cafan newsletter agrivybz 5

8/9/2019 CaFAN Newsletter Agrivybz 5

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CONTENTS

Thumbs Up to CaFAN

Editors Note

Strengthening the Capacity

Farmers Organisations

CaFAN farmers responds tochange ...

Cermony Highlighted remar

Clusters in the Agr Sector of

Grenada

Sharing of Experiences .

ECTAD hosts Study Visit

Jamaica replicates St. Lucia

Success

Exploring Agro-Processing

Possiblities ...

Mt. St. George Farmers

Association.

North East Farmers Org.

CaFAN Updates

Government and Private Sein Support of Agricutlure

CaFAN Newsletter Issu

February

CaFAN Secretariat; the Eastern Caribbean Trading Agriculture Development

(ECTAD) Organisation has been commended for being at the forefront of

working to keep agriculture alive in the social and economic spheres of St.

Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) and the wider Caribbean.

During the Official opening ceremony on the evening of Monday Feb. 16th , 09

of ECTAD Study Visit on Smallholders Crop Production and Marketing, the

Minister of Telecommunications, Science, Technology and Industry; Minister of

Health and the Environment; Opposition leader in the House of Parliament;and President of the SVG Chamber of Industry and Commerce all agreed that

agriculture plays an important role in Caribbean society and renewed

emphasis should be placed on agriculture, particularly the small farmer.

Continues on pages 2

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Managing Editor: Jethro Greene | Administrative Support: Nyasha Durrant | Compilation, Editing,

Design and Layout: Pet Secretarial Services | Communication Consultant: Jeff Trotman


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CaFAN was set up to promote and represent the interest of

its members and will work with all Stakeholders towards the

strategic advantage of its members. As the regional

representative of farmers and farmers organisations across

thirteen Caribbean countries, CAFAN will defend its members

on issues that are crucial to their livelihood.

An understanding of the importance of value chains, theposition farmers hold and the roles they must play within a

value chain would help them to become more adept at

running their farms in a more business-like manner. This can

in turn make them competitive at the local, regional and

international levels.

Learning from each other is also important and through

experiences it becomes even more paramount as a Caribbean

region, especially when there are many success stories that

once shared and replicated can pave the way for the rest of

the world to follow; not the other way around. We need to

support the innovative and creative thinking of our regionfarmers and farmers organisations.

Coming out of the recent Food and Agriculture Organisation

of the United Nations (FAO) Caribbean Regional Workshop on

strengthening the Capacity of Farmers Organisations to

respond to changing agriculture markets are tons of success

stories just waiting to be replicated.

In addition, ECTAD through the financial support of the

Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA)

brought together over 30 participants to learn from St.

Vincents experience and to share their own country

experiences. Opportunities such as these must be welcomed

and appreciated. It is not often as a region divided by water

and with high cost of transportation can we come together.

Opportunities are all around us, but we must be awake to

take hold of its advantages.

Continued from page 1

Jethro Greene noted that apart from

heeding the advice from abroad t

reduce emphasis on agriculture

many of the regions economists an

planners led an export oriente

agriculture development programm

with very little emphasis on buildin

food security, local distribution an

building up food production for loca

domestic markets, and linkages o

local production to tourism, agr

processing and ensuring bette

health for our people.

With the entire world now renewin

emphasis on agriculture, countries o

the Caribbean have an opportunity t

look internally at our own domesti

markets, to strengthen our own loca

domestic distribution and marketin

system. As a regional unit; as part o

the Caribbean Community, we ca

look at strengthening our Caribbea

production distribution marketin

systems so that we would be in

better position not only for foo

security or linking our agriculture t

tourism, or to agro processing, bu

we would be in a better positio

when the world economy probabl

makes its come back to be able to d

more linkages even at a

international level.

Hon. Dr. Jerrol Thompson, Ministe

of Telecommunications, Science

Technology and Industry agreed wit

Greene that various governmentwere advised by sources from abroa

to get out of agriculture and said tha

it was interesting to hear last year, i

the height of the food crisis

individuals from the World Trad

Organization, the World Bank an

the IMF, all saying they made

mistake.

