which helped thecooperative to collect data information of cropproduction, and planning and monitoring of cropsuntil they are ready to harvest for marketing. Thisoperation strengthens the linkage between farmersand buyers through the availability of datainformation on production and market demands.

5. Through the Ministry of Agriculture an acre oforganic pineapples was established under theEuropean Union special framework of assistance2006. The project was funded by the FAO and the

intention was to use the farm as a demonstrationplot to encourage farmers to introduce new methodsto grow pineapples.

Belle Vue Farmers Cooperative intends to continuefostering partnerships which have provided opportunitiesfor growth.

Speaking at a CaFAN recent workshop, newly electedPresident of the Belle Vue Coop, Mr. Mark Remy says,We are going to build on our success over the past andexpand on our operations through communityparticipation. In the coming years we will direct ouremphasis towards the development of our youth andwomen in agriculture thereby creating that environmentwhere our youth will be encouraged to be part of thatsector and our women will be motivated to show greaterparticipation in the development of agriculture.


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CaFAN FAO EU AAACP UPDATESThe European Union All ACP Agricultural Commodities Programme (EU AAACP) will come to a close in November2011. The Programme was launched in September 2007 as an initiative of the European Commission and the ACPSecretariat and had a duration of three years. The overall objective of the Programme was to improve the livelihoods

of producers in commodity dependent ACP countries. Through CaFAN, support was provided to the Roots andTubers Sector, after this sector was identified at a Caribbean (Kick-off) Consultative workshop which was held in April2008 in Jamaica. The programme saw four CaFAN members receive support to build their organisations capacitiesto support the production and marketing of roots and tubers, as well as support to the CaFAN Secretariat tocoordinate the four national projects and to share the lessons learnt with the rest of CaFAN membership.

Lessons learnt from the national projects were shared at the EU AAACP Caribbean Final Lessons Learnt workshopwhich took place from September 26-28

th, 2011 at the Blue Horizon Hotel in Barbados.

CaFAN Updates

The CaFAN Secretariat has received

to-date a total of USD $238,010, whichincludes the hosting of three regionalworkshops during the period 2008-2011 and country visits to nationalprojects. CaFANs main support underthe LoA was to coordinate and provideguidance to national country activities.

NEFO Updates

To date, the North East FarmersOrganisation (NEFO) in Grenada hassigned two letters of agreement for thepurpose of documenting its businessmodel and developing andimplementing an upgrading strategy.Included in the strategy was training inthe areas of production and marketing.Under their final letter of agreement,NEFO had conducted training inProject Preparation, Proposal Writingand Resource Mobilization; Pest andDisease Management and Control;Standards from the Grenada Bureau ofStandards; and Agri-businessManagement for Small Farm

Enterprises.

A session was also conducted byCaFANs Chief Coordinator on how toexpand and strengthen CaFAN andNEFO membership in Grenada. Thefinal activities to be completed are aStudy Tour to Trinidad and Tobago anda Buyer Grower Evaluation Workshop.

Photo: (1) Members of NEFO in field & (2) Members receive training

GAPA/KKFCLA Updates

Like NEFO, the Guyana Agricultural

Producers Association (GAPA) hadsigned two Letters of Agreements tosupport the farmers of the KuruKururu Farmers Crop and LivestockAssociation. Under its finalagreement, activities includedtraining workshops on marketing,agro-processing, packaging,labeling and certification, andbusiness and farm management.There will also be a Grower- buyer meeting on lessons learnt and fieldtrips in advanced farm production & planning, and packaging &marketing.

Under the programme, GAPA partnered with the Ministry of AgricultureExtension Service, the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI)and the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (NewGMC), who providedsupport during project implementation.GAPA has already requested that the Ministry of Agriculture assist instrengthening the work started by the EU AAACP to continue to supportthe farmers of Kuru Kururu, including sharing the lessons learnt to otherfarmers groups which fall under the coordination of GAPA.


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CPGCA Updates

As part of the EU AAACP Programme,the Christiana Potato GrowersCooperative Association (CPGCA) inJamaica signed three letters ofagreement. Activities included

trainings, setting up demonstrationplots, improving its database system,updating its database, and theproduction of farm videos to show thelessons learnt under the project.

Through the training of the trainersprogramme, technical advice was givento farmers in the various districts beforethe preparation of the land for potatoestaking into account climatic changes.This resulted in increased yields perfarmer averaging 40-60%.

