FAO.org

Strategic investments in the agriculture sector are a catalyst for sustainable, economic growth and poverty reduction.  Through their partnership, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have produced this comprehensive study on the State of Agriculture in the Caribbean, drawing upon decades of research on the many drivers of change affecting the CDB’s Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs), including international trade, institutional policies, and climate change.

This report follows forty years of structural change in the agriculture sector of BMCs, and can support the development of an updated Agriculture Sector Strategy, by identifying key trends in agriculture in BMCs, and the related opportunities for investments in support of growth, poverty reduction, and sustainability. 

The Study concludes that agriculture can be an important source for economic growth and a key contributor to poverty reduction, particularly for households that are profiting less from the growth in other sectors. Through the promotion of inclusive and sustainable agricultural development, CDB can play an instrumental role in supporting BMCs in meeting their SDGs targets particularly in relation to socio-economic and environmental challenges, including poverty (SDG1) food and nutrition insecurity (SDG2), obesity (SDG3), youth unemployment (SDG8), resilient infrastructure (SDG9), gender inequality (SDG5), sustainable use of natural resources, and climate change (SDG13).