Read more in page 1


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To respond to changing Agriculture Markets

Farmers organisations have become successful ininfluencing increased incomes amongst their membersand are becoming independent of donor agencies.

This is as a result of agribusiness related activities to

help smallholders become efficient and reliable

suppliers. Networking among farmers organizations

also helps to link farmers and farmers organisations

to information on new and innovative techniques,

markets and funding opportunities outside of their

country and prepare them for changes and

investments in new markets.

In October 2008, CaFAN signed a Letter of Agreement

with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the

United Nations (FAO) in collaboration of organizing a

regional workshop on strengthening the capacity of

Farmers Organizations to respond to changing

agriculture markets. The workshop took place at the

Bay Gardens Inn Conference Room in Saint Lucia from

November 24-28th, 2008.

The workshop participants were guided throughidentifying the roles, functions and responsibilities of

farmers organisations at different levels as well as

various capacity building needs. They also looked at

the importance of developing capacity building

strategies that can be supported under EC-ACP

projects and other donors. They were expected to

follow up by developing programmes/action plans

most suitable to the needs of the respective

organisations.

The Rome based FAO officials, Heiko Bammann,Enterprise Development Officer and Edward Seidler,

Senior Marketing Officer, led discussions on value

chains. A value chain were defined asthe full range

of activities required to bring a product or service

from conception, through the different phases of

production, transformation, and delivery to final

consumers and disposal after use.

Group Photo of workshop Participant, Bay Gardens Inn, Saint Lucia,


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Heiko Bammann, Enterprise Development Officer, FAO

Value chains in India, Thailand and Papau New

Guinea were given as examples. The FAO team

highlighted the new direction for the regions

farmers organizations of placing emphasis on

devising strategies to effectively participate in valuechains for their members to become competitive, and

improve their earning power.

A value chain is made up of a series of activities from

input suppliers to producers including processors,

exporters and buyers with the intention of elevating

the value chain to higher levels.

In this regard, the concept of value chain helps to

identify local stakeholders and helps in pursuing

good policies in which local enterprises could fit into

the global economy. Participants were also informedthat a value chain could be used to trace product

flows and identify key actors and their relationships

in the chain. Value chains can also be used to

determine bottlenecks that are preventing progress.

The importance of strategic alliances and linkages for

small farmers to improve profitability by expanding

markets was a key point highlighted.

Continues on page 13

Caribbean Farmers respondto ChangeAccording to Heiko Bamman, Caribbean small

farmers must become more aware of the changing

international trade climate. Adding value to their

produce allows them to become more competitive,

starving off competitors, while meeting the

increasingly stringent standards demanded by

consumers both inside and outside the region.

Bamman noted that Caribbean consumers have

become more sophisticated since they are travelling

more often and are exposed to the consumer

demands of Europe and North America.

Consequently, they are demanding better quality

services and produce from their local suppliers.

Therefore, there is immediate critical need for

strengthening the capacity of Caribbean farmers

organizations to influence their members to engage insustainable production in keeping with modern value

chains.

The workshop was based on the premise that trade

liberalization and globalization along with the

closure of state marketing boards have forced

Caribbean small farmers and other players in

agriculture, to change the manner in which they

interact with one another. These players include the

processors, buyers, and exporters.This premise holds that contemporary markets

require larger volumes, lower prices and higher

quality produce. This forces producers to constantly

cut costs to make profits in on-going survival efforts

as smallholders struggle to keep up with new trends

and find themselves at a disadvantage with high

transaction costs and low bargaining power.

