cafan newsletter agrivybz issue no. 11

8/7/2019 CaFAN Newsletter Agrivybz issue no. 11

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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, S. Rose-Richards & R. Penny | Design & Layout: CaFAN Secretariat

Fruit Logistica and Freshconex Trade Fairs (in Germany)

A team from the Caribbean regioncomprising Mr. Jethro Greene, ChiefCoordinator of the Caribbean FarmersNetwork (CaFAN); Mr. Lafeale Enoka,Marketing Officer of the Food and

Agriculture Organization of the UnitedNations Trinidad and Tobago; and Dr.Vivian Moise, President of the NationalIsland Pineapple Producers Association inDominica attended the 2011 Fruit Logisticaheld in Messe Berlin, Germany fromFebruary 9-11, 2011.

Mr. Greene in his report of the visit said thatmost countries of the world wererepresented except the English speakingCaribbean. He said the Dominican Republicwas represented at this massive food fair,which provides scope for doing business.

He also said that emphasis was placed ontrading in fresh produce, which jogged hismind to appreciate that while value additionis great, people ultimately appreciate thatthe fresher the product, the healthier theproduct. This concept was pushed at thefair.

He reiterated that there is a massive marketfor fresh, healthy produce. He also

emphasized that when value is added to the produce to cover up for spoilage, etc., it is morea commercial exercise. He said people are increasingly pushing for healthy produce.

Fruit Logistica is an international trade exhibition showcasing a range of fresh produce fromacross the world and is considered a leader of its kind. The exhibition provides opportunityfor international exhibitors to benefit and interact with customers and manufacturers of freshproduce across the globe with over two thousand companies participating.

The Teams participation was made possible through funding provided by the Italy fundedPromoting CARICOM/CARIFORUM Food Security Project. The project is the Caribbeancomponent of FAOs General Trust Fund for Food Security (GTFS).

CaNewsle

Issu

IN THIS ISSUE

FAO support to FO in thePacific and the Caribbeanregions

FAO UK market tour ..

Marketing Advisor visitsCaFAN ..

Value Chain Development

Policy

Top-Soil.

ASTT held its 172nd AnnuaGeneral Meeting ...

ECTAD Attracting Farmers increased markets ....

Gender and RuralEmpowerment...

21st Brussels Development

Briefing

Lobbying politicians..

CaFAN & CARICOM ..

CaFAN meets COLEACP..

Prominent Disasters...........

NEFOs Update ...

Internship Reflection ..

and M

Below: L-R: Dr. Moise, Mr. Enoka & Mr. GreeneAbove: Mr. Greene outside the Messe Berlin

where the trade fair took place


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AGRIVYBZ is the official Newsletter ublication of the Caribbean Farmers Network CaFAN

FAO support to FO in thePacific and the Caribbean regionsSince early 2008, the Rural Infrastructure and Agro-Industries Division ofFAO (AGS) has, under the EU AAACP agricultural commodities project,been implementing a programme of work in 15 countries in Africa, Pacificand Caribbean countries (ACP) to pilot test an inclusive business modelsapproach. In Small Island Development States (SIDS) the work focuses onstrengthening the business and management capacities of farmersorganisations in the Pacific and in the Caribbean, with national activities inGrenada, Guyana, Jamaica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. In theCaribbean the work is carried out in collaboration with the Italian-fundedCARICOM/CARIFORUM regional programme for food security, which isbased in Trinidad. This project supports work in Barbados, Belize, Dominica,Jamaica, and Saint Lucia. This article provides a summary of the inclusivebusiness models approach and describes what has been done to date andfuture activities towards the conclusion of the project at the end of 2011.

The aim of the approach is to support the prioritization of activities thatcontribute to more effective business relationships between small farmers(the suppliers) and small, medium or large agribusinesses (the buyers). Theapproach includes a diagnostic appraisal to understand how business is or isnot being carried out and focus group meetings to identify the successfactors critical for improving commercial ties between suppliers and buyers.The identification of the critical success factors guide the actors in theprioritization of activities, which can be financed by the actors themselves orby donors, projects or government funding.

There are many models of business (or market) linkages, some driven byproducers, some by buyers and some supported by intermediaries, including

NGOs. The business model critically impacts on how value is created,captured or shared by farmers and other value chain actors. For sustainedand equitable inclusion of smaller scale farmers into modern markets,improved market coordination and intermediation, business support andfinancial services, understanding of buyer behaviour, and enabling policiesand infrastructure are required.

Under the EU AAACP project the approach intends to enable farmerorganizations to appraise not only how they are doing business andinteracting with buyers and agro-processors but also to identify ways toimprove their own management and organisational structure, and to identifyupgrading strategies to improve their performance and market linkages. Thegeneral objective is to assist in the conversion of farmer organizations intomore formal business entities that operate on a cost-recovery basis andprovide business support services and advice on farm management andmarketing to member farmers.

In the Pacific the focus crops are fruit and vegetables for the high-enddomestic market, i.e. supermarket and the hospitality industry and forbranded exports into niche markets. Business is driven by buyers, with thefarmers organisations being the facilitator of marketing and providingsupport services to both, farmers and buyers.

continues on page 15

Editors NoteTheCaribbean Farmers Network(CaFAN) is pleased to present toyou its newsletter publication;

Agrivybz issue number 11.

This issue of Agrivybz featuresarticles on CaFANs latest activitiesduring the past four months fromNovember 2010 to February 2011.It also highlights activities ofCaFANs member organisations atthe national level includingactivities implemented by CaFANsmembers involved in the Food andAgriculture Organization of theUnited Nations (FAO), EU All ACP

Agricultural CommoditiesProgramme.

The beginning of 2011 has alsobrought new opportunities for thenetwork including the most recentengagement between CaFAN andCOLEACP/PIP.

CaFAN has also been at theforefront of the drafting ofCARICOM policies, namely theRegional Food and Nutrition Policy(RFNS) and the CARICOM

Community Agricultural Policy(CAP).

