CaFAN

Newsletter
Issue 10

IN THIS ISSUE

Hurricane Tomas ......2

CaFAN on the Move ......3

Caribbean media challenged

to highlight agriculture……4
The 2010 Caribbean Week of Agriculture
(CWA) was held in Grenada under the theme Praedial Larceny: The Fight
““Sustainable Agriculture Development to Goes On ......5
Achieve Food and Nutrition Security”.
Transforming Agriculture
With funding from the Technical Centre for through Food Security ……6
Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) and
the Food and Agriculture Organization of the EU officials evaluate AAACP
United Nations (FAO) under the European Caribbean project ………8
Union All ACP Agricultural Commodities
programme, a team of five persons CTA continues to support
represented the CaFAN Secretariat. CaFAN ………10

Among the activities CaFAN was involved in Kuru Kururu Farmers benefit
included setting up of an exhibition booth from training …………10
which displayed publications, crops grown and
a video display of activities implemented by the CaFAN contributes to CTA’s
network since its inception. There were also 5 year Strategic Plan ……11
two presentations made at (1) the CTA briefing
on Strengthening Entrepreneur groups to ECTAD identifies key crops
influence policy design and implementation for CaFAN regional import
and (2) the FAO Value Chain Promotion substitution programme …12
Seminar. Several appearances were made by
Chief Coordinator of CaFAN, Mr. Jethro CaFAN strengthens
Greene on television and radio programmes relationship with COADY… 13
including the one hour radio programme called
‘Top Soil’ hosted by Mr. Roderick St. Clair, CaFAN recruits new
Marketing Manager of the Marketing and volunteers…………………16
National Importing Board (MNIB) of Grenada.