A section of Participants at the workshop


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Ceremony Highlighted RemarksNov. 24

th08 Bay Gardens Inn Saint Lucia 7pm

Hubert Emmanuel, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry ofAgriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Saint Lucia

The nature and content of this workshop will be a

much needed boost to farming and farmers

organizations in this region at this particular point in

time. The timing of this workshop coincides with

heightened global interest in agriculture and food

production and now, we have a window of

opportunity again as farmers and farmers

organizations to reposition ourselves and to take the

much needed spotlight that we deserve. Therefore,

issues like market access, access to credit,

improvement in the quality of safety, cheaper inputs

through bulk buying should be high on the agenda of

farmers organizations today.

Bisessar Chakalall, Acting FAO Representative (at the time

of the workshop), FAO Sub-Regional Office, Barbados

We are living in challenging and changing times;

times of great uncertainties. After a short period of

soaring food prices and rising fuel prices we are

entering into a global economic downturn that will

seriously affect the Caribbean Countries. As in the

past, at any time of an economic crisis, the poor arethe most vulnerable. However, in all the uncertainties

there is one certainty, and that is, we need wholesome

and nutritious food, for which we depend on our

small farmers.

If the economic incentive is right and farmers can

generate wealth utilizing their assets, then farming

will be successful and youths will be attracted to

farming. The collective experience and expertise of

the participants will practically pave the way forward

for refocusing agriculture in the region and for

providing farmers with the proper economicincentives.

Jethro Greene, Chief Coordinator, CaFAN

CaFAN is very pleased to partner with FAO in this

workshop. We are concerned about the fact that a lot

of resources in agriculture have been wasted in the

region for the last decade in the name of farmers. We

are going to take our rightful place in the leadership

and we are going to work with you (our partners)

as equal partners in the family! Farmers

organizations must position themselves to provide

more substantial leadership in the agriculture sector.

We in CaFAN recognize the limitation and the

weaknesses and are strengthening our membership

base.

Let us all stakeholders in the sector unite to move

agriculture forward in a sustainable way that would

create longevity for farming as a business.

Edward Seilder, Senior Marketing Officer, FAO

The workshop is a challenge for participants to look

at the task they have ahead, and seek to uplift their

fellow nationals to achieve a better life. Normally,

when you look at a challenge, you look at what you

have to do. On the first day of the workshop, the

participants talked about the services they give to

their membership but one of the things that they haveto be mindful of is getting the famers to act in unison

and to develop partnerships as well as trust between

the members of the organization and the people they

are going to do business with. If you know what you

want to do, this workshop hopefully will allow you to

decide how best you can do it.

From L-R, James Paul (standing), Edward Seilder,

Hurbert Emmanuel, Bisessar Chakalall, Jethro Greene


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Clusters in the Agri Sector of Grenada

In December 2008, and February 2009, Jethro Greene

of ECTAD collaborated with the Grenada Marketing

and National Importing Board (GMNIB) to

conduct/facilitate two training workshops under a

Cluster Formation Project, which is a sub-component

of the Export Competency Development Project of the

National Export Strategy of Grenada.

The project is funded by the Organization of

American States/Inter-American Council for Integral

Development (OAS/CIDI).

The objective of the Cluster Formation Project is to

provide support to rural producers to form clusters

for export. These rural producers include farmers,

fisher-folks, agro-processors, and other entrepreneurs

who are producing or intend to produce for export.

The project has four themes or core activities:

a) Explore the criteria, rational and prospectus forcluster formation;

b) Provide training in the management of clustersand organizational techniques;

c) Institutional strengthening to improve access andsupport services for export;

d) Conduct training workshops and preparation ofdocuments on meeting export requirements for

clusters.

The Organisation and Management of Clustersworkshop, held in December 2008, was attended by

the main productive sectors of the Agricultural

Industry including Traditional Agriculture, .i.e.

Bananas (RDF Enterprises Ltd.), Nutmeg and Cocoa

(Commodity Boards), Vegetables and Tree Crop,

livestock and poultry farmers, Fishermen, Spices and

Agro processors, Individual farmers, Associations and

Co-operatives. A total of twenty five (25) persons

participated in the working sessions.