As a result of the support offered byCaFAN and by the programme,CPGCA was able to reestablishrelationships with farmers in whichCPGCA received over 145,000 lbs andsold over 142,000lbs from spring crop2011 of potatoes. They alsoestablished an agreement withPricemart supermarket to accept thepotatoes in labeled 5lb bags anddeliver in crates receiving 16% more onthe normal price sold.

Sweet and Irish Potato packaged

ECTAD Updates

Participants of the Final Lessons Learnt and Evaluation Workshop

The Eastern Caribbean Trading Agriculture and DevelopmentOrganisation (ECTAD) based in St. Vincent and the Grenadines alsosigned three letters of agreement during the duration of the project.These included trainings, establishment of a database, setting of up fieldofficers to help gather production information, along with other activitiesaimed to help ECTAD plan its marketing programme.

The final activity under the programme was a Final Lessons Learnt andEvaluation Workshop, which was held at the St. Vincent and theGrenadines Chamber of Industry and Commerce (SVGCIC) Conferenceroom Tuesday September 13

th, 2011. It brought together over 40

participants including ECTAD farmer leaders, farmers, students of theBishops College Kingstown, and agriculture stakeholders.

The opening ceremony heard remarks from Mr. Arnold Thomas,Executive Director of the SVGCIC; Mr. Lesley Grant, representativewithin the Ministry of Agriculture; Dr. Gregory Robin, CARDI CountryRepresentative; Mr. Michael Dalton, IICA Representative; and Mr. JethroGreene, ECTAD Chief Coordinator. Ms. Nyasha Durrant, AdministrativeOfficer for ECTAD and Project Coordinator for the Caribbean FarmersNetwork (CaFAN) gave a brief overview of the EU AAACP programmeand an overview of all activities implemented by ECTAD from 2009 topresent.

The main activities discussed and evaluated during the meeting includedfarmers trainings conducted in seven villages of St. Vincent during themonth of August 2011. Discussions were also held on how to strengthenECTAD farmers counterpart programme, which was set up in early2011. This programme is unique and allowed for experienced farmers towork as field officers to help build and strengthen farmers capacitieswithin their respective zones by employing good agricultural practices ontheir farm and to work together in groups and clusters.


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CaFAN attended PROINVEST Closure Workshop

Ms. Nyasha Durrant, Administrative Officer of the CaFAN Secretariat represented the Network at a PROINVESTCARIBBEAN Closure workshop held May 30-31 2011 at the Accra Beach Hotel in Barbados. The workshop wasdesigned to bring together private sector representatives and officials from regional organisations and the EC,drawing on trade experts and the experience of businesses in the Caribbean.

It was also aimed at empowering regional economic groupings and regionalassociations to be able to work more effectively with ACP private sectororganisations and to create an enabling environment for international and donororganisations to look at the follow up of some of the activities that will be show-cased.

Ms. Durrant was asked to sit on a panel to discuss and present Success storiesand best practices in export marketing. The Panel also included representativesfrom the following organisations:

Caribbean Community/ Office of Trade Negotiations (CARICOM/OTN) Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Secretariat (Export

Development Unit) Jamaica Exporters Association (JEA) Jamaica Promotions Agency (JAMPRO)

Mr. Alvin Murray, General Manager of Christiana Potato Growers CooperativeAssociation in Jamaica; Ms. Magdalene Niles, Administrative Officer of North EastFarmers Organization in Grenada and Ms. Keeley Holder of the BarbadosAgriculture Society were also in attendance.

CTAs Independent Evaluation Workshop

Ms. Nyasha Durrant also represented CaFAN andECTAD at an Independent Evaluation of CTA LearningWorkshop, held at the Normandie Hotel in Trinidad and

Tobago from June 16-17, 2011. The evaluation wascarried out by Paula Bilinsky from the Centre forDevelopment Innovation. The Centre was alsocontracted by CTA to carry out similar evaluations in thefive regions of the ACP in which CTA operates.

The main objective of the workshop were for theevaluators to learn from the experiences of eachorganisations partnership with CTA, for participants toget acquainted with the CTAs new strategic plan for2011-2015, and how, as partners, we can contribute toits implementation to ensure that CTA moves ahead inan effective and efficient way with its new strategic plan.

