CaFAN

Newsletter
Issue 7

IN THIS ISSUE

Building a Youth Agri-

culture….1

Grenada Government in
support of CaFAN
Youth…3

CaFAN signs second LOA

with FAO…4

CaFAN Roots and Tubers

Crop Production and
Marketing Coordinating
workshop…..5

Agro Tourism linkages in

Jamaica; an Oxfam CaFAN
Initiative ….6

ouths in Building Agriculture
as a Viable and Sustainable
Business, was the theme
behind CaFAN Youth in
Agriculture regional workshop. The
four day workshop was held as part of
CaFAN’s continued efforts to aid in the
development of the agriculture sector
by giving Caribbean youths an
opportunity to take up a leadership role
and provide solutions to the many
challenges facing the lack of youth
participation in the sector.
On January 25th, 2010, over forty
five participants from eleven Caribbean
countries, including host country
Highlights of Youth
Workshop….8
Grenada, gathered in the St. Andrew
conference room of the Grenada Grand
Beach Resort. The workshop was Risk Management and
designed to address the main the Agriculture Sector….7
contributors to the lack of youth
involvement in the sector and to
provide an enabling environment for Market opportunities in
the young within the CaFAN network to the UK…13
come together, exchange ideas,
develop leaders and find common
…more
solutions to common problems.
The young Caribbean agribusiness
entrepreneurs who attended the
workshop reiterated the need for a
more favourable
continued on page 2

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Managing Editor: Jethro Greene | Administrative Support: Nyasha Durrant | Compilation, Editing,
1
Design and Layout: Pet Secretarial Services | Communication Consultant: Jeff Trotman
 Continued from page1

Editor’s environment for further integration

into the agricultural sectors and
indicated a preparedness to play a

Note
Nyasha Durrant, Administrative Officer,
greater role in its development.

Key areas for future action

were identified by participants that
included technological
CaFAN Secretariat development, promotion of
farming as a business, access to
lands, finance and marketing.
The Caribbean region has had a long history of agriculture and farming.
However, this long tradition as well as innovations in various areas of agricultural The participants who were
and rural development is threatened by a number of factors, including the very under the age of thirty-five were
limited youth involvement in the sector. Surveys conducted among farmer selected from CaFAN
organizations across the region have indicated that the average age of farmers is membership and other agricultural
increasing and in most cases above forty-five years old, the majority being over organisations that are actively
60 years. involved in agriculture. The
countries that participated include
In light of the above, CaFAN organized a regional workshop on Youth in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados,
Agriculture in January 2010. This issue of the Agrivybz newsletter focuses Belize, Dominica, Guyana,
specially on the workshop and photographic highlights can be seen on the centre Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St.
pages (pages 8 and 9). Lucia, St. Vincent & the
Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago,
It is evident that with an aging farming population, it is extremely important for and host country Grenada.
CaFAN to strengthen the link between the ‘future of agriculture’ and the ‘younger
generation’. While our motto within CaFAN shows that the “future of Caribbean Presentations made at the
agriculture lies with the unity of farmers”, it is safe to say that the future of workshop included an overview of
agriculture also lies with the young generations taking up a leadership role in the the current macro and micro
development and sustainability of the sector. agricultural business environment
in the Caribbean and its impact on
As pointed out by Keeley Holder, a young business farmer at the workshop, youths which were based on
“agriculture in the 21st century is not business as usual and it must be treated as recent studies carried out by
any other enterprise applying all the rules of business attitudes and etiquette with UNDP in 2009, with further
special emphasis on proper management and managerial skills”. This is where experiences from the Pacific
the creativity of the youths comes into play in reshaping the image of agriculture countries presented by FAO.
from the farm to the farmer. Highlights of the findings indicated
low levels of youth participation in
I wish to take this opportunity to thank all who contributed to this issue, agriculture and an ageing
including our sponsors the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural population of the agricultural
Cooperation for their financial support towards CaFAN. sector, with the average farmer
within the region above 55 years.
I now invite you to explore this issue with us and share your feedbacks and
suggestions for other issues of Agrivybz. The workshop also addressed
topics such as crop production,
Thank you for your continued interest and on behalf of the CaFAN Secretariat, marketing, clusters, technology in
I wish you all the very best for 2010. agriculture, developing proposals
for resource mobilization, etc.