One of the major highlights of the week of

agriculture was the hosting of CaFAN’s food
night under the theme “Eat Caribbean, Eat
Local, Eat Fresh: Promoting Regional Food
and Nutrition Security”. This event took place
directly following the official opening of the
st
CWA on Thursday October 21 , 2010.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Managing Editor: Jethro Greene | Administrative Support and Editor: Nyasha Durrant |
Contributors: Jeffrey Trotman, A. Murray & R. Penny | Design & Layout: Jeffrey Trotman
1
 Hurricane Tomas
Editor’s Note devastates the
region’s Agricultures
Dear Readers, Hurricane Tomas has devastated
agricultural production in Saint Lucia,
St. Vincent and the Grenadines and, to
The banana is one of the healthiest, delicious and unique tropical fruits; it is
a lesser extent, Barbados during
high in potassium and low in salt, making it the perfect food for helping to October 29 and 31, 2010.
beat high blood pressure. It also helps to normalize the heart beat, sends
oxygen to the brain and regulates the body’s water-balance. Bananas are According to reports and on site visits,
high in B vitamins that help to calm the nervous system making it another the northern areas of St. Vincent, and
ideal food in the fight against stress. the Southern areas of Saint Lucia have
been seriously damaged and have
Recently, the banana production in Saint Lucia and St. Vincent and the been declared disaster areas.
Grenadines has been completely destroyed by the passage of Hurricane
According to a report from Vincentia
Tomas. Nonetheless, because of its significance to our region’s food and Fatal, CaFAN focal point representative
nutrition security, plans have already been put in place to restart the in Saint Lucia, the area most affected
production of bananas, with assistance being given to farmers in St. Vincent was Fond St Jacques, which is one of
and the Grenadines. the largest farming communities with a
resident population of approximately
The sudden impact of natural disasters on our agriculture food production is 2,000 people, most of whom are
eye-opening enough for important measures to be put in place to protect our farmers and farm labourers. The
various landslides completely washed
food supplies and also safeguard the income and livelihood of small away the roads used by farmers to
farmers. access their farms in the area call
Derache and farmers cannot get to
CARICOM, with the input of key agricultural stakeholders has developed a their produce in the ground.
Regional Food and Nutrition Security (RFNS) policy document which seeks
to address food insecurity within the region and provide a strategy for There were also lots of damages to
feeding the region in times of natural and other disasters that will impact greenhouses and many farmers lost
their crops by floods and the wind
food availability.
battered all fields in the area. Banana
production was totally devastated and it
CaFAN has made significant contributions into the final RFNS policy was reported that an estimate of 90%
document and will continue to work with all stakeholders to ensure that there of the agriculture sector was damaged
is a constant and consistent supply of food, while at the same time, ensuring in Saint Lucia.
that support is provided to farmers who are our main food producers.
In St. Vincent, a team from ECTAD
visited the affected areas to see the
widespread devastation in the banana
industry and tree crops such as
breadfruit and vegetable production
that were severely affected. All hope is
not lost as root crop production is still
intact with minor damage to fields due
to landslides.
Nyasha Durrant
Projects Coordinator The Ministry of Agriculture in St.
CaFAN Vincent has been doing farm
evaluations and compensation will be
made to banana farmers, which include
monies for farm labourers and
fertilizers to restart the production of
the banana industry.
2
CaFAN on the Move: CTA continues to support CaFAN
Relationship with CTA is on the
upswing as the new Director of CTA,
An update on recent activities Dr. Michael Hailu and the CTA
Division that deals with CaFAN’s
Hurricane Tomas regional programmes have taken a
St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines banana and plantain crops very favourably engaging position
were devastated and there was disruption of normalcy in Barbados by the with CaFAN. At the CTA strategic
recent passage of Hurricane Thomas. CaFAN regrets the loss of lives in St. planning meeting in Holland where
Lucia and we assure our members that the CaFAN family will support them Jethro Greene was the lone
to pick themselves up. We are trying to figure out the type of help that the representative from the Caribbean,
CaFAN family can provide to our members, particularly in St. Lucia significant input was made on
CaFAN’s strong position of putting
CaFAN will also be monitoring relief assistance to ensure that they are farmers/producers as one of the key
adequately distributed to farmers. centres of CTA activity.
xxxxx
xxxxx
CARICOM engagement
Recently, CARICOM engaged CaFAN’s leadership on the subject of the CTA is also providing CaFAN with
CSME and small farmers and ways of using public relations and support this year to produce two
communications to involve CaFAN membership in the Caribbean Single newsletters, a membership needs
Market and the Economy (CSME). assessment survey to be carried out
in each CaFAN member country, two
Steve Mangal, National Coordinator of GAPA, Guyana, was one of the agriculture fact sheets and a crop
consultants for this project. He worked tirelessly to ensure that CaFAN was production planning workshop.
put at the focal point of any project for future implementation. As a result of
this effort Sis Dhano Sookoo of the Agricultural Society of Trinidad and xxxxx
Tobago (ASTT), Bro Jethro Greene and Sis Gerda Beckles of Suriname,
participated in the final stakeholders’ consultation where Sis Sookoo lead World Bank support to CaFAN
the charge of ensuring that CaFAN was at the centre of future project The World Bank is allocating
development. As a result, CARICOM is offering both financial and technical resources for training CaFAN
assistance to CaFAN from this project activity. members in agriculture risk
mitigation. This is to be done in
CaFAN has already indicated the willingness of the network to accept conjunction with CARDI. The training
CARICOM’s offer to be put on their delegation to countries like Jamaica, is to be coordinated by CARDI and
Suriname, Belize, Dominica, Bahamas and later on, Haiti, so that CaFAN Ms. Keeley Holder, one of CaFAN’s
could use the opportunity to develop its membership base in those agriculture advisors, who is
countries. supervising this programme.
xxxxx
CARICOM Regional Food & Nutrition Security Policy Document (RFNS) xxxxx
Ms. Shari Niles supported by Jethro Greene and with input from the entire FAO collaboration with CaFAN
membership, participated in the final preparation of the RFNS policy FAO continues collaboration with
document. The final document includes a number of suggestions from CaFAN with its provision of financial
CaFAN in which we clearly articulated the position of the farmer and rural assistance to four CaFAN members
households. to develop their root crops sector
Ms. Niles was highly commended for her representation by the CARICOM under the EU AAACP. The members
team. are North East Farmers Organization
xxxxx (NEFO) in Grenada; ECTAD in St.
Vincent and the Grenadines;
Other CARICOM Initiatives Christiana Potato Growers Society in
Sis Dhano Sookoo, Bros. Steve Mangal and Jethro Greene have accepted Jamaica; and GAPA, Kuru Kuru in
CARICOM’s offer for them to make input on behalf of CaFAN in CARICOM’s Guyana.
regional agriculture and agribusiness policies.
Please feel free to share any input with the Secretariat for us to consider as Continues on page 15…
we embark in trying to influence the overall CARICOM agriculture policy.