CaFAN is pleased with theemphasis being placed on thefarming community at the centre ofagricultural development and willcontinue to work with itsdevelopment partners for thesustainable development of theAgriculture Sector.

We now invite you to explore this

issue of Agrivybz with us and weencourage you to send us yourcomments and feedbacks.

Happy Reading!

Nyasha DurrantAdministrative/Project Officer

CaFAN


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FAO sponsored UK market tourMr. Jethro Greene, ECTAD/CaFANChief Coordinator took theopportunity to visit the markets inEngland where he spoke to severalof ECTADs traditional buyers. Hespoke to some of them in thecompany of Mr. John Soler, theECTAD/CaFAN MarketRepresentative in the UK andEurope.Mr. Greene observed that thetraditional Caribbean produce yams, dasheen, eddoes are not soldby Caribbean people but primarily by(Indians) Asians; secondly, they are

just selling the produce dasheenand eddoes - and not marketingthem. According to Greene, they justengage in a routine of collecting theproduce and selling them very muchin the manner of the higgler situationof the regional markets.

He feels that in the light of recentinformation that has been madeavailable that the Caribbeanproducers, including ECTAD/CaFAN,need to promote and brand theirproduce to become visible as asustainable niche producer on themarket.

He said some supermarkets carryCaribbean produces, particularly intheir ethnic section. He, however,observed that sweet potato andginger have crossed over into themainstream market.

He said buyers have indicated to himthat Caribbean produce generallyhave richer tastes than produce from

other parts of the world. Like you

use less fertilizer its a richerproduct. And they have encouraged

us to develop a Caribbean SmallFarmers Brand.

Mr. Greene further said that there isencouraging demand for redskin/yellow flesh sweet potato on theUK market and he has been advisedto develop a market and a brand forthe variety grown in St. Vincent andthe Grenadines (SVG), which isacclaimed to cook better and slicesbetter than those from NorthAmerica. Greene said similar

varieties of the North American typesweet potato are grown in Jamaicaand Brazil but people prefer the tasteof SVG sweet potato, andadditionally, it has similar nutritionalcontent as the others.

Mr. Greene said China poses thegreatest competition on the UKginger market. He said the Chineseare also competitive with the samevariety of eddoes as grown byVincentian farmers. He speculatedthat the cultivars must have been

obtained from St. Vincent or Costa

Rica because thats not real,traditional Chinese product.

He also surmised that the Chineseare selling on the market and oncethe Chinese are on to something, itmeans the market will expand. Headded that he was informed by theChinese that eddoes are better andmore versatile than English potato fora variety of recipes.

Mr. Greene feels that despite thehighly competitive nature of theChinese, the economic boom of thatcountry would cause it to realign itscurrency in parity with internationalsystems, which would make theirproduce more expensive moremarket oriented. He said right now,much of the Chinese produce aresold at government subsidized pricesand that cant go on for much longer.

There are a number of persons, whowould like to purchase Caribbeanproduce but Greene thinks it wouldbe prudent not to have too manypersons buying Caribbean produce

for distribution.

Sweet Potatoes Gin er Eddoes Dasheen and Yams


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CaFAN/ECTAD Marketing Advisor visits St. Vincent

Mr. John Soler, born in England has been marketingproduce in Europe for forty-seven years. He entered theCaribbean region over twenty years ago and wasappointed the Managing Director of the CaribbeanTrading Company Ltd (CATCO), which was adevelopmental organization funded by the EuropeanCommunity in partnership with the governments of

CARICOM.

Speaking at ECTAD National Stakeholders PlanningWorkshop in late November 2010, Soler noted thatCATCO was able to develop a brand and a market forthe whole of the Caribbean, which was quite successfulin its day. Unfortunately, when the European Unionsmonies were expended, the governments of CARICOMdecided to discontinue CATCO. He said that Jamaicawas never part of that regional initiative, and thus theJamaican producers had developed their own marketsand had their own shipping line and their bananabusiness. Today, Jamaica still has their market share but

the rest of the region has lost theirs.

Mr. Soler said that over the last five years, he has beenworking with ECTAD and has made serious efforts atreclaiming a share of that market for Vincentian farmersthat was once lost during the CATCO period.

Mr. Soler also said that in December 2009 to January2010, he did a market study in the UK which was fundedby FAO for ECTAD and based on his study ECTAD is

now competing with Uganda and China, because theyare producing the same products. In the same sensethat there is an expatriate Caribbean community in

Europe that purchases Caribbean produce, there arepockets of populations from Uganda and China that aredemanding the same produce. He recommended thatECTAD should strive to work consistently to produce abrand image that appeals to the African population livingin those markets abroad in its efforts for continuedmarket growth.

He said that looking back in history after the SecondWorld War, European countries that were devastatedturned to agriculture in order to employ the masses.Such cases as Italy, France and Spain becameexporters of agricultural produce. In that same way theCaribbean has to turn to agriculture and help redevelopand branch out into other markets since the benefits willtrickle into other sectors of the economy.

Mr. Soler reiterated that it has taken twenty years sinceCATCO for this type of funding to come back to theregion ,and if ECTAD and other Caribbean farmers donot use this opportunity, they may have to wait another20 years before it comes again.

Following the meeting, Mr. Soler was taken out into thefields to examine production of dasheen, sweet potatoesand eddoes. Mr. Solers visit was part of the supportprovided to ECTAD under the EU AAACP through FAO.

In February 2011 during the UK Market tour, Mr. Greenewas accompanied by Mr. Soler.

Photo: Mr. John Soler speaking at ECTAD NationalStakeholders planning workshop November 2010

Photo: Mr. John Soler in a field of dasheen during his visit


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Value Chain Policy StudyCreating a Conducive Policy Environment for Value Chain Development

The globalization of the agri food sector has placed anincreased emphasis on the need to promote integrated

development of value chains within non-traditional freshfood industries in the Caribbean. Firms and producerswithin these industries must compete with firms andindustries across the globe, especially in light of trendsin the agri food sector which emphasize thecompetitiveness of industries and not just individualfirms.

