Through a joint collaborative effort, colleagues in TCI and ESA are providing support to the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) in the preparation of their food and agriculture strategy, an unprecedented milestone for the Organization.

FAO and the CDB signed the renewed agreement at the 35thFAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean, with the Organization’s support for the assessment and preparation of a study on the “State of Agriculture in the Caribbean” for the CDB’s borrowing member countries (BMCs), scheduled for completion in May. The expected publication will identify key agricultural trends in the bank’s BMCs and highlight related opportunities for strategies and investments to support social and economic growth, poverty reduction and sustainability of agriculture production.

Initially, the study will focus on the current state of food and agriculture in the BMCs with a special focus on four representative countries: Jamaica, Guyana, Grenada and Haiti.

FAO has partnered with the CDB on several initiatives for more than three decades, and TCI has conducted several assignments with the CDB on both country strategy and project preparation. FAO’s support in planning for the future of agriculture in the Caribbean positions the Organization as a policy, investment and consultative powerhouse in agriculture through the complementary dedication of assigned teams in TCI and ESA.

In the original phase of the agreement, the CDB approved a technical assistance project to finance TCI’s support for the study, as well as their input on the food and agriculture strategy in the Caribbean.

In order to prepare the study, TCI requested the involvement of ESA due to their prior wealth of experience in analyses on the state of food and agriculture at different levels, including regions. This collaborative effort will play an important role in the initial phase of the study, providing the opportunity for TCI to identify and pursue important areas of investment in agriculture in the Caribbean.

There are further benefits of the renewed agreement with the CDB. Countries with common membership in both organizations are now able to directly engage with FAO using loan or grant funds provided by the CDB. The agreement also places FAO to become the global leader in agriculture consultations, especially in the preparation of large scale policy and investment opportunities for regional initiatives.

Some of the key areas for discussion in the Caribbean context include productivity growth, economic potential of agriculture, food loss and nutritional education, agriculture exports, climate-smart investments in agriculture and the overall contribution of agriculture and agri-food sectors to each country’s GDP.  

Read the CDB press release.