The workshop focused on five main areas,

Leadership, Management, Planning, EffectiveMeetings, Advocacy and Lobbying.

The second workshop took place in February 2009

and targeted producers in the targeted clusters to

develop Inventory management, Procurement, Sales

and Distribution Systems. Over fifty (50) persons

representing farmers organizations, agro-processors,

service providers, input suppliers, technical

providers, financial institutions, the Ministry of

Agriculture and other governmental agencies

participated in the workshop.

The objectives of the workshop were:

1. To promote the productive relationship betweenparticipants in the Grenada Agro-business Cluster

2. To develop and promote the collectiveapproaches in procurement, inventory control

management, sales and distribution.

At the end of the workshop, an agreement was made

towards the formal establishment of three clusters to

work in conjunction with Grenada Marketing and

National Importing Board (GMNIB):

1. Farmers Organization and farmers cluster- teamleader;

2. Agro processing cluster- team leader;3. Agriculture Services provides and support service

cluster- team leader


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Sharing of ExperiencesAntigua and Barbuda Small Ruminant AssociationBy Fitzmorgon Greenaway

The Association was started in 1999 and currently has eight members. The

association has imported breeds of goats and sheep from North America

and hopes to add to national development by establishing new and

improved breeds of goats and sheep in the country.

Most people in Antigua and Barbuda do not see rearing small ruminants

as economically viable and the association is bent on proving them wrong.

It has made a major achievement by obtaining a stall in the central market

and purchases animals from members to sell.

The association has contacted hotels and restaurants about buying

butchered small ruminants from its members and has also trained

members in bookkeeping, animal husbandry, tanning and leather craft

(making slippers and sandals) to add value for small ruminant farmers.

Region Ten Farmers AssociationBy Kenneth Perreira, Guyana

The Region Ten Farmers Association primarily represents farmers in the

now depressed bauxite mining town of Linden and most of the farmers are

relatively new to farming since most of them were industrial workers.

The association has been lobbying for land tenure-ship for members and

trying to enter contractual arrangements with potential buyers. The

association is shifting emphasis from local markets to export markets and

faces the challenge of entering competition with more experienced farmers

on the coastland.

The value added approach being looked at is to deal with problems of high

cost of transportation, spoilage and unscrupulous behaviour by potential

buyers.

The association is sourcing training for members to get involved in valueaddition such as producing pepper sauce, tomato sauce and the extraction

and preservation of passion fruit juice. It is also seeking funding for

equipment for farmers to engage in these endeavours.

In the medium to long term, the association is seeking to acquire the 25

acre Surapana farms, which would facilitate fruit processing, storage and

livestock feed production, farm manure and hopes in the process for better

horizontal integration.

Pomeroon WomensAgro Processors

AssociationBy Vilma DeSilva, Guyana

The Association was formed in

2001 with thirteen members in

an attempt to ease the economic

strain on their families since

most of their members

husbands are farmers, who

were not getting markets for

their fresh produce. The

association decided to add

value to their perishable fruits

because access to the fresh

market is impeded by costly

transportation costs and as

mothers of children they were

finding it very difficult to

maintain their families due to

lack of proper markets.

Besides preserved carambola,

the association preserves

mango, achar, pepper sauce,

seasoning sauce and fruit wine.

Members are paid for daily

work, and at the end of the year,

profits generated are delivered

as shares among members.

They encourage farmers to

increase production by making

planting materials available tothem and are kept informed on

different market demands.

We have unique products and

we are right on track, we are

working collectively as a group

and I think, well get there with

the support of CaFAN.


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ECTAD hosts Study Visit in St. Vincent and the GrenadinesSmallholders Crop Production and Marketing

Empowerment and togethernesswere two of the words used by

participants to describe the

ECTAD Study Visit which took

place in St. Vincent and the

Grenadines from February 16-

21st , 2009. The Visit was

sponsored by the Technical

Centre for Agricultural and

Rural Cooperation (CTA) which

was represented by Dr. John

Woodend, Programme

Coordinator. It was conducted by the Eastern Caribbean

Trading Agriculture and

Development Organisation

(ECTAD) in conjunction with the

CaFAN. Over thirty farmers

leaders from across eleven

CARICOM countries attended

the Study Visit and gained

increased knowledge of the work

done by ECTAD and its

members, includingStakeholders within the

Agriculture Sector of SVG.