Therefore, Governments have a key role to play inpromoting efficient and competitive industries by creatingthe enabling environment that allows for promotion,development and integration of value chains, especiallyfor the fresh produce sector which is dominated by small

producers.

In light of these trends, the Italian funded, FAO managedCARICOM/CARIFORUM Food Security Project, incollaboration with the CARICOM SecretariatsAgriculture Development Unit, will be embarking on astudy to assess the impact of regional and nationalpolicies on seven value chains, five of which are beingpromoted by this project and two under the EU All ACPAgricultural Commodities Project for the followingcountries and commodities:

(i) Barbados- Onion; (ii) Belize- Hot Pepper; (iii)Dominica- Pineapple ; (iv) Jamaica- Ackee; (v) St.Lucia- Salad Fruits; (vi) St. Vincent and the

Grenadines- Root Crops; (vii) Trinidad and Tobago-NAMDEVCO/ IICA Hot Pepper Chain

The study will analyze the regional and national policyenvironment in which the value chains operate andassess the effectiveness of existing policies and howthey foster the development and competitiveness ofthese chains. Recommendations will be made on how topromote a value chain approach to policy developmentthat is multisectoral, participatory and specific toindustries.

In addition, recommendations will also be made on

specific interventions which Government can use topromote greater efficiencies and integration in the valuechains under examination and utilize these tools in policydevelopment for other industries in the agrifood sector.Mechanisms for effective and ongoing dialogue betweenproducers and Government will also be included, giventhe critical role that both can play in the development ofvalue chains, especially in the Caribbean.

Small producers, farmers organizations/groups andfirms within value chains will also be able to utilize these

results to inform themselves on how to engageGovernments in policy dialogue for their specific

industries and value chain needs and thereby strengthentheir capacity for increased advocacy at the policy levelwith Government.

The study will be undertakenby the projects newlyrecruited Agribusiness/ValueChain consultant Mrs. StacyRose-Richards, who hasexperience in agriculturalpolicy development at thenational level and also at theregional level where she is a

part of the Technical WorkingGroup that developed theRegional Food and NutritionSecurity Policy. Mrs. Rose-Richards is based at the

CAFN Secretariat in St. Vincent and the Grenadineswhere she also provides support to CAFNs activities.

Top Soil; Towards A RegionalValue Chain Talk Show

The Marketing and National Importing Board (MNIB) and

the Grenada Broadcasting Network (GBN) is currentlyhosting a successful weekly call-in live talk show calledTopSoil which features agriculture issues and isdistributed in Grenada by radio and around the world byinternet. The current host of the talk show is Mr.Roderick St. Clair, Marketing Officer of the MNIB,Grenada.

The GTFS Project promotes the adoption of a valuechain approach and plans to partner with CaFAN todevelop Top Soil into a regional talk show programme,hosted by GBN and CaFAN. The programme willfeature Caribbean ago-food value chains. The regional

value chain talk show will project insights into the valuechain approach and related agribusiness tools. Thetalks will pay special attention to the role of FarmersOrganizations in supporting the development ofcompetitive value chains.

TopSoil is already addressing many of the issues at theearly part of the value chain the producers and theimplementation of this value chain radio program willaddress the rest of the chain thus complementing eachother.

Mrs. Stacey Rose-Richards


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ASTTs172nd Annual General Meeting

The Agricultural Society of Trinidad and Tobago held its172

ndAnnual General Meeting on Sunday 23

rdJanuary,

2011. The meeting was addressed by the HonourableMinister of Food Production, Senator Vasant Bharath. Itwas represented by members of CARDI, ADB, TTABA,and IICA, along with other corporate partners of ASTTincluding its farmers.

Mrs. Dhano Sookoo, President of ASTT addressed thegathering and extended warm greetings. She said that2010 was a year that had many defining moments thatbrought the Society new challenges, new opportunitiesand new rays of hope, dreams and directions. Shealso said that 2010 did not allow for reflection, but rathermoments for timely decision making and aggressiveactions that demanded a different kind of leadership; onethat had to be effective enough to create and advocatefor new opportunities for the farmers to function.

During her address, she highlighted the variousinitiatives undertaken by the Society which were built

upon from previous initiatives of 2009. Among theprojects she highlighted were:

An irrigation project to provide water to various

farms Agriculture Access Roads Program

Citrus program

Cocoa Rehabilitation Program Honey Bee Starter Colony program Goat and Sheep Rearing and Sharing Program

Pre-school agriculture program

She thanked all supporters and staff of ASTT includingher family and encouraged the gathering to continueworking together to support the positive progressivepathway that ASTT has built.

Mrs. Sookoo ended her address by saying, Let ustogether forge ahead, let us break new grounds, let ustogether create a viable and sustainable agriculturesector for the people of this great country T&T. May Godbless all of you and your families.

ASTT Board of Management for 2011

Mrs. Dhano Sookoo President

Mr. Jenson Alexander Vice President

Cocoa Representatives

Mr. Roger Lashley Mr. Ethan Benjamin

Mr. Juman Mohammed Mr. Mahadeo RambharoseMr. Leon Granger Mrs. Elizabeth Mohammed

Ali

Mr. Samuel Baptiste Mr. Krishendath Sooknanan

Sugar Representatives

Mr. Khemraj Singh Mr. Lawrence Lalla

Mrs. Dhanmatie Singh Mr. Nawaz Karim

Mr. John Ribeiro Mr. Krishna Balgobin

Mr. Dalchan Singh Mr. Hansraj Ramlal

Other Industries

Mr. Reeza Feeraz Khan Management Services

Mrs. Cheryl RoachBenn

Livestock

Mr. Anderson Sam Youth Training Services/Small Agribusiness

Mr. Ramdeo Boondoo Root Crops

Mr. Richard Sankar Education

Mr. Orwin Dillon Tobago Representative

Mr. Richard Singh Rice

Mr. Milton Algernon Rabbit Production

Mrs. Dhano Sookoo, President of ASTT


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ECTAD Farmers and

Stakeholders workshop

Coordinated production for export marketing was one of

the main issues discussed at the Eastern CaribbeanTrading Agriculture and Development Organisations(ECTAD) National Stakeholders Planning Workshop thattook place in November 2010. The three day workshopbrought together stakeholders from the variousagriculture institutions in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,including representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture,IICA, Bureau of Standards, Chamber of Industry andComments, ECTAD Directors and ECTAD farmers todevelop an action plan to guide and strengthen ECTADsmarketing programme.

