The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Security, is better prepared to assist local farmers, after a presentation of water tanks and ground covers.
The presentation was recently made at the Ministry’s headquarters in Graeme Hall, and was part of an initiative to improve the efficiency of water resources in farming, and increase agricultural productivity in Caribbean small island developing states, using an integrated water-energy-food nexus approach.
The programme, titled: Cooperation for Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change in the Caribbean (Resilient Caribbean Initiative), is financed by the Mexican Government. It also had a “Farmer Best Practices 2023” training component, which several local farmers participated in.
Mexico’s Honorary Consul, Sir Trevor Carmichael, expressed appreciation to the FAO for the invitation to participate in the Mexico-CARICOM-FAO Initiative.
Senior Agriculture Officer, Michael James, urged farmers to take note of the effects of climate change. “Look around, … it’s been a fairly dry year, … so the farmers are now feeling the effects, and part of this project was to show farmers how to survive.”
Mr. James noted that “water is a finite resource”, and this project showed them how to utilise technology to enhance farming. “You have to continue to learn and we will be here, the Ministry with our partners Mexico, and the FAO, to continue to teach farmers what are the best things to do,” he stated.
The ground-breaking US$ 1million project, which started in January, also has participants in St. Kitts and Nevis, and Antigua and Barbuda.
FAO’s Policy Officer of Environment and Climate Change, Jacinto Buenfil, noted that the project aims to implement technological innovations, such as irrigation systems using solar energy, to improve water efficiency and management. This includes rain water harvesting, and access to clean and climate smart energy to increase agricultural water production.