ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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

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

Caribbean Denbigh
Editoral Disaster Agriculture
mangement Industrial
Workshop Show

Soil Testing in FAO/CaFAN ASTT on the

Barbados Initiative Move

ECTAD
Grenada CDEMA Launches
Agriculture Production &
Mango Festival Sub committee marketing
Committee

Coming Soon Tribute :

to CaFAN Terrence
Browne, St.
Kitts
 Editorial

Dear readers

Welcome!

In this issue of the AgriVybz we explore and capture moments experienced and
shared by our members all across the Caribbean.

We capture in this issue unforgettable shows and exhibitions, we remember old

dreams and fulfill new ones, make new friends and bless the accomplishments of
old ones, pay tribute to the departed and welcome the arrival of new members.

All across the Caribbean our members, partners and associates invest their time,
efforts and resources in the development of a region strong enough to hold all our
beliefs and stable enough to support our diverse individualities and aspirations.
In a region such as this, we are encouraged to dream big dreams and guided on
our quests for knowledge.

In this our sixth issue, the Caribbean farmers’ Network (CaFAN) brings to light
the accomplishments of some of its dreamers and visionaries who have made the
region a better place for future generations.
The Caribbean Farmers’ Network (CaFAN) organized a Community-based Disaster Management Workshop
on April 20th to 23rd at the Bay Gardens Inn in St. Lucia

BACKGROUND
The Caribbean region is one of the most natural disaster prone areas of the world. Hurricanes, earthquakes,
volcanoes, landslides and floods continue to be threats to the regional infrastructure and agriculture. Natural
disaster impacts on the agricultural sector results in millions of dollars of losses and increase the vulnerability
of food security and agricultural businesses of the region. Projected climate shifts and changes will increase the
frequency, randomness and severity of these natural disasters.

The Strategic Plan 2005-2015 of the

Caribbean Community identifies the
following disaster priority areas of action:
Hazard Mapping and Vulnerability
Assessment, Community Disaster Planning,
Climate Change and Knowledge
Enhancement. It also recognizes the need
for a paradigm shift from emergency relief
to disaster management which includes the
reduction of vulnerability and capacity
development. It is from this perspective
that disaster management and development
CDM is emphasized and advocated for key
economic sectors, including agriculture.

CDM has two intertwined pillars:

Risk management that aims to “lessen the impacts of natural hazards and related environmental and
technological disasters”

Risk reduction that aims to “minimize vulnerabilities1, hazards and the unfolding of disaster impacts in
the broad context of development”2.

With regard to the latter pillar, CDM is therefore expected to contribute towards reducing physical, social and
economic vulnerabilities of communities to natural disasters, whether major or minor, national or local and
whether it has been reported in the media or not. In order to design and implement an effective CDM there is
a need to assess not only the vulnerabilities of a given community but also its capacity to respond to
emergency situations, mitigate risks and increase its resilience.

1
“Vulnerabilities are generally defined as long-term factors that affect the ability of a community to respond to events or make it susceptible to calamities.
They contribute to a disaster’s severity, impede effective responses, are present before disaster strikes and remain long after the event is over” (Johan
Kieft and Aspian Nur, www.fao.org/docrep/005/AC798)
2
Jacob Opadey and Balfour Spencer. The Disaster Risk Management Benchmarking Tool for the Caribbean. 2nd Caribbean Conference on Comprehensive
Disaster Management. Barbados, December 2007
In this context, better equipped community groups are those which have:

Committed themselves and developed a culture of safety and resilience

Strong links with other communities, organizations and Government agencies especially for situations
that they cannot address by themselves.

In addition to research work, consultancies and reports, a number of workshops on disaster management have
been conducted in the Caribbean. The most recent ones are:

Agricultural Risk Management Seminar, organized by IICA and the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands
of Jamaica at the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (Montego Bay, 10 October 2007)

2nd Caribbean Conference on Comprehensive Disaster Management organized by the Caribbean
Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) (Barbados, December 2007).
These two major events have raised awareness of the need to implement CDM as an additional element to the
preparedness, management and mitigation capacities of the region with regard to natural disasters.