Lack of markets and marketing information were mainchallenges identified by farmers and it was explainedthat through the support of the Food and AgricultureOrganisation of the United Nations under the EuropeanUnion All ACP Agricultural Commodities Programme,ECTAD has visited the UK market and have met withbuyers who are willing to purchase from ECTAD. Notonly that, but through CaFAN, ECTAD farmers willbenefit from a regional marketing programme.

At the National Stakeholders Planning Workshop which

was held at the SVG Chamber of Industry andCommerce Conference Room, ECTAD also used theopportunity to introduce the six part-time field officersfunded under the EU AAACP. The six field officers havebeen assigned to different zones and will work directlywith farmers to, but not limited to the following:

Collect farm data such as the crops currentlyunder production, acreage planted and dateplanted and

Assist farmers with record keeping

ECTAD Attracting Farmers

for increased markets(ECTAD holds successful zonal meetings)

ECTAD has held six area workshops in six key zones inSt. Vincent and the Grenadines between December2010 and early January 2011 which was aimed atproviding key production and marketing information tofarmers as part of its ongoing marketing programme.

At an ECTAD workshop which was help in August 2010,ECTAD identified seven key crops for target marketswhich were eddoes, dasheen, sweet potatoes, yams,ginger, pineapples, and plantains. These crops werediscussed at the zonal workshops and farmers wereasked to indicate their level of interest for which cropsthey think they have the capacity of producing.

There were over one hundred and fifty farmers whoattended the one day meetings from over fifteen villagesin the country; forty percent was estimated to be femalesand sixty percent males.

Some of the topics that were discussed were:1. Working together in partnership to achieve the

same goal2. Production and marketing issues from the farm

levels3. The importance of record keeping4. Forming groups and clusters,

A significant key result of the workshops was that offostering an appreciation of agriculture as a business bypositioning the farmers to start acting as seriousbusiness farmers.

The main presentations were made by Jethro Greene,Chief Coordinator of ECTAD, and the arearepresentatives for the different zones.

At the end of the workshop, several small groups wereformed as village clusters and several farmers indicatedtheir interest in growing specific crops as part ofECTADs marketing programme.

The National Stakeholders Planning Workshop, Zonalworkshops and part-time field officers are part of a Letterof Agreement signed in September 2010 for a period ofsix months between ECTAD and the Food andAgriculture Organisation for the United Nations (FAO)under the European Union, All ACP AgriculturalCommodities Programme (EU AAACP). The project alsoprovided for ECTAD to update its Cost of Productionmanual and develop a Record Keeping Booklet and setup a database of its farmers.

Participants at the ECTAD Stakeholders Workshop


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Gender and Rural Empowerment, El Salvador

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UnitedNations (FAO-UN) and the International Fund forAgricultural Development (IFAD) held a regional StudyTour on Gender and Rural Empowerment from January24-29 2011 in El Salvador, Central America.

The main objectives of the Study Tour were:a) To create conditions to allow a satisfactory level

of coordination among actors;b) To acquire knowledge and abilities that support

skill development to strengthen theimplementation of the gender relationships andthe empowerment of women and men in buildinga social space that nurtures life and provides along-term horizon.

It was designed to help participants learn from the

experiences of families in El Salvador and morespecifically:

a) To understand the social organisation and legal-administrative structure of the organisationsvisited, its goals and objectives in addressingmen and women empowerment to improve theirlivelihoods and life expectancy.

b) To observe the organisations strength due towomen and men participation in leadershipbodies and of the different production,marketing, and sales phases.

The first day of the Study Tour catered for presentationsfrom representatives of El Salvador and Guatemala whowere involved in rural development projects with a focuson gender empowerment. There were also three fieldvisits where participants were given the opportunity tomeet and talk with selected persons in the ruralcommunities who have received assistance from IFAD(FIDA) to empower their rural communities and familylife.

Ms. Nyasha Durrant represented CaFAN and said thepeople of El Salvador especially those we visited in therural villages received us warmly and answered our

many questions. The main challenge was the languagebarrier because the Tour was done in Spanish and wehad to depend on translators. Despite this, I learned alot, which not only included empowering women, butempowering the community and rural villages to worktogether to create gender balance that will advance thecommunity and create opportunities for employment andincome generation.

Other participants from the Caribbean region were fromGrenada, Guyana, Suriname and Belize. Each country

representative was asked to present on their respectivenational projects with either FAO or IFAD which wasdone during the last day of the Study Tour.

The tour was coordinated and facilitated by Mrs. MarcelaBallara and Mr. Timoteo Lopez, while logistics were byMs. Guadalupe Torres.

Caribbean Agro-links

Forum, St. Kitts & Nevis

As part of the Caribbean AGrolinks Project, headed byMs Telojo Onu (Team Leader), a two day

forum/conference was held at the St. Kitts & NevisMarriot and Casino resort from the 27th-28

thJanuary,

2011 under the theme, More Markets to Tap WhileBridging the GaP. A total of seventy-eight participantswere in attendance from throughout the Caribbean, LatinAmerica and Europe.