The Study Visit focused on

Smallholders Crop Production

and Marketing. During the

Visit, participants shared theirexperiences on their

contributions to smallholders

crop production and marketing.

Presentations were also made

by CaFAN, the Ministry of

Agriculture, the Inter American

Institute for Cooperation on

Agriculture (IICA), the

Caribbean Agriculture Research

and Development Institute

(CARDI) and the Taiwan

Technical Mission onAgriculture.

Participants were also taken

around the Island and were

given a hands-on-look at how

local farmers are involved in

production and marketing.

From Top to Bottom: Participants in the heart of a Dasheen field on top of the Greggs(Village) mountain;, A farmer

preparing his field of Dasheen production; Participants examining a dasheen plant while the farmer looks on;

Dasheen packaged for Export, Participants stop to take a view of St. Vincents Breadbasket; Participants dining


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Taiwan Agriculture Station

CARDI Field Station

Walliabou Propagation Station

North/South Leeward Farms

Participants were particularly impressed by the

intense dasheen and eddoes cultivation on the steep

mountainous slopes.

They also visited the CARDI field station and the

Taiwanese Agricultural Mission where they were

exposed to tissue culture production. They were also

taken to Eddoes farms at Vermont and the Wallilabou

Propagation Station, a pineapple farm at Richmond in

the North Leeward Area, which also had mixed

cultivation of vegetables such as cabbage, papaw,

vestiges of ginger and some pig rearing and to a farm

that has been identified for an upcoming FAO funded

ECTAD sweet potato pilot project.


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Jamaica replicates St. Lucias successA successful

value chainpilot project in

St. Lucia is

currently being

replicated in

Jamaica.

Dr. Cleve Scott

in making the

disclosure also

indicated that

the pilot

replication is

connected to the ACP- All Commodities Programme.

His disclosure came as he delivered a presentation on

requirements for farmers to be sustainable suppliers

to modern value chains; a private sector and

agribusiness perspective.

Dr. Scott, who is responsible for the market access

programme within Oxfam stressed that the market

model, which began in 2003, was successfully

implemented in St. Lucia. It was aimed at directly

benefitting about 800 small scale producers withaverage households of five persons.

He said two years of research was done with respect

to farmers needs, appraising the producer

organization, mapping the value chain before

determining how to implement the programme so

that it became a model for ensuring that agro tourism

linkages are developed between the agriculture

sector, small scale producers and the government

since there must be complete collaboration for there

to be successful agro tourism linkages.

Noting that mapping the market was one of the first

things done in designing the programme to ascertain

the enabling environment, Dr. Scott reiterated that

farmers organizations need public and private sector

support to facilitate such an environment.

He said the agencies that are involved in fostering

that enabling environment for the St. Lucia project asfollows:

The Caribbean Policy Development Centre,which has assisted in policy and brand

development;

ECTAD, through Mr. Jethro Greene, has beenresponsible for production planning (the farmers

counterpart, which is the extension system);

The private sector involvement through a retired banker, who is responsible for enterprise

development; and a buffer fund, which allows

farmers to be paid almost immediately;

WINFA is responsible for organizationaldevelopment and gender issues, ensuring that

women and men get equal benefits from each

initiative.

Dr. Scott said the wider community in St. Lucia and

other CARICOM countries could benefit from the

programme because as long as one is able to

demonstrate a sustainable model, it could be

replicated and adopted across the region. In this

regard, Oxfam has begun working with the Jamaica

Agriculture Society (JAS) and the Jamaica SocialInvestment Fund on a six month pilot, which is

basically collecting the data doing some capacity

building that is going to help to influence the design

of a much bigger programme which the World Bank

is going to fund with the Jamaica Social Investment

Fund.