Participants were taken on a

field visit and gained foresight of
the agriculture sector in Grenada
as a way of enlightening their
young minds into the practicality
of what agriculture is about.
 Grenada Government in support of
CaFAN Youth in Agriculture Initiative
rime Minister of Grenada, the
Honourable Tillman
Thomas, delivered the feature
address at the official opening
ceremony of the CaFAN Youth in
Agriculture Workshop. The official
opening ceremony was held on the
evening of Monday January 25th at
the Grenada National Stadium.
In His address, Hon. Thomas
reflected a deep understanding of the
issues affecting farmers and the
A Section of the Audience at the Opening ceremony of the workshop
agricultural sector from a national
and regional perspective. He
highlighted the issue of escalating
prices of inputs which undermine the
ability of farmers to produce crops in
a sustainable manner.
He also placed on record his
tremendous satisfaction with CaFAN
and the role it has played in fostering
youth involvement in agriculture. He
called for an acceleration of efforts
towards youth involvement and
advancement within the sector
recognizing the potentiality of the
agriculture sector and the fragility of
over reliance on the tourism sector.
He concluded by highlighting the
enormous career opportunities for
young persons in the agri-food
sector. Emphasizing the need for
Ministries of Agriculture and
academic institutions to play a more
vital role in educating about the
opportunities in agriculture, he stated
that:
3
“to capitalize on all these
opportunities, it is vitally
important that Governments in the
region prioritize training and
education aimed at improving the
knowledge, skills and abilities of
young people and other vulnerable
groups to take full advantage of all
potential opportunities”.
L-R: PM Hon. Thomas, Hon. Lett &
Hon. Simmons
Minister of Youth Empowerment and
Sport, the Hon. Patrick Simmons
and the Minister of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries the Hon.
Michael Lett also addressed the
ceremony. They related to the
realities facing the agricultural sector
within the region and reiterated their
support for continued work and
development aimed at increasing
youth awareness and participation
within the sector through their
respective ministries.
Congratulations and encouragement
was bestowed upon CaFAN for their
pioneering vision and work.
The evening’s events were chaired
by Ms Keeley Holder, with welcoming
remarks by Mr. Fitzroy James,
General Manager of Marketing and
National Importing Board. CaFAN
Executive members, Chairman
Senator Grant and Chief Coordinator
Jethro Greene also addressed the
ceremony.
CaFAN signs second LOA with FAO
Kick-off workshop for the EU All ACP Agricultural
Commodities Programme (EU AAACP) held in
Jamaica, April 2008 identified the roots and tubers
sector in the Caribbean region as a high priority and
focus sector for support. The sector offers considerable
employment and income earning opportunities for formerly
commodity (e.g. bananas and sugar) dependent farmers,
and scope for import substitution. Under the EU AAACP,
the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations (FAO) has the mandate to strengthen the
organizational and management capacities of small
farmers and farmers organizations in this role, since
farmer organisations play a critical role in assisting their
members to access formal markets for their projects, and
secure and create employment and income opportunities
in rural areas.
Under this programme, activities are being coordinated
through CaFAN and CaFAN associated organisations, with
the aim to enhance the capacity of farmer organizations to
participate effectively in rapidly changing markets. The
mandate stems from the regional capacity building
workshop which took place in St Lucia in November 2008
to initiate this programme of work, where individual action
plans for farmer organisations and a regional strategy
were prepared. CaFAN was given the mandate to
coordinate further capacity building activities with the aim
to improve market production amongst member
organisations in the region.
Under the EU AAACP, support to reinforce the
development of the roots and tubers sector development is
being provided in five countries. Specific capacity building
Heiko Bammann, FAO Representative speaking at
the Regional Capacity Building workshop which
took place in November 2008
activities are being implemented to strengthen the roles of
and services provided by farmer organisations to their
members. Regional coordination is required to ensure that
lessons learnt are shared across the reasons for the
benefit of all EU ACP countries in the region.
Subsequently, following the initial regional farmer
organisations workshop held in St Lucia (November 2008),
this upcoming production and marketing coordination
workshop is one in a sequence of three more regional
activities coordinated by CaFAN:
• Production and marketing coordination workshop
(January 2010);
• Capacity building workshop and training of trainers
course (August 2010)
• Lessons learning workshop (planned for June
2011).
National level farmer organizations are particularly well
placed to assist local level organisations and their member
farmers to access seeds, fertilizer and other inputs,
engage in bulk buying of inputs, utilize and manage water
for irrigation, facilitate farmer to farmer learning, and link
farmers to markets. Collective action by farmer
organizations and cooperatives is fundamental to
generating economies of scale, reducing transaction costs,
and increasing power for collective bargaining.
As farming becomes more commercially oriented,
farmer organisations also play a vital role in linking farmers
to input dealers, traders, processors and consumers as
well as other actors along the supply chain, in an effort to
create and capture value and distribute benefits to their
members as a result of closer integration into competitive
value chains. Through farmer organizations, members are
given greater ‘voice’ and associations of farmers are
responsible for advocating the rights and concerns of their
members.
To strengthen the role and support services provided
by national farmer organisations, capacity building
activities have been planned in five countries, including
CaFAN. This is being done under a series of contracts or
Letter of Agreements.
For sharing of individual experiences and for better
regional networking, CaFAN under the Letter of
Agreement organized a two day “Regional Root and Tuber
Crop Production and Marketing Coordination Workshop” in
th
Grenada at the Grand Beach resort on January 29 and
th
30 , 2010 for farmer organisations under the FAO support.
Regional Root and Tuber Crop Production
and Marketing Coordination Workshop
A section of the Participants at the workshop
he Regional Root and Tuber Crop Production and
Marketing Coordination workshop was held under a
Letter of Agreement - GCP/INT/045/EC signed
between CaFAN and FAO in late November 2009.
The workshop took place in Grenada at the Grenada
Grand Beach Resort on January 29th and 30th, 2010.
The purpose of the workshop was to improve the
coordination of the roots and tubers production and
marketing mini-projects being supported under the EU All
ACP Agricultural Commodities Programme (EU AAACP).
Each organisation made a presentation on their
organization’s involvement and the current status of the
roots and tubers sector within their countries.
Other presentations were made which included
presentations by Food and Agriculture Organisation of the
United Nations (FAO) that outlined the support that has
been targeted for the region under the EU AAACP;
Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development
Institute (CARDI) that gave an overview of the Roots and
Tubers sector within the region along with CARDI support
5
for research and development; Trinidad and Tobago Agri
Business Association and Sol Caribbean Limited who
outlined the markets available and requirements to access
those markets.
During the workshop, participants of Jamaica, Grenada
and St. Vincent met with Heiko Bammann FAO
representative to finalize the LoA and discussions were
made regarding the expected input and activities for each
national project.
It was agreed that for effective monitoring and coordination
of the workshop to take place, a calendar of activities
surrounding the national projects will be developed.
CaFAN Secretariat will work with the coordinators of the
national LoAs to make sure that the executions of the
projects are within the timeline for reporting to FAO. Each
country will submit a monthly report which will be
incorporated into an overall progress report and the
lessons learnt from the projects will be used to circulate
within the CaFAN network.
Agro Tourism As a regional organization that comprises national farmers’