The main objectives of the forum/conference included(1) improving support services to companies in the Agro-industry supply chain, (2) improving public-privatedialogue, (3) assist in providing proper marketinformation services, (4) facilitating Networking betweenand amongst different Agro Industry Stakeholders (ValueChain Participants) to support Strategic Alliances andencourage Trade, (5) strengthening the link betweenR&D, Innovation and Service Development in Agricultureand Agro-processing, (6) raising awareness on Agro-Services in contributing to value creation in supportingTrade, and (7) improving Quality Standards and FoodSafety and supporting the development of Agro-IndustryCertification

There were presentations made on topics that includedTechnical and Funding Assistance Program for SmallMedium Enterprises (SMEs) A donor prospective,Agro Food Industry EU market consumer trends &buyers purchasing consideration for imports into the

EU, Agro Food Industry Value Chain Management forservice Orientation, Strategic Service Planning toGrant Proposal Writing. Speakers included Dr. BeverlyMorgan, CEO of the Competitiveness Company(Jamaica), Dr. Andre Gordon of TCL Jamaica Ltd, Mrs.Agnes Chisek, CEO of SINECORPS and Mrs. JaneMilton of Food Industry Expert (UK).

The workshop was attended by CaFAN membersincluding Ms. Sustang Fergus of the CaFAN Secretariat.


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Market-Oriented AgriculturalExtension regional workshop

Mr. Roderick St. Clair, CaFAN Technical Volunteer andMarketing officer of the Marketing and National Importing

Board of Grenada, represented CaFAN at a FAOsponsored workshop on Market-Oriented AgriculturalExtension. The purpose of the workshop (which is oneof a series that FAO (AGS) is organizing around theworld) is to alert those in charge of governmentagricultural extension services of the need to strengthensupport being provided to farmers in areas such asmarketing and agribusiness. As part of the workshop,participants were expected to prepare outline designs forprojects in their own countries to address these issues.

The meeting was organized by CARDI on behalf of FAOand took place in Trinidad and Tobago from February 1-

3, 2011.

Towards a Regional MIS

Miss Nyasha Durrant of the CaFAN Secretariatrepresented CaFAN at a CARICOM/UNCTAD/CARDIworkshop on the Establishment of a RegionalAgricultural Market Intelligence System andDevelopment of a Sustainability Claims Portal for theCaribbean which took place from February 15-17 at theHilton Trinidad and Conference Centre.

Several presentations were made which included sharedCaribbean experiences in the implementing of MarketingIntelligence Systems (MIS). More specifically theNational Agricultural MIS of Trinidad and Jamaica werelooked at, including lessons learnt from the recentlyfailed Caribbean Agribusiness Market Intelligence andDevelopment Network (CAMID).

Representatives from (UNCTAD) United Nations Centrefor Trade and Agricultural Development also made apresentation of their MIS software called INFOSHARE,and the Sustainable Claims Portal.

Following group assignments, it was agreed that a

Technical Working Group comprising selectedparticipants and other interested organisations will meetin two months to formulate the inputs from theparticipants into a regional strategy for the way forward.

Other CaFAN members - Keeley Holder (Barbados),Roderick St. Clair (Grenada), Steve Mangal (Guyana),CPGCA-Jamaica, Vincentia Fatal (St. Lucia), GerdaBeckles (Suriname) and Mohamed Ali (Trinidad) werealso participants.

21st Brussels Development

Briefing on Geopolitics ofFood

Mr. Jethro Greene, Chief Coordinator of CaFANrepresented the organisation at the 21

stBrussels Briefing

on Geopolitics on Food which was held from February 2-3, 2011. Mr. Greene, while speaking with the CaFANSecretariat said the main point he tried to ventilate andcaused the forum to agree on is that the most recentworld food crisis arose from speculators treating food asa commodity like how they treat gold. He highlighted thatfor such a crisis to be avoided in future, agriculture mustbe placed in the hands of farmers and real peoplewhere it becomes something that is too essential for thecapitalist trading block to manipulate.

So, we are talking about countries growing more food,people going back to the land in every aspect fromtown to city and country, that is, people getting anappreciation for agriculture and growing their own food.People must not only depend on farmers. Farmers musttake the lead but others need to support them.

Mr. Greene went on to add that the general acceptanceat the Brussels Briefing was the idea of small farmersand small holders being put at the centre, and the ideaof food security as being important was also wellaccepted.

He said the participants at the briefing accepted a lot ofideas that he put forward and many of the views were inline with others and if CaFAN keeps working with itsallies to guide development assistant in that direction,we should really see positive impact in our agriculture inthe next couple years for sustainability.

The Brussels briefing is organized by CTA in partnershipwith the European Commission, the EU Presidency andthe ACP Ambassadors in Brussels, Concord and otherpartners to discuss key issues and challenges for ruraldevelopment in the context of EU/ACP cooperation.Previous meetings held covered topics such as Aid for

Trade, Fair trade, Climate change, New donors, newdrivers in rural development, the food crisis, Food safetystandards, Food security, Population growth, biodiversityand rural development, Humanitarian assistance anddevelopment, Youth and development (where CaFANwas represented), Financing agriculture, etc.

Please see page 12 for a synopsis of Mr. Greenes(CaFAN) presentation.


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Regional Livelihoods and Disaster Risk Reduction

Workshop

*Oxfam GB has been working for years in the Caribbean region on agriculture development, food security andDisaster Risk Reduction (DRR). Recently, it has recognized the need to integrate them and with the support of the

European Commission, has piloted projects with vegetable farmers in Jamaica, dairy producers and fishermen inHaiti.

*From January 26-28, 2011, Oxfam held a regional livelihoods and disaster risk reduction workshop in MontegoBay Jamaica and provided opportunities for participants to share their experiences and discuss problems andexchange good practices of DRR and small-scale agriculture integration.

(*Source workshop invitation letter)

CaFAN was represented at the meeting by Ms. Renortha Penny, one of its technical volunteers. CaFAN andOxfam have a good working relationship through their market access project which has been successful inallowing farmers organisations in St. Lucia to market fruits and vegetables to the local hotel sector.