EXPECTED RESULTS

Define a plan of action that farmers can adopt to minimize the risks to their resources

CaFAN Farmers’ Associations will be informed and knowledgeable on CDM

A list of requirements on capacity of farmers’ organizations to prepare for, respond to, quantify and
mitigate disasters will be compiled

A determination of CaFAN and its associated member organizations’ participation in:
 -design and promotion of CDM
 -advocacy and resource mobilization for CDM
 -implementation of specific elements of CDM

WORKSHOP APPROACH

The workshop built on the latest debates and

practical experiences on CDM within and outside of
the region. In this context, it took into consideration
previous and current research, studies, workshops
and communication activities on CDM. CaFAN
sought the inputs and advice from Caribbean expert
in disaster mitigation and management through the
preparatory, implementation and follow-up phase of
the workshop.
Workshop themes:

Natural disaster projections and risks

Vulnerabilities to natural disasters at the local level

Approaches and techniques for assessing, planning and managing risks by farmers’ associations
- Emergency preparedness
- Mitigation
The 57th staging of the annual Denbigh Agri-Industrial Show was a success for 2009. It took place from July
31st to August 2rd at the Denbigh show ground in Clarendon under the theme “Grow What We Eat…Eat
What We Grow”.

Patrons attending the Denbigh Agricultural and Industrial Show

this year were treated to a richer more diverse event organized
by the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS).

There were hundreds of agricultural and commercial displays

including demonstrations by vendors who displayed dishes
made from local products. Displays included Vendors' Arcade,
Parish Pavilion Competition, Farmers' Market, Food Courts, the
Tourism Village, and the Denbigh Jerk City.

July 31 was selected as Youth Day, where the Governor-General

interacted with the youth. August 1st was the main focus on
agribusiness investment, with Minister of Agriculture and
Fisheries, Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton, as the main speaker, and
Sunday the main speaker was the Prime Minister, the Hon Bruce
Golding.

One the objective this year was to show involvement in

agriculture at the highest level, to help to change the perception
that agriculture is solely a "grassroots" activity. The Farm Queen
competition, yet another exciting event, promoted women in
agriculture.

The National Farm Queen Coronation show targets “spark of elegance” for Denbigh’s Friday night
entertainment, with the hope that the women in agriculture who are playing a critical role in its growth be
recognized within the Society. It is an avenue through which the Society applauds these women and
continues to encourage women to continue this endeavor. Its goal is to enable the selection of a queen who
will be qualified to act as an Ambassador for agriculture and Jamaica, locally and internationally and who will
be an outstanding role model for others to follow.
 ASTT on the Move
The Agriculture Society of Trinidad and Tobago, founded in 1839, aims to provide a voice for farmers to
increase food availability and affordability. Its role and function is to provide advocacy to the farming
community, to assist and encourage growth and development in agriculture and disseminate information and
knowledge for the development of agriculture in Trinidad and Tobago.

In an effort to achieve its goals and objectives, ASTT has formed alliances with other agencies and
organizations both nationally and internationally and has ongoing development programs for Institutional
strengthening, Sectoral projects, National issues through advocacy and intersectoral Linkages and support.

Ex-Caroni Worker Project

School project

Citrus Project

Agriculture tech Exhibition

Goat & Sheep rearing & sharing project

Initiatives of the Agriculture Society of Trinidad and Tobago include:

Strengthening the capacity of small individual farmers by grouping farmers throughout the country
especially in rural communities into becoming large groups and therefore larger holdings. Presently,
ASTT has established 37 groups in Trinidad and Tobago.

Structure Production – Planned by community groups by having each grow different commodities.

Structured marketing – linking with exporter and food chain buyer, hotels, restaurant and school
feeding programs.

Establishment of a farmer’s Co-operative to assist in buying Agriculture inputs.

Providing training to sensitize farmers on pest and diseases and the use of safe and environmentally
friendly pesticides.

Strengthening linkages with other organizations and institutions to provide enabling environment for
agriculture development.

Assist farmers through sponsorship to attend regional workshops and trade shows.

Members of ASTT are made up of farming groups/organisations, commodity groups, corporate bodies and
individuals with an interest in development of the agriculture sector.