linkages in Jamaica; organisations across the Caribbean region, CaFAN will

an Oxfam CaFAN Initiative
inkages of Agriculture to Tourism will contribute
significantly to most of the tourist dollars remaining
in the region. In an attempt to build on the
successes of the Oxfam St. Lucia Market Access Initiative,
CaFAN collaborated with Oxfam and hosted a two day
workshop in Jamaica at the Wexford Hotel on December
th th
9 and 10 , 2009. The workshop brought together the
experiences and lessons learnt in farmers’ empowerment
and management, and to see how CaFAN can build on
this in its new strategic plan for the next several years.
The workshop addressed the issues of improved
access for Jamaican small scale farmers to produce for
local hotels, farmers in need of better market access,
production support and transportation.
Over the past four years, Oxfam and CaFAN have
established a good working relationship. Oxfam has
provided support to several of CaFAN’s initiatives which
focused on capacity building of farmers’ organisations.
use every opportunity to network member organisations
and stakeholders to share information and experiences on
best practices and lessons learned that will add to the
strength of each organisation and pave the way for
replication.
Within the first stage of the Market Access project in St.
Lucia, there were low morale and low expectations from
farmers’ leaders in their dealings with their own
governments and institutions. As the project gained
momentum with the necessary technical and monitoring
support from Oxfam, farmer leaders were able to make
their own decisions and command more respect from
government, private sector and donor agencies. The St.
Lucia project has shown tremendous success and the
empowerment and leadership capacities of farmers’
leaders have opened the door for farmers to become
masters of their own destinies.
The project which has been replicated in Jamaica is
already making a contribution to small farmers. Two
workshops have been conducted in February and May of
2009. A survey was also conduced to get a better
understanding of farmers needs.