CTA Annual Seminar-

South Africa

In November 22-26, 2010, Ms. Renortha Penny, one of

CaFAN technical volunteers represented CaFAN at theTechnical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation(CTA)s annual seminar themed; Closing theKnowledge gap: Integrating Water Management forSustainable Agriculture at the Premier O.R. TamboHotel Johannesburg in South Africa.

Ms. Penny sits as a regional member on CTAs Youth,Agriculture Rural Development and ICT (ARDYISProject) along with Ms. Keeley Holder of Barbados.

The Seminar engaged four simultaneously seminars:Water Availability and Access; Public Policy andInvestment; Water and Society and Knowledge SupportSystems. It brought together over 150 specialists

integrated in water management and related fields frommany ACP countries; representatives were from: NGOs,producer organizations, rural communities, researchers,development organizations, decision-makers, fundingagencies, communication and media specialist,government development organizations, from Central,East, Southern and West Africa, the Caribbean,institutions from the European Union countries andRegional and International Organizations.

In addition to the seminars listed above, CTA alsoengaged young people within ACP countries in an essaycompetition who had innovative ideas to bring agricultureone step into the future and ensuring that its practice isnot just a simple way of life for the people in ruralcommunities but must be portrayed as a viable,profitable and sustainable business. The finalists of thiscompetition were invited to the Annual Seminar andwere asked to present their submissions.

The finalists were very confident while expressing theiropinions and they have all summarized in one voice thatfarmers with information who are able to communicateusing technological networks, are those who are able toprovide facilitating establishments to draw the youngpopulation into Agriculture.

The purpose of ARDYIS is to raise youth awareness andcapacity on agricultural and rural development issues inACP countries through ICTs. More specifically, it willstrengthen the capacities of the youth on ICTs fordevelopment issues, particularly in the agricultural andrural sector and contribute to sensitizing youth on the

questions related to agriculture and rural development inACP countries.

Miss Renortha Penny is second from left with othermembers of ARDYIS


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ECTAD lobbying politicians

In the hype of the December 13th, 2010 GeneralElections in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, ECTADsent letters of well wishes to all party candidates and

informed them of specific areas of concerns within therural agriculture community that ECTAD would like tosee concretely addressed for the benefit of stakeholdersin the agriculture sector by those who will graceParliament in the following five years.

As one of the primary voices representing farmers andfarmers associations in Saint Vincent and theGrenadines, it was necessary for ECTAD to express itsmandate, activities and expectations to all electioncandidates from all three recognized political parties;United Labour Party (ULP), New Democratic Party(NDP) and the Green Party.

The pre-election letter which was dated December 6th,2010 emphasized the need for agriculture to be a toppriority for government. This includes particular focus onfood security, health and nutrition, import substitutionand economic security. ECTAD also described thenecessary links between the agriculture and the tourismand education sectors to ensure domestic economicgrowth by eliminating imports, and a long-term,sustainable work force that thrives on youth enteringfarming. ECTAD also underlined the importance of thegovernments duty to seek meaningful contribution fromthe farming community when conducting annualbudgetary preparations.

In the weeks following the general election, ECTADwrote congratulatory letters to both the ULP and theNDP party leaders and constituency winners, which re-emphasized the points expressed in the prior letter, andexpanded on specific issues that must be considered byall members of government.

In addition to the above mentioned considerations,ECTAD requested that the government review andamend the Produce and Commodity Bill 2006, as well asgrant the organizations members access to underusedpacking and agriculture infrastructure around thecountry. ECTAD also expressed its goal of accruingmore of the value chain for farmers by means ofproduction planning activities, and requested theseefforts be endorsed and supported by the government.

In early January 2011, ECTAD was one of manystakeholders invited to a budget consultation onagriculture with the Prime Minister, the Hon. Dr. Ralph

Gonsalves and top representatives from the Ministry ofAgriculture.

ECTAD is committed to continue its advocacy work withrespect to seeking the support of the Government, inparticular the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry andFisheries.

ECTAD is happy to report that despites Governmentsreluctant in acknowledging NGOs, the Prime Minister ofSt. Vincent and the Grenadines has acknowledgedECTADs role in marketing of roots and tubers on pagenine of the Budget address.

CaFAN & CARICOM working together

The CARICOM Secretariat has recently formulated a Regional Food and Nutrition Security Policy (RFNS) which hasbeen accepted by Heads of Governments at COTED. Mr. Jethro Greene, Chief Coordinator of CaFAN sat on theTechnical Working Group (TWG) Committee which was composed to finalise the policy and which is now in the actionplanning phase.

According to Mr. Greene, CaFAN played a great role in formulating the policy which took a bottom up approach andincluded the farming community and the private sector. He said that CaFAN is currently working with CARICOM toensure that the action plan for the RFNS policy is practical and implementable within the region.

CaFAN was also invited by CARICOM to sit on another Committee geared towards developing a CARICOMCommunity Agricultural Policy (CAP). The CAP has five key pillars, (1) Food and Nutrition Security; (2) ProductionTrade/Value Chain; (3) Sustainable Development of Natural Resources; (4) Rural Modernization and YouthProgrammes and; (5) a Modern Agricultural Knowledge and Information System. The policy document has beendrafted and is currently under discussion before it is finalized.

Mrs. Dhano Sookoo, CaFAN Director also represents CaFAN on CARICOMs Regional Agribusiness Sector andTargeted Commodity Enterprises committee, while Ms. Keeley Holder and Mr. Roderick St. Clair, CaFAN technicalvolunteers are sitting on the Task force of the Regional Marketing Intelligence System (MIS).


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CaFANs presentation at the 21st Brussels Development

Briefing on Geopolitics of Food

Mr. Jethro Greene, Chief Coordinator of CaFAN wasinvited to sit on a panel discussion at the 21

stBrussels

Development Briefing on Geopolitics of Food which washeld from February 2-3, 2011.