CTAs three main strategic goals discussed at theworkshop were: Strategic goal 1: To strengthen ACP agricultural and

rural development policy processes and strategies:to support well informed, inclusive agricultural policyand strategy development processes in each ACPregion that empower key stakeholders, particularlysmallholder producers, women and youth, and

contribute to sustainable food and nutritional securityand income growth.

Strategic goal 2: To enhance priority agricultural

value chains: to promote innovation, value addition,investments, trade and markets that sustain ACPpriority value chain development, especially forsmall-scale producers.

Strategic goal 3: To enhance ACP capacities ininformation, communication and knowledgemanagement for agricultural and rural development:CTA will aim to strengthen the ICKM capacities ofACP institutions and networks to effectively engagein and promote policies, strategies, innovations andvalue chains that benefit rural communities.Improved ICKM for ARD should lead to betterdecision-making, better implementation of decisions

at all levels, and ultimately improved livelihoods forrural people.

In October 2010, Mr. Jethro Greene of CaFAN was thesole representative from the Caribbean region to attendCTA Strategic Planning Workshop in the Netherlands.He made many valuable contributions which wereincluded in the CTA Strategic Plan for 2011-2015.

Ms. Nyasha Durrant


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Agri-summer programme

for Antiguan youth

The TEAM Fresh Produce Cooperative, the only CaFAN

member in Antigua, held a youth summer camp with afocus on agriculture from 18-29 July 2011.

The GARD Centre and the Environmental AwarenessGroup (EAG) were engaged in planning and hosting theexercise, which was aimed at attracting 60 young peoplebetween the ages of nine and sixteen years of age.

According to Pamella Thomas of TEAM Fresh ProduceCooperative, the youth summer camp was influenced bythe economic slowdown in Antigua and Barbuda. It washeld under the theme GROW, the acronym for GainingRespect for the Outdoors and Our World.

During the camp, participating youths were sensitized toappreciate that agriculture is not a job for little oldpeople and that there are a number of career pathswithin the agricultural sector, such as agronomy,extension officers, equipment operators, agriculturalmechanics and engineers, as well as farming itself.

We want them to see farming as not only a hobby orsomething just merely to occupy themselves, but assomething that they can do as a business, Thomassaid.

TEAM Fresh Produce Cooperative, located at Potters,St. Johns, Antigua, has been in operation for just over ayear, harvesting and delivering fresh produce on thesame day to hotels. TEAM Fresh Produce Cooperativepurchases five commodities - butternuts, cucumbers,tomatoes, sweet peppers, and lettuce - from farmersacross Antigua and sells them to five hotels.

GAPA strengthening clusters

The Guyana Agricultural Producers Association (GAPA)has moved into a direction where we have to strengthenour clusters because we are the national focal point forall nontraditional farmers in the country and we realizethat more and more emphasis is being placed onclusters. In his regard, we have moved to strengthen thecapacity of members of a number of clusters by installingdemonstration plots.

In explaining this new direction, Steve Mangal, explainedthat erratic production has been a major issue in certainareas of nontraditional farming in Guyana. So our takehas been to do the demonstration plots, do the bestpractices so that the small farmers who are exposed tothese plots adapt the best practices.

The GAPA official also disclosed that demonstrationplots are being set up for particular crops in areas thatare suited for such crops. Focus is being placed on rootsand tubers eddoes and cassava and fortunately,GAPA has benefited from an FAO Project to specificallydevelop the root crops where we can build somecapacity and provide farmers with linkages to marketsand to consumers as well as do some experimentswhere we are able to increase production and gainmaximum returns on productivity.

He said nontraditional crops are mainly fruits andvegetables such as the regular cash crops in Guyana bora, tomato, egg plant, water melon, etc.

For too long the major cry of small farmers has beeninadequate market access. Efforts are being madethrough USAID to engage farmers in contract farming sothat they are able to be contacted by importers, therebyguaranteeing markets for the farmers.

He added that there has been a lot of spoilage in thefields, particularly with eggplant (boulanger), which is not

being exported in the desirable quantities because of theadditional lack of proper market arrangements. However,through the CaFAN network efforts are being made tocreate linkages with markets in the region.

Mangal is confident that should there be regular marketsfor nontraditional crops in the Caribbean, the GAPAproducers will not encounter shipping problems sincethere are adequate ships available and willing torespond to requests from farmers to transport produce.