Protected Agriculture continued on page 16

Alvin Murray, General Manager of the Christiana Potato Growers Cooperative Society in Jamaica, provided the
participants of the CaFAN Youth in Agriculture regional workshop with a very engaging and informative presentation on
“Protected Agriculture”.

Mainly through the use of photos, Murray described and outlined to the participants the various benefits of protective
farming and greenhouse management. Depending on intensity, amount of water and length of rainy season, Murray
suggested that agriculture can be done indoors using protected structures of greenhouses.

Materials that can be used:

• Polyethylene film: inexpensive, temporary. Most common is 6 m thick.
• Polyvinyl chloride film: keeps longer higher temperatures at night. Tends to get dirty and it has to be washed
once a year to have better light transmission.
• Acrylic: resistant to weathering and breakage. Does not yellow but it’s flammable, easily scratched and very
expensive.
• Polycarbonate: impact resistant, less expensive than acrylic. Scratches easily and turns yellow within a year.
High contraction and expansion rate.
• Fiberglass: durable and attractive, moderately priced. More resistant to impact than glass and transmit slightly
less light. High expansion and contraction rate.

Mr. Murray provided detailed technical and logistical information to the participants and concluded that protected
farming/greenhouses can be very profitable if proper production and management systems are put in place.
Risk Management and the Recommendations coming
out from the Meeting
Agriculture Sector CARDI should be approached
n Wednesday 9th December, 2010, the first meeting of the to facilitate more training in the
Mainstreaming Climate Change into Disaster Risk Management for the agriculture sector to ensure that
Caribbean Region (CCDM) Project, Climate Change Community Based the sector has a better grasp of
Disaster Management Working Group (CCBDM-WG) was held. The meeting the concept of climate change.
th
was conducted at the Fourth (4 ) Caribbean Conference on Comprehensive
Disaster Management hosted at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa, Montego CDEMA collaborates with
Bay, Jamaica. CaFAN, a member of the regional committee was represented CCCCC to identify some
by Mr. Jethro Greene, Chief Coordinator. specific areas which can be
The objectives of the Meeting were to:
addressed to advance the
o Review and agree on the Terms of Reference for the Agriculture integration of climate change
Sector Sub-Committee adaptation and disaster risk
reduction which can be
o Review the composition of the Sector Sub-Committee and included in its upcoming Work
identify an alternate Sector Lead
Plan development.
o Identify priority results for the Agriculture Sector Sub-Committee
A “blog” should be created for
o Determine the way forward for the Agriculture Sector Sub- the Working Group to facilitate
Committee dialogue between the members
and to obtain priority activities
o Agree on the scheduling of meetings of the Agriculture Sector
Sub-Committee for the Programme and Plan of
Action.
o Agree on a draft agenda for the next meeting

CaFAN Participates in FARM D Workshop

On October 27th, 2009, CaFAN participated through Chief Coordinator Jethro Greene at an Inaugural (FARM) D
workshop organized by the World Bank in Switzerland. CaFAN was invited by the World Bank to make a
presentation at the workshop on “Micro Perspective of Agriculture Risks and the Impact on Livelihood,
Vulnerability and Food Security: A Caribbean farmer organisations perspective”.
D
The main expected outcome of the Forum for Agricultural Risk Management in Development (FARM)
workshop was to build an agriculture risk management practitioners’ network that will facilitate information
exchange and collaboration among a diverse and large group of stakeholders interested in agriculture risk
management. It will also serve as a knowledge management platform. The interactive platform will enable
stakeholders to share experiences, access best practices, engage in constructive dialogues, build partnerships,
and be updated about the latest developments in the field.

Mr. Greene also used the opportunity at the workshop to strengthen CaFAN’s relationship with the Caribbean
Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) which was represented by Mr. Bruce Lauckner.

7
 th th
The workshop took place in Grenada from January 25 – 28 at the Grenada Grant
Beach resort. It was organized by CaFAN, with technical and financial support from
the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) (ACP_EU),
Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the Marketing and National
Importing Board of Grenada (GMNIB).
 th
The official opening ceremony has held from 6:30pm on Monday January 25 , 2010
at the Grenada National Stadium.

L-R: Keeley Holder (Chairperson), Jethro Greene, Chief Coordinator CaFAN), Senator Norman Grant,
Chairman of CaFAN; Prime Minister of Grenada, Hon. Tillman Thomas; Minister of Agriculture, Hon.
Michael Lett & Minister of Youths, Hon. Patrick Simmons.