CaFANs presentation which was circulated for inputsfrom members and key regional stakeholders, gave anoverview of the Caribbean agriculture sector and the rolesmall farmers play, and highlighted that within the smallisland states of the region, what farmers produced were

traditionally dominated by large plantations that were runby absentee owners or large companies in an era ofcolonialism. The plantation culture was geared towardsproducing crops sugar, rice, banana, arrowroot, etc for export to the colonial power. During this period, theestate workers kept small subsistence plots in whichthey grew ground provisions and vegetable.

With independence and the decline of the largeplantations, some island governments allowed citizens toutilize unused plantation lands, which many farmersused to engage in more commercial farming fordomestic consumers and for exportation to neighbouring

islands and specific markets in Europe and NorthAmerica. Such farmers exist today, making up 80% ofthe Caribbean farming population, operating on plots offive acres or less and contributing significantly to theGDP of many Caribbean countries.

With regards to the socio political environment, the lossof preferential markets in Europe and the uncertaintyand vulnerability caused by new market demands suchas fair trade and demand for organic produce has put

the region in a situation where it needs to rethink its

marketing approach, looking at sustainable efforts andlooking more at our domestic markets.

Despite the challenges faced by farmers within theregion over the years, CaFAN started in 2002 and took aproactive approach to finding solutions to complexproblems within the confines and limitation of itsknowledge and resources. CaFAN target best practicesamong its small farmers and the sharing of experiences.

CaFAN advises farmers to work in clusters and groupswithin the respective countries of the network and tothink of the region as one collective body for intraregional trade and collective marketing to extra regional

markets; forming strategic partnership with public andprivate sector entities to own a greater share of the valuechain.

On the issue of regional food security, the presentationhighlighted that first and foremost, a country needs toprotect its food security at a certain level for its ownnational security.

Mr. Greene ended by saying facilitating an environmentthat promotes the formation of agricultural clusters is anintegral strategy in the empowerment and success ofsmall-scale producers. With a united effort, and supportthrough capacity building and advocacy, farmers groupsand organizations can meet the needs of new andexpanding markets, and reap greater fiscal rewards in achanging global economy.

Mr. Greene thanked CaFAN partners and acknowledgedthe support CaFAN has received from several regionaland international institutions including CTA, FAO,CARDI, IICA, CARICOM, OXFAM, CDEMA, COADYInternational Institute (Canada), University of the WestIndies (UWI) among others, and it also enjoys the goodworking relations with the Ministries of Agriculture withinthe region and is moving to influence policy in agriculturein its respective member countries through increasing

consultation.

The Brussels Briefing was attended by an audience of150 ACP-EU policy makers (ambassadors and technicalstaff), European Commission, representatives of EUMember States, civil society groups, European researchnetworks, Members of ACP and EU Parliaments,researchers and development practitioners andinternational organizations based in Brussels.

Jethro Greene speaks at the Brussels BriefingPhoto copyright Brussels Briefing


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CaFAN meets COLEACP/PIPMr. Jethro Greene, Chief Coordinator of the CaribbeanFarmers Network (CaFAN) during his attendance at theBrussels Briefing in early February 2011 formally metwith a team of colleagues from the office of Europe-

Africa-Caribbean-Pacific Liaison Committee (COLEACP-PIP). During the meeting, Mr. Greene made a smallpresentation about CaFAN and highlighted the interestand role of small producers within the Caribbean regionto own a large share of the value chain.

Speaking to the small group, Mr. Greene also said thatPIP's expertise in all aspects of food safety canundeniably help CaFAN members and the Caribbeanfruit and vegetable sector to meet more effectively therequirements of markets and consumers.

According to a Flash Info release from PIP, in the

coming months, the PIP will be working closely with theCaFAN to identify the network's needs and to put inplace a capacity-building programme focused on twoareas:

1. Training of trainers from CAFAN's 13 membercountries, which will cover areas such as foodsafety, traceability, as well as certain marketingtechniques.

2. Development of the organisation's capacities interms of exchange of information,communication and creation of partnershipsamong its members.

Mr. Greene in an interview with the CaFAN Secretariatsaid the COLEACP and the PIP Programme are fundedpartly by the European Union but they are private sectororganizations, involving farmers organizations andexporters. He said CaFAN is going to make an attemptto become a member.

He said COLEACP is very excited about working withCaribbean farmers organization and there is a strongpotential for this to happen. They have expertise inpack-house management, post harvest handling, foodsafety handling the kind of things that are required forus to penetrate and maintain markets.

Greene is interested in a technical agreement in whichCOLEACP could train Caribbean farmers on technicalmatters so that they are able consistently producehealthy food for the markets.

He said the matter of technical quality must beimportantly addressed before the regions agriculturalproducers can think of long term production for theEuropean market.

He, however, said that CaFAN will have to engage inproduction planning to determine the quantity of produceto be exported on a consistent and continuous basis, byyear end, even if it means beginning with the producefrom the current FAO-AAACP roots and tubers projectthat is being carried out in four Caribbean territories.

That market in England really has to be a reality if weare to maintain our space, Greene said. In the firstquarter of 2011, CaFAN and COLEACP will collaborateto develop an action plan for the way forward at aregional workshop tentatively scheduled for April 4

thand

5th

in St. Lucia.


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Prominent Disasters!Practical solutions to Mitigate Risks in

Small Holders Vegetable Crop Production in the CaribbeanBy Renortha Penny BSc.

Natural Disasters are linked to hydro-meteorological andgeophysical hazards that are increasing worldwide. TheAgriculture Sector suffers substantial economic lossesand reduction in outputs every year from these effects.Therefore it is important for Caribbean nations todevelop information systems for environmentalmonitoring and assessments.

Natural Disasters cannot be avoided. However, theireffect on farmers livelihood can be mitigated as allstakeholders (farmers, policy makers, buyers etc. ) takehold of given opportunities to advance, recognizing thatagricultural technology and farming practices play a very

important role in any risk management strategy inagriculture. Therefore, it is mandatory that governmentsendorse the need to transfer capacity to farmers on riskmitigation measures at farm level to reduce farmersvulnerability.