Vision for 2010 and beyond:

To position the agriculture Society of Trinidad and Tobago as the flagship for agricultural development
in Trinidad and Tobago

To reposition the agriculture sector as the engine of growth in the national economy

To achieve food security for all people by making foods available and affordable.
 An FAO-
FAO-CaFAN Initiative
The role played by Farmers’ Organisations in assisting members with access to markets is crucial. This role
helps in the creation and security of opportunities that provide income in rural areas.

The mission, goal and objectives of CaFAN creates the arena for such a role to be realized or become a reality,
and under the EU all ACP commodities Program (EU AAACP) FAO has the mandate to strengthen the
organizational and management capacity of small farmers organisation in this role.

In 2008, FAO took a two pronged approach to support the agriculture sector and farmers’ organizations:

To support CaFAN and CaFAN associated organisation to enhance the capacity of farmers’
organsiation to participate effectively in rapidly changing markets and provide high quality
professional services to their members.

To support national farmers’ organizations to improve the supply of root and tubers to existing
markets and enable farmers to capture a higher share of the market value of the products.

Brief Background of FAO

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), is a specialized agency of the United Nations,
established in 1945. It is governed by a conference composed of the entire membership (189 nations
plus the European Union), which meets at least once biennially, and by a council of 49 members. Each
region is allocated a fixed number of seats, 33 of which are from Third World areas. The objective of
the FAO is to contribute to an expanding world economy by promoting sustainable rural
development with emphasis on the poorest farmers, promoting food production and self-reliance,
and raising the level of nutrition.

As farmers become more commercially oriented, farmers’ organizations also play a vital role in linking farmers
to input dealers, traders, processors and consumers as well as other actors along the supply chain. This is
done in an effort to create and capture value and distribute benefits to their member as a result of closer
integration into competitive value chains. Through farmers’ organizations, farmers are given greater voice
and associations of farmers are responsible for advocating the rights and concerns of their members.

This FAO-CaFAN initiative stems workshop in Jamaica in April 2008, where roots and tubers were identified
as a high sector priority and focus sector to support in the Caribbean region. Based on the outcomes of these
strategies and on the regional capacity building workshops which took place in November 2008 in St. Lucia,
individual action plan for farmers organizations were prepared.

CaFAN was then given the mandate to coordinate further capacity building activities for improved market
production amongst member organizations in the region.
 Soil Testing in Barbados
For many years now, Barbadian farmers have been losing money in agriculture. The global economic crisis and
rising costs everywhere have further exacerbated this situation and left farmers in despair. In an effort to stem
this tide of losses and increase local food production, the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS) teamed up with
Miami based soil scientist, Dr. Terrence Fullerton and Eastern Caribbean Fertilizer Co. Ltd to conduct eight
field seminars at different farms throughout the island from Monday, May 18th to Thursday, May 21st 2009.
Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Agricultural Society, Mr. James Paul believes that farmers could start
seeing immediate returns and reap successes like they did 25 years ago if they had their soils tested and
followed the recommendations.

Soil Testing Week was a tremendous success with more than 150 farmers attending the seminars. In less than a
month, farmers had submitted more samples for soil analysis than they had done in any entire year. Already
comments from the farming community indicate that following a balanced plant nutrition program is more
cost-effective than applying ‘one-size fits all’ fertilizers like 12-12-17+2. Farmer, Michael Forde who has been in
agriculture for 26 years explains “You can’t apply fertilizer based on a feeling. We’ve achieved consistently
good yields through the years because we always follow our soil test recommendations”.

Mr. Paul explains why the BAS decided to flip the script and take
the message into the farming communities, “We wanted to make
sure that we reached the farming community on the ground where
it all happens, so we took this success message on the road”. This
training initiative was crafted in such a manner as to facilitate
maximum farmer involvement by conducting training in an
environment that is familiar to the farmer.

“The soils of all of the good agricultural lands have become

degraded and infertile due to traditional agricultural practices that
use little or no fertilizers”, says Dr. Fullerton. Plants have nutrient
requirements just like humans do and will suffer from deficiencies
just as people do.

Dr. Fullerton explains that by the time the farmer sees symptoms, it’s too late to correct the problem. Farmers
must replace the nutrients that are removed with each harvest, if they want to keep production high and costs
low. “Our lands cannot sustain the high production levels year after year unless we replenish the nutrient
supply” says Minister of Agriculture, Senator Haynesley Benn.