Section of the audience

9
GAPA is the new Focal Point for CaFAN in
Guyana
he Guyana Agricultural Producers Association
(GAPA) has been recommended to replace the
Guyana Rice Producers Association (GRPA) as
the new CaFAN focal point in Guyana. The decision
was made at a CaFAN Stakeholders Meeting in
Guyana on December 3rd, 2009. The meeting was held
in collaboration with GAPA and took place at the
Ministry of Agriculture Boardroom in Georgetown
Guyana.
The beneficiaries of this stakeholders meeting were
non- traditional commodities farmers/ organization/
farmers groups and agro-processors from all the
Regions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 10 of Guyana. In addition,
there were representatives from the Ministry of
Agriculture including the Hon. Minister of Agriculture Mr.
Robert Persuad, Guyana Resident Representative for
FAO, Representative from Rice Producers Association
(RPA), Rep. from Guyana Agricultural Producers’
Association (GAPA) and Personnel from National
Agriculture Research Institute (NARI) and New Guyana
Marketing Corporation (NewGMC).
The meeting was addressed by Hon. Persuad who
pledged the Ministry’s support to GAPA. Mr. Jethro
Greene, representative of CaFAN made a brief
presentation on CaFAN and outlined CaFAN’s strategic
focus for the next few years. Mr. Steve Mangal,
Coordinator of GAPA also made a presentation on the
background of GAPA and the work it is involved in.
The meeting also paved the way for participants to
highlight some of their concerns and receive feedback
from the technical personnel in attendance. It was
noted that the meeting was very timely and it was well
received by members present. It was also
recommended that GRPA who is a founding member of
CaFAN provide necessary support and guidance to
GAPA as it strives to better manage and organize the
non- traditional commodities sector of Guyana.
Over 30 participants attended and participated in the
meeting.
OUTCOME & RECOMMENDATIONS
• GAPA to compiled list of Technical Experts in Agriculture in
Guyana from all the agencies
• It was unanimously decided that GAPA will be the official
contact for CaFAN in Guyana. It was also note that all
information regarding marketing and projects related will be
through the GAPA.
• Select Best Practices for Ground Provision(Eddoes and
Cassava)
• GAPA to work in collaboration with Ministry of Agriculture to
set up a buffer fund for small farmers through the Agricultural
Diversification Project
• To compile production figures for crops per cluster. This will
give an indication as to the production capacity of Guyana in
each crop.
• To compile data on small ruminant of Guyana
• To actively pursue Value Added and processing to increase
the shelf life and avoid wastage of products.
• To pursue a Common Brand with CaFAN
• To collaborate with New Guyana Marketing Corporation to
build Cold Storage Capacity for Farmers
• To negotiate with Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) for a
Project in Guyana. Please note that GAPA has already made
contact with Basic Need Trust Fund which is the Rep for
CDB in Guyana.
• GAPA will be looking to partner with CHF and FAO for
projects in Guyana.
• A coconut coordinating committee was form by the Ministry
of Agriculture where GAPA is a member so Issues and
Concern of the Coconut Farmers will be raised with that
committee so that farmers could benefit from the increase in
demand for coconut.
• To conduct a training programme in Business Planning and
work with each cluster in developing a business plan.
• To compile a cost of production for each crop per region.
• To work with GMC to develop production planning data for
farmers to benefit from.
• To support Region 10 Farmers Association in their quest to
export peppers and Kuru Kuru Farmers Association with
their FAO project.
• GAPA to work closely with CaFAN in the development of the
Propose EU Project.
GARD Centre receives support from CTA
n 2010 GARD Center will broaden its capacities in
its information and communication services and
activities. The Technical Centre for Agricultural and
Rural Co-operation ACP-EU, (CTA) in the Netherlands will
once again partner with GARD Center in a $EC 240,000
project.
• The GARD Center will be improving its website
with more information and be more interactive
for its stakeholders by adding a distribution
and mailing list with restricted access: The
distribution list will allow the Center to publish
information frequently as full text and brief news
items and other interesting information for the
Center’s clientele. The Center will allow a selected
number of authorized users such as the Chief
Extension Officer, Director of Agriculture, other
MOA personnel, IICA and CARDI representatives
who will be given access to the members on the
list for information distribution as well.
• Introducing a searchable database of frequently
asked questions of GARDC’s Question &
Answer Service: This will save valuable time for
GARD Center staff and will be a valuable resource
for visitors to the website. The consultant will
develop a program that will enable visitors to
select the questions they are interested in from a
list, and the replies to those questions will then be
automatically assembled in a new page.
Questions and answers will be simply uploaded
from an ordinary web browser by a GARD Center
staff.
• Introducing a discussion forum: This will provide
an excellent opportunity for individual producers,
farmer groups and organizations to exchange
information amongst themselves.
• Work will continue in reformatting various
documents of high interest to producers into
easy to understand formats (i.e. flyers,
brochures, fact sheets)