Evidently after most natural disasters, economies plungeinto debts that take years to repay with slow recoveryprocesses. The livelihoods of the people are alteredseverely; many remain displaced months or even yearsafter a disaster. In their plight for survival (obtaining thebasic needs of food and shelter), using the land, themost readily available resources, the people are still

limited to four major physical systems that determine theextent of farming and or livelihood activities: Climate-crops require more specific growing conditions,Topography- access to land and river water; Vegetation-protected areas and seasonal nature of vegetationgrowth; and Soils- soil type and fertility.

The above mentioned are also some of the reasons whydisasters are not only natural but can be human induceddisasters, which account for approximately 80% of risk-related losses (empirical evidence), detriment tolivelihood and are proven very difficult to mitigatebecause of economic benefits. Over grazing and

deforestation both lead to landslides, mud slides,extensive loss of organic content, micro organism andnutrients reduction during rain fall. Induced forest firesaids in global warming from CO2 and CO exhaust.Monoculture and genetically modified species aredirectly related to many of the outbreak of new strains ofpest and diseases. And the expansion of agriculturallands result in the loss of biodiversity and waterreduction at the water table

There are non sophisticated practical solutions tomitigate and protect the environment for sustainableagriculture production, even in the search for meaningfulgains in the fight against poverty and the push forsustainable development.

The identified solutions are into three broad categories:

1. Agricultural practices to mitigate Weather Risksin vegetable crop production;Selection of suitable crops, Soil erosion management,Proper cultivationBreakup hardpans, Divert water, Plant grass waterways,Mulching, Selecting seeds (heat tolerant, droughttolerant), Irrigation selection, Water storage, Windbreaks

2. Agricultural practices to mitigate Pest andDiseases Risks in vegetable crop production- Croprotation, Weed and disease management, Selectingseeds (Resistant to diseases), Transplants and plantingmaterial, Soil test and nutrient managementIntegrated Pest Management (IPM)

3. Agricultural practices to mitigate Food SafetyHazards in vegetable crop productionTransplants and planting material, Soil test and nutrientmanagement for organic production, Bees andpollination, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Pesticideapplication, Harvest and post-harvest

Despite all this focus of interest and actions to be takenmust also be at the centre with governments policies forsocial and economic progressive movements, before,during and after disasters. This will be a true source ofnational sovereignty and impetus for mitigating risks thatmay befall us. This can begin as authority obligate itsmandate to improve identification and quick action todisaster risks. Support and enhance knowledgemanagement and expand public awareness for disasterrisk reduction.

In Conclusion, multiple strategies have to be combinedas no single approach or instrument can effectivelyreduce, mitigate, or transfer the broad range of risksencountered. Disasters whether natural or man-madeemphasizes the constraints and opportunities of nature-society relations. It is important to combine existingresearch material with modern technologies to withstandsystems that will influence farmers activities.


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NEFOs Update

The North East FarmersOrganisation (NEFO) has a uniquelabour sharing programme calledMaroon involving farmers ofNEFO. The farmers work togetherto plant and harvest their crops.

Under the EU AAACP, NEFO isone of the four CaFANorganisations involved in theRoots and Tubers project. Theirfirst Letter of Agreement signedwith FAO provided for NEFOfarmers to benefit from trainings inproduction technologies and postharvest handling for marketing tohelp improve the organisations

capacity to produce and marketroots and tubers.

Also, under the project, they haveset up demonstration plots and inlate January, early February,2011, farmers of the NEFOMaroon group harvested a portionof their member demonstrationplot of sweet potatoes.

According to Magdalene Niles,NEFO Administrative Officer, it

was a time of joy and sweetfellowship among maroonmembers. ,There was also a competition tosee who will get the first potatoweighing of at least three (3)pounds.

Members harvested, graded andplaced the sweet potatoes intocrates to be delivered into avehicle for market.

In St. Vincent, one of ECTADs Village groups - the VermontVillage Cluster will be embarking on a similar initiative by itssister group in Grenada (NEFO) where clusters of farmers willbe involve in labour sharing among members of the cluster.According to Mr. James Clarke, Co-Chair of the cluster,members of the cluster will be asked to sign an agreementwhich will indicate the number of days allocated, paymentmethod and duties involved. This agreement has beendrafted and will be finalized by the group in early March.ECTAD will facilitate where possible and when required.

FAO support to Farmers

Organization in the Pacific and the

Caribbean regionscontinued from page 2

In the Caribbean, and supported by the EUAAACP, the root and tubers sector has beenidentified as a sector with high market demand andpotential for import substitution as well as forincreased exports. Here, supported by CaFAN,direct sales and exports are being coordinated byfarmers organisations with the aim to capture morevalue for the farmers and get them greatestbenefits. The further development of the activitiesand experiences will be closely monitored and it isexpected to come up with some valuable lessonsand recommendations for future interventions.

To assist farmers organisations, a cascade type ofcapacity building programme has been developedand is still being carried out. A first series ofregional workshops for key farmers organizationscovered key competencies required to be able toguide their members towards being reliable andprofitable suppliers for the agribusiness sector. Thefirst round of workshops identified areas in whichfurther training was required and to be addressed ina second series of regional workshops, includingtraining in agribusiness related topics. Currently,these trainings are being implemented at nationallevel.

In the Caribbean, production and marketingcoordination are being led by farmersorganisations and a final regional lessons learntworkshop is planned for the final quarter of 2011(Caribbean: November). It is expected that CaFANand its members will play an important role inapplying and advancing the business modelapproach for the benefit of the members, and alsoafter the ending of the current projects.

ABOUT CaFAN

The Caribbean Farmers Network (CaFAN) is aregional umbrella of farmers organisations inthirteen Caribbean countries. Its mission is toenhance Caribbean food and nutrition security,foreign exchange earnings and foreign savingsby repositioning agriculture through thecapacity building of farmers and theinstitutional strengthening of farmersorganisations.


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cafan newsletter agrivybz issue no. 11

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