Dr. Scott said the Saint

Lucia programme has

focused on building

farmer capacity,thereby, making

farmers aware of

market standards and

how to improve their

respective operations.

Denise Ramdatt, Consultant, Jamaica Agriculture Society,

will oversee the replication of the project in Jamaica


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Exploring Agro-processing possibilitiesThe unique agricultural produce of the Caribbean

region have the potential for supplying a multibilliondollar value added agro processing industry that is

almost virginal. This fact was highlighted by Allister

Glean, Institutional Support Manager of the Trinidad

and Tobago Agribusiness Association (TTABA)/

CABA Secretariat).

Mr. Glean said TTABA is involved in a government

funded programme called the National Agribusiness

Development Programme, which is aimed at

repositioning agriculture, thereby changing the way

the government sees agriculture and addressing

policy issues, restructuring the sector, organizing

farmers groups and expanding the sector on value

added, agro entertainment.

TTABA comprises all the key stakeholders in the

agriculture industry in Trinidad and Tobago

including exporters, the supermarkets association,hotel, restaurants, consumer rights groups, the

Ministry of Agriculture, agro processors, financiers

and the Agriculture Development Bank of Trinidad

and Tobago. TTABA also works along with key

institutions such as CARDI and the University of the

West Indies in research and development as well as

the Agricultural Society of Trinidad and Tobago in

advocacy.

Glean said the second component of the programme

is value added production processing, which is

regarded as TTABAs core strength. He displayed

packets of cassava cubes that are used in the school

feeding programme and indicated that TTABA

intends to export the cassava cubes as well as sweet

potato and cassava fries. The value added products

are being introduced to children through the school

feeding programme based on the belief that once they

acquire the taste for the products, the consumption of

these produce will be increased in the long term.

Our motto is: we

put your health

first. So, were

looking to provide

low calorie

products, high

fibre foods that

will really benefit

the consumer.

According to Glean, TTABA has done a lot of

research on the cassava industry in Trinidad and is

looking to introduce new varieties; it intends to work

with CARDI to address the coconut red palm and is

involved in introducing new breeds of rabbits into

Trinidad and Tobago.

He, however, acknowledged that shortage of

agricultural workers is a key issue in Trinidad and

Tobago. Efforts are being made to source labour from

other countries in the region, particularly Guyana.

TTABA is also working with greenhouse producers

in Tobago, to move their industry forward. TTABA

is also trying to share its experience around the

region. Mr. Glean made an open offer to collaborate

with all interested parties from across the region.

We can get stuff done. Its the premise from which

TTABA operates.


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Mt. St. George Farmers AssociationBy Orwin Dillon, Trinidad and Tobago

The Mt. St. George Farmers Association is seeking to

streamline its members/ farmers in the tourism

sector.

A few years earlier, members from the association

visited the Bellevue Farmers Cooperative in Saint

Lucia and based on advice and recommendations

from that cooperative, they returned to Tobago and

joined forces with the Travel Foundation.

Together, they implemented an Adopt a Farmer

Programme through which the Mt. St. George

Farmers Association established links with eleven

hotels on the island to supply goods directly to those

hotels through the Travel Foundation programme.

The farmers received training in good agricultural

practices under the programme, and as a result of the

demand for some of the vegetables they were able to

establish two greenhouses to enhance the production

of vegetables on the island. Using two schools as a

pilot project, they got into herbs and spices. All herbs

that are produced by those schools are sold directly

to the hotel and the returns go back directly to the

school. There was enough money made at one school

to establish a library.

Land tenure and labour are currently the major

challenges facing Tobago farmers.

L-R Ramon Marks and Owin Dillon

Meanwhile, Ramon Marks, Advisor to the Secretary

of Agriculture, Division of Agriculture in the Tobago

House of Assembly (THA) pointed to a number of

initiatives being done in Tobago to protect theagriculture sector from the global changes in trade

and the financial crisis as well as the oil collapse.