Previously, in the absence of a soil test, farmers were advised to use the fertilizer, 12-12-17+2. This ‘one-size fits
all’ method became obsolete years ago as farmers worldwide recognized that they were making more by
applying the exact fertilizer the crops required instead. Amazingly, many Barbadian farmers were unaware of
how susceptible their crops are to infection because the plants don’t receive a balanced diet of nutrients.
“We’ve got to start treating our crops like we would our bodies, or they’ll keep getting sick”, says one farmer.
And we must also farm environmentally and responsibly since fertilizing indiscriminately leads to agricultural
run-off which can contaminate our drinking water supply.
 Mango
ango Festival on the Spice Island of Grenada
The Grenada Marketing and National Importing Board teamed up with the Ministry of Agriculture and the
Grenada Food and Nutrition Council to host the first ever Mango Festival on the island. The festival is part of
the Food and Agriculture Organization funded project aimed at improving the marketing of local produce.
The event included mango exhibitions, sale and cultural presentations highlighting the nutritional value of
mangoes.

The festival took place from

the 21st to the 26th August
2009 at the National
Stadium in Grenada where
adults and children gathered
to take part in the event and
to view the varieties of
mangoes found on the
island.

On display were a number of products made from this fruit that included breads, cakes, snacks and drinks.
Visitors were treated to information and free mango give-away, quizzes, mango eating competitions and a
panel discussion among other activities.

The fruit is high in calories and also rich in a large number of nutrients.

It holds great nutritional value being high in iron, the mango is

said to be very good for pregnant women as well as for people
suffering from anemia. It can also be helpful in treating acidity
and poor digestion.

It is believed that the Vitamin E present in mango helps the

hormonal system function more efficiently and thus, boosts sex
life. General manager of the Marketing and National Import
Board Mr. Fitzroy James says that the festival was part of a
strategy to further advance the Eat Local Campaign and he urged
young people to consume more mango; one of the most popular
fruits on the island.

The festival aimed at highlighting the nutritional value of mangoes and increasing local consumption was
deemed quite successful by organizers, as it met the objective of the initiative.
 CDEM
DEMA Agriculture Sub Committee
The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) is the new name of the regional disaster
management body formerly known as CDERA, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency.

CDERA was established in 1991 through an Agreement of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean
Community. It is responsible for 16 Participating States and coordinates the Regional Response Mechanism
(RRM) in the Caribbean and is the Champion for Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) in the
Caribbean Region. CDM is the management of all hazards through all phases of the disaster management
cycle – prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery and rehabilitation by all peoples public
and private sectors, all segments of civil society and the general population in hazard prone areas. CDM
involves risk reduction & management and integration of vulnerability assessment into the development
planning process. (CDERA 2001, 2006).

It emphasizes natural hazard risk reduction, promotes a “culture of safety”, recognizes that strengthening
disaster preparedness for better response is critical, encourages strategic partner alliances and advocates for
empowering of sector partners to (take responsibility) and lead dissemination and advocacy with their
constituency.

It goal is, “Regional Sustainable Development enhanced through Comprehensive Disaster Management’ and it
purpose “To strengthen regional, national and community level capacity for the mitigation, management and
coordinated response to natural and anthropological hazards, and the effects of climate change.

The CDM strategy addresses the inclusion of community-based stakeholders in the proactive management
throughout all phases of the disaster cycle. These include prevention and mitigation of the likely impact of
disasters, especially hurricanes; preparedness and response before and during the event; and recovery and
restoration. These activities are to be carried out by both the public and private sectors (including all segments
of civil society and the general population) in hazard-prone areas. The CDM strategy also envisions the
integration of disaster management into long- term planning and development processes.

As the Agriculture Sector forms part and parcel of the Rural Community, it cannot be separated.

Agricultural Sector Sub-Committee (synopsis)

Provide overall guidance at the agriculture sector level to facilitate the mainstreaming of CDM at the
national and regional levels

Identify opportunities for inter and intra sectoral linkages to avoid duplication of work and ensure
efforts are complimentary.