3
 Head of CTA’s Communications Department, Mme
Caribbean media Ouymy Ndiaye, endorsed the concerns of the CTA
Director as she gave an overview of the workshop.
challenged to highlight During the three-day exercise, José Fonseca, CTA’s
Senior Programme Coordinator, introduced Lindiwe
agriculture Majele Sibanda of South Africa, the Chief of Mission of
FANRPAN, a network of thirteen African countries,
representing government, farmers’ organizations, private
sector and recreation with the stated mission: “to
promote effective food, agriculture and natural resources
(FANR) policies by facilitating linkages and partnerships
between government and civil society; building the
capacity for policy analysis and policy dialogue in
southern Africa; and supporting demand-driven policy
research and analysis.

Over thirty media experts from across the Caribbean

participated at the media workshop, which included
audio visual presentations from Wesley Gibbings,
Chairman of the Association of Caribbean Media
Workers (ACM); Sam Mikenga, Theresa Daniel, a media
consultant in St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Wendy
Diaz and Efasina Efunyemi; journalists Peter Richards
and Julius Gittens; and Dr. Maria Protz.

Dr. Arlington Chesney, CARDI Director, also made a

Mr. Michael Hailu, CTA Director
The new CTA Director, Michael Hailu, has given the
media in the Caribbean a challenge to increase its focus
on agriculture and climate change.
Speaking at the opening of the three-day CTA
sponsored regional Media Experts Seminar for the
Caribbean on 20 October, 2010, the CTA Director
pointed to new opportunities for the region’s agriculture
to obtain a larger slice of the value chains that exist for
agricultural and agri-products within the new
international trade environment. He also referred to the
growing concerns relating to climate change.
presentation on Caribbean media coverage of food and
agriculture.
During the exercise, ECTAD/CaFAN Communications
Consultant, Jeffrey Trotman, referred to the longstanding
and cordial relationship that exists between
ECTAD/CaFAN and the CTA in which CTA has funded
several capacity building training programmes as well as
provided funding for the publication of the ECTAD
Greenlight and CaFAN AGRIVYBZ newsletters.

Hailu pointed to the challenge of engaging the media to

spark public debate on these issues. He also pointed to
the challenge the media face and would experience in
attempting to interpret the language of technical people
in agriculture and vice versa in this new thrust to bring
agricultural matters and climate change to the public in
ways that they can understand and appreciate.
Participants of the Media Experts Seminar
The new approach by the CTA to engage the ACM came out of the CTA’s annual seminar in Brussels, Belgium on
12-16 October, 2009 in which the media was highlighted as a strategic link in the chain of information dissemination
and communication that brings stakeholders together as the media address the major agricultural and rural
development (ARD) challenges of the 21st century including food security and climate change.

The Brussels gathering acknowledged that adequate flow of information in ACP countries is inadequate and media
treatment of crucial issues such as food security, post-harvest technology and water management often tend to be
insufficient.