Marks disclosed that the THA is engaged in activities

to improve condition for the development of

agriculture in Tobago. We are now in a MOU with

Columbia, with regard to moving the yield on

cassava to 30 tonnes an acre with the possibility of

going up to 50 tonnes an acre and then go to 150

tonnes an acre, which is beyond our imagination.

North East

Farmers

Organisation Inc.

By Evans Gooding, GrenadaThe North East Farmers

Organization Inc. has a

strategy for strengthening the livelihood of its

members; that of assisting farmers to run their farms

as a business. Established in 1980, it experienced a

lull, but was resuscitated in 2005 after Hurricane Ivan

and had its constitution approved in 2007.

The organization has 40 members from five

communities in the St. Georges North East Area.

They produce vegetables, herbs, spices, fruit crops

and livestock. And the organization is encouraging

its members to specialize in order to meet specific

market needs.

It does bulk purchasing of fertilizers and manures

and farmers share experiences and hold periodicdemonstrations for other members of the group. The

organization has an arrangement with telephone

company Digicel for cheap unlimited telephone use

for members, and the group is also seeking funding

for a number of developmental areas including

establishing a Website, obtaining tractors and tillers

to cut labour costs.


13/16

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continued from page 3

Seidler, listed improvements that value chains could

impact small farmers such as the formation of

farmers associations, annual crop planning,

implementing advanced production technology,

applying more organized means of obtaining agri

inputs and post harvest management. He explained

that small vegetable shops were established in India

that directly supplied institutions such as hospitals,

hostels and canteens, while also operating as little

booths in the high population density areas.

You have similar booths in many Caribbean cities

conveniently located near housing areas. The weight

is reliable. The prices are fixed so the consumer

knows the price is fair and theres a complete

range of products under one roof. So, this is the typeof linkage fairly small, clean and has a range of

vegetables well presented at fixed prices and the

quality is assured.

Seilder contended that the implementation of the

value chain creates a difference in the ordinary

farmers lives and highlighted expanding markets

and prices as well as the development of new skills,

especially in the Caribbean, where people are

becoming more sophisticated and developed, and

require value added products. Another important

change is that lead firms of chains are willing to reachout to small and medium size suppliers.

Additionally, buyers (firms) identify and help

develop the capabilities required to compete. Buyers

or commercial service providers also provide service

in the development of value chains, helping famers

improve their knowledge of commercial agriculture

and have improved capacity to provide quality

products in a timely manner as they engage in

production planning based on market requirements.

Supply based production is risky and not profitable.Production must be market led as consumer today

want quality, reliability and safe products. What was

sold to the consumer in the Caribbean or anywhere

ten years ago, will not sell today. Another important

change would be coordination and joint action,

especially in the smaller Caribbean islands, so as to

overcome diseconomies of scale and improved

logistics management.

Seidler pointed to the need for alignment of vision

and high level of cooperation, trust and commitment;contractual relationships which are mutually

beneficial rather than adversarial. There must be

realistic and transparent appraisals and distribution

of costs, benefits and contingencies, information

sharing among partners, relationship facilitation and

conflict resolution. Producer capacity for negotiating

and understanding contracts is also a factor to

consider, along with producer guarantee systems for

compliance with the value chain requirements.

Bammann in concurring with Seidler said these

changes would ultimately lead to well functioning

farmers organizations and cooperatives as partners,

intermediaries, capacity builders and service

providers under Business Models that cause small

farmers to be increasingly tied to markets and agro-

industries through business linkages and alliances

with each other and with other value chain

stakeholders.

It was indicated that although there are many models

of business linkages, three are relevant for small

farmers:1. Producer organization model in which the

farmers market produce themselves;

2. Buyer driven in which the exporter is drivingthe producer for supplies and takes care of the

arrangements;

3. Intermediary model extension servicesprovided to farmers with information sharing

linked to buyers.