Nurture opportunities for synergies between development partner representatives, participating

states, private sector, civil society and other relevant stakeholders responsible for the mainstreaming of
the enhanced CDM strategy at the sector level
Proposed Composition of the CDM Agricultural Sector Sub-Committee

Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), (Chair)

Caribbean Agriculture Research and Development Institute (CARDI)

Caribbean Farmers Network (CaFAN)

Inter-American Institute for the Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)

CARICOM Secretariat

World Food Programme (WFP)

Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)

United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC)

Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute (CFNI)

Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC)

Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI)

ECTAD’S
ECTAD’S Crop Production & Marketing Committee

A Crop Production and Marketing Coordinating Committee have been recently by the Eastern Caribbean
Trading Agriculture and Development Organization (ECTAD) to spearhead the production and marketing of
ECTAD’s national farmers’ network for the next several years.

The main objectives of the Committee are:

To organize plan crop production linking into targeted local, regional and international markets,

To target selected food production linking into Health, Nutrition, and Tourism,

To link crop production in St. Vincent in to the Caribbean Farmers Network (CaFAN) joint marketing
program. The Committee is currently focusing on two core crops; Dasheen and Sweet Potatoes which will be
targeted in a joint marketing effort to the United Kingdom.

The committee comprises representative from the following:

Ministry of Agriculture,

Caribbean Agriculture Research and Development Institute (CARDI),

Inter American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)

The traditional private sector.

Other sectors and representatives will be coop into the committee as needed.

The committee’s intention is to work with all farmers and farmers organisations in and outside of ECTAD to
shape a sustainable commercial crop production and food security program for St. Vincent and the Grenadines
and to take a lead role in the CaFAN’s joint marketing program.
 Tribute to a friend; Gone but not forgotten

A departed brother of the Caribbean Farmers’ Network

1 Corinthians 15:52-
15:52-57
Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last

trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass

the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ

In Memory of Terrence Browne

St. Kitts
Kitts Farmers’ Cooperative Society Ltd
 Coming soon…
New COADY Intern
The relationship between CaFAN and the COADY
International Institute of St. Francis Xavier University in
Nova Scotia, Canada continues to grow and new interns are
expected to join the CaFAN team of volunteers and experts
in February 2010.
These interns will assists with the CaFAN program
development, in terms of Information communication
technology, market development services, and the
strengthening of information system for farm management.
New interns are expected to be assigned and replaced every
six months for three years.
The strengthening of ties between the two organizations
initially involves COADY volunteers participating in
developmental work with CaFAN member organizations. It
also allows CaFAN to recommend persons to attend the
various diplomas and certificate courses provided by
COADY at the St. Francis Xavier campus at Antigonish,
Nova Scotia.
CaFAN to mobilize Youth Leaders
In an effort to strengthen its network, CaFAN is expected to
bring together youth agriculture farmer leaders under the
age of thirty five, to solicit their views on current and future
years’ program for the CaFAN network. This is expected to
take place in 2010.
Final draft of CaFAN five year work plan
CaFAN’S 2010-2015 work plan is in its final stages of
completion.
FOCUS…
CaFAN’s 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. The Network has identified several
programme areas which include enhancing the
capacities of farmers’ associations to represent their
members, raise awareness and influence decisions
on issues affecting farmers, mobilise resources on
behalf of members, and facilitate the increase in
communication between and among the network
members.
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,
Barbados, Bahamas, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana,
Jamaica, St Kitts/Nevis; St Lucia, St Vincent & the
Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago and Suriname.
EXECUTIVE MEMBERS …
• Chairman: Senator Norman Grant, Jamaica
Agriculture Society (JAS), Jamaica
• Chief Coordinator: Jethro Greene, Eastern
Caribbean Trading Agriculture and Development
Organisation (ECTAD), St. Vincent and the
Grenadines
• Director: James Paul, Barbados Agriculture
Society (BAS), Barbados
• Director: Claudette de Freitas, Caribbean
Agriculture Research and Development Institute
(CARDI), Trinidad and Tobago
• Director: Dhano Sookoo, Agricultural Society of
Trinidad and Tobago(ASTT), Trinidad and
Tobago
 Caribbean Farmers Network
C/o Eastern Caribbean Trading Agriculture
and Development Organization(ECTAD)

P.O. Box 827, Beachmont

Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines
cafancaribbean@gmail.com or ectadsvg@yahoo.com
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)
However, the views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of CTA