With the increasing importance of having the farming
community GAP compliant, efforts will be carried
out to redesign more user-friendly GAP record
forms both for electronic and hard copy use.
11

GARD Center will become the Distribution Center for
CTA products. A stock of publications will be
maintained by the GARD Center’s information
officer who will be in charge of the following:
1. Respond to users’ information needs
by providing new publications alerts:
information retrieval on request and a
selective dissemination of information.
2. Maintain the Centre’s documentation
resource unit by classifying, cataloguing
and indexing documents through the
UNESCO’s WinIsis software for data
entry.
3. Scan GARD Center’s and some library
materials and make them available on the
Center’s website (www.gardc.org)
4. Provide technical support to the
information units whom a stock of
publications will be further redistributed for
display

CTA/GARD Center corners will be established
at four (4) institutions and regularly updated with
new publications, especially CTA’s “must read”
collection and the Agrodok series. Most of these
publications will be distributed to the Agricultural
Extension Division (AED) of the Ministry of
Agriculture (MoA). Selected materials will also be
distributed to the information units of established
resource centres such as the MoA Headquarters,
Fisheries Division and the CMC, for further
redistribution to their clientele.

Training sessions for forty-nine (49)
agricultural producers and Agricultural
Extension Officers will be selected in
collaboration with the Agricultural Extension
Division, in using and maintaining
computerized Good Agricultural Practices
(GAP) safety and standards record forms. The
objective is to increase producers’ capacity to
keep GAP farm records more efficiently enabling
the producers to become GAP certified and
provide information necessary to manage their
farm business more effectively.
Women in
Leadership
Mrs. Dhano Sookoo has been elected
President of the Agricultural Society of
Trinidad and Tobago for the 3rd consecutive
year.
At the Society’s 171st Annual General
Meeting which was held on Wednesday 27th
January 2010 at the Sepp Blatter Hall, Centre
of Excellence, Macoya. Mrs. Sookoo was
elected unopposed to lead the organization to
another term in office January 2010 to January
2011. At this event Mrs. Sookoo was
described as the effervescent, the indomitable,
the energetic, and visionary among other
glowing accolades.
Highlights of the day were the President’s
Report and the Secretary’s Report effectively
delivered by Mrs. Sookoo and Mrs. Gaynell
Seenath, on the Administration, Activities,
Projects and Financial Management of the
Agricultural Society.
A large membership of over one thousand
(1000) turned up on the day for the expressed
purpose of electing their new Board of
Management for 2010.
Mrs. Sookoo was in full praise of the 2009
Board thanking them for serving selflessly and
going beyond their normal call of duty to
ensure the Agricultural Society never failed in
its quest to change the face of Agriculture in
Trinidad and Tobago.
Following are the names of the twenty-six
(26) members of the new Board of the
Agricultural Society of Trinidad and Tobago
(ASTT) for the 2010 term of office.
Members of the Agriculture Society of Trinidad & Tobago
GAPA welcomes New
Farmer Group
The Guyana Agricultural Producers Association (GAPA) in its
continued drive to organize farmers within non- traditional
commodities sector of Agriculture recently installed a new
GAPA farming group in St. Cuthbert Mission.
The formation of the new group is part of GAPA’s focus to
ensure hinterland food security and to take advantage of the
available markets for nontraditional produce.
Furthermore, this farming group will play a pivotal role in
moving agriculture forward within this mission; it was tasked
with ensuring that agriculture remains the pillar for success
for which is remotely located in an Amerindian reservation in
Region 4.
Mr. Nandlall Mangal, National Coordinator for GAPA along
with Representatives from New Guyana Marketing
Corporation and the Ministry of Agriculture recently visited the
communities to provide assistance to farmers; the teams
visited the school and farms to provide advice and technical
support. Also the banana and plantain farmers’ farms were
visited by the agriculture staff as part of a country wide
survey for the Black Sigatoka Disease. Farmers also took the
opportunity to seek support for livestock resulting in a number
of animals being treated by a vet from the Ministry of
Agriculture.
Meanwhile, this collaborative effort by the GAPA and the
Ministry of Agriculture to interact with farmers will continue to
other parts of the country.
GAPA is a non- governmental and non- profit entity
founded in 1974. It was re-launched in 2009 to better served
and provide for the non- traditional agricultural farmers within
Guyana including the Hinterlands areas.
With the re-establishment of GAPA, it is poised to
advance the non- traditional agricultural farming sector
including small scale producers’ since this sector remained
one of the pillars to ensure food security in the Caribbean.
This organization will place specific emphasis in the areas of
productivity, management, research, training, advocacy and
marketing information.
Mr. Steve Mangal making donation to Mr. Andres, President of Cutburg
Mission Farmers Group
Marketing opportunities in the UK
n a recent United Kingdom
Market Study conducted by Mr.
John Soler, Marketing Advisor
for the ECTAD in December and
January 2010, the possibility exists in
the UK for ECTAD to expand its
production and marketing of Dasheen
into other commodities such as sweet
potatoes, eddoes and yams.