Bammann suggested that the workshop participants

and farmers organizations should consider the

following factors: How to better link farmers to markets Most appropriate models for business linkages What can a farmers organization do What should a farmers organization not do The required skills for better service provision Action plans for capacity at the regional,

national and local levels.


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BACKGROUND...

CaFAN is a bottom up legally registered Non-

Governmental Organisation that is practical and action-

oriented, with its members directly involved in market

access, production of fruits, root-crops and vegetables for

the local, tourism and export markets, Agro-processingand Value Addition, and Organic Farming.

CaFAN was initiated by farmers organisations across the

Caribbean in 2002, in a response to the poor

representation of farmers in the agriculture sector. CaFAN

was mandated to speak on behalf of its membership and

to develop programs and projects aimed at improving

livelihoods and address market led sustainable

mechanisms and structures working in collaboration with

all stakeholders in the agriculture sector to the strategic

advantage of its farmers.

FOCUS

CaFANS major focus is to link Caribbean farmers so that

they are in a better position to face key challenges, with a

view of coming up with feasible proposals for solutions at

the national and regional levels.

MEMBERSHIP

Membership of CaFAN is open to farmers associations in

countries of the Caribbean region. To date, the following

countries have participated in activities of CaFAN:

Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize,

Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts/Nevis; St

Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname and

Trinidad & Tobago.

EXECUTIVE MEMBERS

Chairman: Senator Norman Grant, JamaicaAgriculture Society (JAS), Jamaica

Chief Coordinator/Secretary: Jethro Greene,Eastern Caribbean Trading Agriculture and

Development Organisation (ECTAD), St. Vincent and

the Grenadines

Director: James Paul, Barbados Agriculture Society(BAS), Barbados

Director: Dhano Sookoo, Agricultural Society ofTrinidad and Tobago(ASTT), Trinidad and Tobago

Technical Assistance: Claudette de Freitas, CaribbeanAgriculture Research and Development Institute

(CARDI), Trinidad and Tobago

Government and Private Sector in

Support of Agriculture (Continued from page 2)

President of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Chamber of industry and Commerce, Mr. AngusSteele contended in his address that when one

considers all the backward and forward linkages in

the commodity chain, agricultures contribution to

national development is paramount. According to

him, agriculture contributes significantly to

fundamental aspects of development such as,

national food security, national social stability and

environmental protection.

The Chamber is pleased to embrace its greater social

responsibility in playing a more dynamic andstrategic role in the promotion of prosperity in the

agricultural sector.

Hon. Dr. Douglas Slater, Minister of Health and the

Environment, stated that one cannot properly talk

about agriculture without involving the Minister of

Health and the Environment. Both the Ministry of

Agriculture and the Ministry of Health fully

supported ECTADs nine month pilot project,

Linking Agriculture to Health and Nutrition,

which was launched in 2007.

We all need to work together. Our government

recognizes this and we have been working with the

Ministry of Agriculture, the private sector, the

farmers to try and respond to the needs and the

developments in the agriculture sector. The

Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines is

fully supportive of ECTAD and its work and will

continue to work along with it and the other

organizations including the Chamber of Commerce.

Opposition leader in the House of Parliament, Hon.Arnhim Eustace noted that he attended the

ceremony as a farmer. Vincentian farmers have the

relevant skill to contribute more to the national

economy and the time has come for agricultural

diversification to be taken much more seriously than

has been done in the past, Eustace said.


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Caribbean Farmers NetworkC/o Eastern Caribbean Trading Agriculture

and Development Organization (ECTAD)

P.O. Box 827, Beachmont

Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

[email protected] or [email protected]

www.caribbeanfarmers.org

Tel: (784) 453-1004 Fax: (784) 453-1239

This document has been produced with the financial assistance of the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural

Cooperation (CTA-ACP-EU)

However, the views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of CTA

cafan newsletter agrivybz 5

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