As the Caribbean Agricultural Forum approaches, Dionne Clarke-Harris, representing the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute in Jamaica, emphasizes the pressing need to tackle crucial issues. Extreme weather conditions, like droughts and flooding, pose a severe threat to farmers’ ability to recover.
Experts highlight urgency of accessible financing
Clarke-Harris underscores the ripple effect: such weather challenges directly impact production, jeopardizing farmers’ livelihoods. Struggling to meet financial obligations due to crop losses, farmers find themselves at a crossroads, and this predicament hinders efforts to reduce the region’s food import bill.
Modernizing the sector for enhanced productivity
Beyond financial concerns, Clarke-Harris sheds light on another critical matter: the digitization of the agricultural sector. The Caribbean region has been slow to embrace electronic solutions in agriculture, and she believes this issue merits significant attention during the forum.
Reducing food imports to boost regional trade
In preparation for the meeting scheduled in Nassau, Bahamas, from Oct. 9-13, experts aim to address these challenges head-on. Their objective centers on elevating food production and bolstering productivity to reduce the region’s food import bill. Additionally, discussions will encompass eliminating non-tariff barriers and fostering more fluid trade relations.
The forthcoming Caribbean Agricultural Forum holds the promise of transformative solutions to ensure food security and resilience in the face of climate-related adversities, ultimately benefiting the region’s farmers and communities.