The United Kingdom over the

years has been one of the largest
importers of agricultural produce
internationally, with produce being
imported from the African, Caribbean
and Pacific (ACP) countries.

In 2005, Mr. John Soler, Managing

Director of the Sol Caribbean Limited
based in Trinidad and Tobago was
contacted by ECTAD in St. Vincent
and the Grenadines to inquire on the
feasibility for farmers in St. Vincent to
market agricultural produce in the Dasheen on display in the UK
United Kingdom.

With a few telephone calls on the
part of Mr. Soler to various buyers in
the UK, progress was made to secure
a trial shipment of Dasheen to the UK.
It was agreed that once the quality of
the Dasheen met the market
requirements and the buyer
requirements, then the possibility will
exist for future shipments of Dasheen
to the UK.
In St. Vincent, ECTAD were
preparing its farmers to be in a
competitive position to market their
produce through a series of training
workshops on Good Agricultural
Practices, Post Harvest Handling,
Groups Leadership and management,
Production Planning and record
keeping, etc.
After the first trial shipment was
sent and feedback was made from the
buyer to Mr. Soler and to Mr. Greene,
a new order of Dasheen was placed.
For the past four years, ECTAD
farmers have been exporting Dasheen
to the UK and France with trial
shipments of Eddoes and Sweet
Potatoes.
In light of the success of the
Dasheen programme, it was
recommended that ECTAD conduct a
market study of the UK to examine the
potential for new crops such as sweet
potatoes, eddoes and yams, in
addition to secure new buyers.
Among the purpose of the study
conducted by Mr. Soler included:
1. The potential markets for roots
and tubers over the next three
years.
2. Identify additional Import
companies interested in the
purchase of produce
3. View the major markets and
identify wholesale traders who
may in the long term be
interested in the purchase of
produce.
4. Obtain current comparison
prices of competing produce,
roots & tubers, on the wholesale
markets. Identify the packaging
requirements of same.
During the study, Mr. Soler
visited the New Spirtalfields, New
Covent Garden and Birmingham
markets including supermarkets and
retailers stores. He also met with
existing ECTAD buyers and other
potential buyers. Issues such as
packaging and transportation were
also looked at.
The market study was funded by
the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations
(FAO).

13
UWI Students gains firsthand exposure of
Agriculture in St. Vincent
The Postgraduate Association in the Department of
Agricultural Economics and Extension comprises graduate
students in the disciplines of Agricultural Economics,
Agribusiness and Marketing as well as Agricultural
Extension. Within these programmes, students are
required to complete theses or research projects and to
acquire as much practical experience as possible.
From Monday January 11 to 15, 2010 a group of twelve
students from the University of the West Indies, St.
Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago, visited St.
Vincent for a period of five days to conduct a series of
value chain analyses of the food sector and to get first-
hand exposure to that country's agricultural sector. The
study tour was to complement teaching activities in the
classroom and add to the all-round academic development
of the students, improve our research capabilities,
contribute to personal development and build capacity,
thereby enhancing the human capital of the Region as part
of a larger food security initiative.
ECTAD was contacted by one of the students, Asisha
Patterson to help in coordinating the study tour. The visits
included a tour to Lauders Agro Processors dasheen
production, including a visit to the Ministry of Agriculture
Tissue Culture Lab and the Arrow root production.
The Study visit was facilitated by Mr. Elroy Wilson.