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CaFAN happy to join with

COLEACP

Mr. Jethro Greene, Chief Coordinator of CaFAN has

been at the vanguard of developing agriculture in theCaribbean for two and a half decades. He metrepresentatives of COLEACP in Grenada at theCaribbean Week of Activities in October 2010 and inquick time managed to develop a working relationshipbetween CaFAN and COLEACP, which spawned a fasttracked workshop April 4-5 2011 in St. Lucia on howCOLEACP can support CaFAN.

According to Greene, the Caribbean Week of Activities isa worthwhile exercise that is improving with every newissue. He was impressed by the presentation ofCOLEACP at the Caribbean Week of Activities inGrenada and felt the entity could help CaFAN build its

capacity to market quality produce on behalf of smallfarmers.

Pointing to the speed in which COLEACP was able tosponsor a workshop to indicate the types of assistance itcan give to CaFAN, Greene said that Mr. GuyStinglhamber, Director of the COLEACP Brussels Office,has a background of dealing with small farmers making itwas very easy to deal with him.

Hes a man of action like myself, Greene said during abreak in the workshop. Very rarely, you findprogrammes where south and north move that rapidly.

But when he said he wanted a draft outline ofpossibilities, within a week it was on my desk and whenthe opportunity came for me to go to Brussels for thebriefing sponsored by the CTA (earlier this year), I usedthe opportunity as part of my agenda to get FAO to helpme stay longer to meet with COLEACP and I found thatthey had a draft outline of a potential agreement. Now,here we are, less than a month, at the stage of drafting atechnical cooperation agreement, which we expect thefirst draft would be ready by the end of April. Right now,we have the semblance of an outline. Our members areworking on prioritizing their needs and twinning it withthe kinds of technical assistance that COLEACP PIP

Programme can bring.

Speaking to Top Soil and AGRIVYBZ during theCaFAN/COLEACP two day workshop held in St. Luciaon 4 and 5 April, 2011, Stinglhamber said that he wantsMr. Greene to be part of COLEACP not only for thebenefit of CaFAN, but also to be on the Board ofDirectors to make decisions as COLEACP needssomeone of Greenes caliber to represent ACP and thesouth in general.

COLEACP is made up of producers, exporters andimporters, Stinglhamber said. Generally, the importers

set the standards. So, for CaFAN to become a memberof COLEACP and to even go further by sitting on theBoard of Directors would present a unique opportunityfor Caribbean small farmers to be part of the decisionmaking processes and reduce the dissatisfaction theycurrently feel about the value chain.

Reiterating that the main aim of COLEACP is to providethe link between the production and the market,Stinglhamber said that COLEACP-PIP is a membershiporganization but in the last ten years, it has gained tentimes more ACP members and decreasing numbers ofEuropean members. He added that this is an issue thatneeds to be addressed.

Greene is excited that CaFAN is being lined up tobecome a member of COLEACP since the latter sellsproduce on the European market. The technicalassistance that COLEACP is willing to give is going togreatly enhance CaFANs capacity to produce qualitygoods for the market. We look forward to that kind ofengagement.

On June 14th, 2011, Mr. Jethro Greene, Chief

Coordinator of CaFAN, traveled to Brussels to attendPIP Consultative Committee and to present on Newmarket requirements: turning challenges into

opportunities for ACP countries. The objective of themeeting was to bring together and enable producers,exporters and importers of fruit and vegetables to sharetheir experiences on sustainability.

Mr. Jethro Greene, speaking to one of theparticipants at the COLEACP Committee Meeting in

Brussels, June 2011


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Caribbean Week of Agriculture, 2011

The 2011 Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) was held in Dominica from October 9

th

15

th

under the themeCaribbean Food and Nutrition Security in a Changing Climate: The Nature Island Experience. CaFANsparticipation at the Week of Agriculture was sponsored by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation(CTA) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) under the European Union ALL ACPAgricultural Commodities Programme (EU AAACP). CaFAN participated in the trade fair exposition; the Thirty-EighthSpecial Meeting of the Council for Trading and Economic Development (COTED) (Agriculture); the Meeting of theAlliance; Climate Change Adaptation in Caribbean Agriculture Enhancing Water Resources Management; CTAAgriculture Round Table Food & Nutrition Security Circle: connecting the dots; Farmers Forum and night; and theFAO Value Chain Seminar and the ALLIANCE Meeting.