Workshops Attended Youth Voices

IICA Strategic Planning meeting
Re-Education of Youths through
The meeting took place on December 2nd in Guyana and was held the school system
to define appropriate strategies that will allow IICA to pursue its
mandate in a manner that reinforces inter-institutional collaboration
o Why?
and minimizes duplication of efforts.
Aging farming population

Lack of interest of youth in
agriculture
Formulation of a Regional Policy for Food and Nutrition Security in
Lack of farm labour
the Caribbean

Access of credit to the
The workshop took place in Guyana from the 30 November -1 young
December 2009. It was organized by the CARICOM Secretariat
Availability of arable farm
and funded by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United lands
Nations (Trinidad office). o How?

Organize school tours
Caribbean Regional Capacity building Workshop on "Factoring/
Organize school agricultural
Receivable Discounting” exhibitions

Organized seminars
The workshop took place from November 4-5, 2009 in Barbados.
Organize school Garden
The CaFAN Secretariat was represented by Mr. Jethro Greene.
Competition
CaFAN was also well represented by other organisations in the
Network. The workshop was organized by the United Nations o Collaborators?
Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the CaFAN, Ministry of Agriculture ,
Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). Ministry of Education, IICA, CARDI,
CAFY, Private Sector, etc
CaFAN Regional Development Program
Focus 2010-2014
Brief Overview / Background - Linking of agriculture to tourism
- Linking agriculture to value addition/ago-
Over ninety percent of the small farmers within the processing
CaFAN network have acreage of five or less. Therefore, - New technologies in agriculture
CaFAN’s strategy in the organisation of farmers into - Small farmers value chain solutions
groups and clusters linking into network are strategically
placed to help small farmers’ access seeds, fertilizer, 2. Youth agri- business and agriculture
input and financing. CaFAN also plans to engage in bulk leadership management development
purchasing of inputs cooperatively utilizing and managing
water for irrigation. - Training of young business farmers
- Training of agriculture youth leaders
At present, the CaFAN Network facilitates farmer to - Setting up of youth agri-business
farmer learning, training of its farmers' leaders, linking development fund
our farmers to markets, technical assistance and training.
CaFAN is on a quest to lobby, advocate and negotiate for 3. Policy environment
more favourable policy environment for its small farmers
and the agriculture sector. - Working with governments to set up
favourable policy environment for small
The small scale farmers are at the heart of the effort to farmers
feed a growing population and more so, small farmer - Setting up of agriculture development risk
systems have been a key in social stability and when management and disaster fund
people earn a stake in their country, they are its greatest
defenders. 4. Capacity building of farmers organisation

CaFAN’s approach is capacity building of its farmers - Creating the environment for farmers to work
through their organizations and clusters which will lead to in clusters or in groups for greater
significant influence in regional agriculture production, advantages
marketing and related strategies and policies. - Strengthening existing farmers’ organizations
- Setting up national networking
Program focus mechanism/focal point to promote collective
action and unity among small farmers’
1. Market access for CaFAN small farmers organisation
- Develop farmer lead self sustainable
- Production Planning and Support systems extension/technical support solutions through
- Marketing development/revolving fund use of mentoring programs and farmers’
- Agriculture input revolving fund counterpart programs
- Joint marketing

UPCOMING EVENTS

In an effort to strengthen national farmers organisations, CaFAN will be organizing several National Consultation
meetings for the following countries:

• Dominica – March 30th, 2010 * Suriname – 29th March, 2010

• Belize – 29th March, 2010St. * Kitts and Nevis – April 7th 2010

15
Two New Volunteers joins the CaFAN Secretariat

Tracey-Ann Wright is an Agricultural Economist within
the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Jamaica where
she has been working for the past 3 years. It is her
desire to use her experience in banking and agriculture
to assist small farmers to view farming as a business and
give assistance where possible in accessing credit.
Shari Niles is a legal student at the University of the
West Indies, Cave Hill Campus in Barbados. She has
joined the CaFAN Secretariat as a legal advisor dealing
with policy and policy research.
CaFAN is pleased to welcome Tracey-Ann and Shari to
the CaFAN extended family and team of volunteers.

Protected Agriculture
Factors to be taken into consideration when designing a
protected structure are wind, light, actual load and logistics.
CONTACT US

Caribbean Farmers Network

C/o Eastern Caribbean Trading Agriculture
Development Organization (ECTAD)

Beachmont
P.O. Box 827, Kingstown,
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
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.