Top Soil a one hour radio programme on agriculture

Top Soil is a one hour radio programme hosted by Roderick St.Clair, Marketing Manager of the Grenada Marketing andNational Importing Board. The Programme can be heard live at10.00AM EST on Fridays on the Grenada Broadcasting Network(GBN) with rebroadcasts on Sundays at 11.00AM. One can alsolisten to the programme live online on classicgrenada.com.

According to St. Clair, the interactive programme hasgrown appreciably in audience appeal since September2010. He said the programme had appeared underdifferent names in the past but it has been rebrandedunder the name Top Soil since September 2010 and hasgained a wide local reach since the GrenadaBroadcasting Network (GBN) is very popular within the

country.

He claims that people follow the programme on line in China,Japan, Russia, North America and Mexico, and that peoplealso follow the programme within the wider Caribbeanthrough the Pod Cast: www.topsoilcaribbean.com.

The aim of the programme is to bring issues to theforefront where we discuss with the real personalities the shakers and movers in the agriculture sector so asto share information, hold different discussions and

dialogue about local, regional and international issuesthat impact agriculture, St. Claire told AGRIVYBZ in arecent exclusive interview.

We try to focus on organisations and groups that areinvolved in the sector, St. Clair elaborated. We look atissues such as climate change, food import bills, andmatters of safety, trends, technology and value addition.So, its really not limited to any one area because we alsolook at the history and how the cultural aspects of ourregion impact our farming methodologies, etc.

St. Clair also stated that apart from the big issues, theprogramme is also geared to giving simple tips on farmingsuch as how to prune a tree, the proper application offertilizer and when to plant on the ground. He added thatthe programme is intended to cover serious issues but italso includes a lighter side in the form of agricultural jokesfrom time to time.

Stressing that Top Soil is an interactive programme, St.Claire said people can call in by telephone and by Skype.The programme utilizes live as well as recorded interviews.


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CaFAN hosts Canadian Interns from the Coady

International Institute Youth in Partnership Programme

The CaFAN Secretariat welcomed Stephanie Dewar andChristopher Attadia, two new interns from Canada, onAugust 31

st, 2011. The placement is part of an

agreement signed between CaFAN and Coady throughthe Youth in Partnership programme that givesCanadian university graduates experience working withdevelopment organisations in their fields of study. Theprogram helps them increase their understanding of

global development issues while contributing to theCoady Institutes overseas partnerships. The program isalso aimed at providing experience that will improveparticipants' employment opportunities when they returnfrom their internship. The programme lasts a total of sixmonths and is funded by the Government of Canadathrough the Canadian International Development Agency(CIDA).

Lets meet Chris and Stephanie

Christopher Attadia

I graduated from Simon Fraser University in BritishColumbia, with an undergraduate degree in BusinessAdministration with a concentration in marketing. I havean avid interest in agriculture and sustainability and loveto play soccer among many other sports. One day Ihope to have a garden big enough that I can live off of.

What I hope to gain from this internship is a greaterunderstanding of farming and agriculture at the regionaland local levels. I have a keen interest in farmers rights,and I am excited to learn as much as I can from visitinglocal farms. As a marketing student, I hope to develop anew set of skills that I can apply in the business worldback home.

Stephanie DewarMy background in marketing, experience working onfarms, and interest in sustainable agriculture have beenmy motivation for this COADY Youth in Partnershipplacement. In 2010 I graduated with a Bachelor ofCommerce in marketing and international business fromMcGill University and someday hope to have an organicfarm of my own. I grew up on Prince Edward Island, asmall province in Canada primarily dependent on itsagricultural sector, and I see many similarities with SaintVincent.

I am excited to see more of this beautiful country andwork closely with the farming communities. I am eagerto learn more about regional crops, participate inworkshops, meet local farmers, and contribute to theexceptional work of this organization in enhancing theagricultural sector of the Caribbean.

Past Interns were Laird Herbert & Paula Hearn (July 08 January 09),Richard Kirkham & Marcia McCune (March 10 September 10) and

Dave Rideout & Sadaf Kashfi (September 10 February 11)


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ECTAD Field officers received training

The CaFAN Secretariat, under the FAO EU AAACP provided training to its field partners in areas of FarmManagement and Production Planning in July, 2011. Trainings were conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, IICA,CARDI and CaFAN.

OTHER WORKSHOPS ATTENDED BY

CAFAN DURING 2011Event Attended by

June 15, 2011CTA 23

rdBrussels Briefing

Mr. Jethro Greene

July 20, 2011Com4Dev e-platform, Barbados

Ms. Ipha Miguel Ms. Tasheka Haynes

July 11 - 17, 2011

Technical Working GroupMeeting, Belize

Mr. Jethro Greene

September 19-20CARICOM Technical WorkingGroup Meeting

Mr. Jethro Greene

September 19-20, 2011Com4Dev Convention of inBrussels

Mr. Roderick St. Clair Ms. Telojo Onu

September 29 and 30, 2011EU Dissemination Workshop,Barbados

Mr. Jethro Greene Mr. Alvin Murray Mr. Evans Gooding Mr. Dhaniram

Ramchand,October 6-7, 2011

ECS Green Growth InvestmentForumBrussels, Belgium

Mr. Conroy Huggins

October 25 -25, 2011Pacific Dissemination Workshop -Fiji

Mr. Jethro Greene

November 15-18, 2011International Conference onInnovations in Extension andAdvisory ServicesNairobi Kenya

Mr. Jethro Greene

Important Update

The CARICOM Secretariat invited CaFAN to be part of theCouncil of Trade and Economic Development (COTED) as acritical player in the regional agricultural sector. CaFAN wastherefore represented at the Officials and the Ministerialmeetings of the COTED and presented its paper, Linking SmallFarmers to Market which emanated from the Production and

Marketing Workshop held in Guyana in July 2011.

COTED was given an overview of the outcomes andrecommendations emanating from the meeting. Among theactivities CAFAN invited the COTED to support were the twoproposed regional pilot projects proposed by its producers,namely:

a. Linking Agriculture to Health and Nutrition Project; andb. Regional Integrated Production and Marketing Project.

CaFAN also stressed the need for:a. Strengthening of the capacity of regional and national

producer organizations to provide technical support totheir members to effectively participate in production trade chains;

b. Implementing programmes to promote the productionand utilization of nutritious Caribbean foods;

c. Establishment of a bridge financing fund to facilitate thetimely payment of producers who sell to domestic,regional and extra- regional markets.

The COTED meeting was held in Dominica during theCaribbean Week of Agriculture, 2011.


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ABOUT AGRIVYBZ

Agrivybz is the official newsletter publication of theCaribbean Farmers Network (CaFAN). It was firstintroduced in 2007, through the financial support of theTechnical Centre for Agricultural and RuralCooperation.

AGRIVYBZ is produced quarterly and providesinformation on CaFAN activities carried out by theCaFAN Secretariat and members of the Network.

Users of the Newsletter include CaFAN members,CaFAN partners and collaborators and end users ofagricultural information.

ABOUT CAFAN

CaFAN is a legally registered non-profit, non-governmental regional network of farmerorganisations.

CaFANs overall goals are to improve the quality oflife for small farm families throughout the Caribbeanregion and to gain economic empowerment andsociopolitical independence in the agriculture sector.

Its mission is to enhance Caribbean food and nutritionsecurity, foreign exchange earnings and foreignsavings by repositioning agriculture through thecapacity building of farmers and the institutionalstrengthening of farmer organisations.

In January 2012, CaFAN will celebrate its 10 yearanniversary of existence.

ABOUT CAFAN MEMBERSHIP

CaFAN currently represents over 500,000 smallfarmers spread throughout 15 Caribbean countries,CaFAN member countries are Antigua & Barbuda,Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada,Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts & Nevis,St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname andTrinidad & Tobago,

ABOUT CAFAN SECRETARIAT

In 2006, the Eastern Caribbean Trading Agricultureand Development Organisation (ECTAD) based in St.Vincent and the Grenadines became CaFANsSecretariat and is responsible for the implementationand coordination of CaFAN programmes andactivities.

The Secretariat is led by Mr. Jethro Greene, ChiefCoordinator. Most activities are carried out by a groupof Technical Volunteers/Specialist who has beenrecruited by the Network to support in the work ofagricultural development.

This document has been produced with the financial assistance

of the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation

(CTA-EU-ACP)

However, the views expressed herein can in no way be taken to

reflect the official opinion of CTA

CONTACT US

Caribbean Farmers Network(CaFAN)C/o Eastern Caribbean Trading Agriculture

Development Organization (ECTAD)

BeachmontP.O. Box 827, Kingstown,

St. Vincent and the [email protected] / [email protected]

www.caribbeanfarmers.orgTel: (784) 453-1004 Fax: (784) 453-1239

cafan newsletter agrivybz 12

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