4

Praedial Larceny:
The Fight Goes On
On September 21 and 22, 2010, the Technical
Management Advisory Committee (TMAC) of the
‘Deficient and Uncoordinated Disaster Risk
Management, including Praedial Larceny’ in the
Agriculture Sector for the Jagdeo Initiative collaborated
with the CARICOM Secretariat, FAO and CDEMA, and
held a regional stakeholders consultation to consider
draft recommendations and plan of action to reduce
praedial larceny in member states of CARICOM.
The consultation was represented by Minister Hilson
Baptiste, Chair of the TMAC/ASSC and lead Minister on
the Jagdeo Initiative Constraint on Deficient and
Uncoordinated Disaster Risk Management Measures
including Praedial Larceny.
Speaking on the issue of praedial larceny, Mr. Jethro
Greene who represented CaFAN highlighted that
praedial larceny has been identified by CARICOM to be
one of the greatest threats to a thriving agriculture
sector. He noted that crop theft has always existed in
one form or another, with people stealing for the purpose
of selling to traffickers. This is literally taking the money
out of the pockets of farmers, who have a difficult
enough time breaking even.
Greene noted that past strategies have dealt with the
symptoms of praedial larceny and not the root causes. A
strategy needs to be developed that both treats praedial
larceny as a serious crime, but also addresses the
factors which lead people into committing these crimes,
since a prosperous and profitable agriculture sector
needs to be secure.
One such strategy that CaFAN seeks to promote is the
idea of clustering. These are informal “organizations”
which are established in communities in order to give
small farmers a greater voice and improve their
economies of scale. Clustering helps to bring
communities closer together and builds strong bonds
between farmers who will then look out for each other.
There are also practical realities that exist within the
Caribbean countries where farmers reside nearly one to
two hours away from their fields. We need to explore
ways in which these farmers can become more attached
to their lands, allowing them to maintain their own
surveillance and can maintain surveillance on
neighbours’ farms. To adequately address praedial
5
larceny there needs to be large structural changes. It is
no small task to push for land reform, but it is necessary.
Following the two day consultation a document “Analysis
of the State of Praedial Larceny in Member States of
CARICOM” was circulated which provided a background
into praedial larceny within CARICOM countries and
listed several recommendations that can be adapted in
the fight and reduction of praedial larceny at the national
and regional levels.
KEY RECOMMENDATIONS
- In some countries, for example Suriname,
praedial larceny is strongly linked to food
insecurity. Therefore, specific focus should be
made in strengthening food security
- Create Sensitization, Public Awareness and
Information sharing programmes for praedial
larceny prevention
- Strengthen the national policy framework and
the institutions that support praedial larceny
prevention and risk reduction
- St Vincent and the Grenadines, Jamaica and
Trinidad and Tobago are the three countries that
have placed praedial larceny prevention in the
National Agriculture Strategy. It’s recommended
that these three countries elaborate the
strategies using a Results- Based Plan of
Action. The Plan of Action should adopt an
implementation strategy that integrates the
praedial larceny prevention measures into the
reporting and monitoring processes of the
National Agriculture Strategy.
- The National Praedial Larceny Strategies be
given recognition in the CARICOM Regional
Agriculture Policy now being developed under
the IICA/CTA/CARICOM initiative
- To establish and strengthen planning and
monitoring systems at the national and regional
levels
- Strengthen community watch groups
- Conduct an investigation into how praedial
larceny is integrated into the legitimate food
distribution chain
- Build farmer capacity for praedial larceny
prevention
- Establish special units in the police force to
tackle praedial larceny
Transformation of Agri-
Business in the Caribbean
Article by Renortha Penny
Subsistence farmers usually receive strong criticism for
not planning or producing enough to supply the local
market, yet alone the external market. There are many
farmers within the region who do not own their lands
legally because it has been passed down from
generation to generation with no legal documentation.
Ironically, some governments refuse to recognise the
relentless sacrifice and the need for ownership of lands
by farmers, which will allow for easy access to credit and
other amenities to improve their livelihood for the
development and expansion of their farm.
In the Caribbean, we ought not to allow our fragile
agriculture industry to be managed under the capitalist
system as that of the multinational agricultural
companies. The wealth of “Agriculture Technology” must
not displace farmers and workers and more over, should
not unbalance our ecosystems (natural resources are
very limited especially in the Caribbean).
We have seen time and again that traditional crops and
native species surpass genetically modified ones that
are usually recommended to us from foreign experts.
From basic observations, these species often require
high volumes of water (irrigation systems), pesticides
(not resistant to most tropical pest) and new stock every
season; they are basically a catalyst to making the
industry stagnant to growth and development from the
dependencies on foreign technologies.

On the other hand, it is amazing how multinational
agricultural companies have easy access to what
subsistence farmers are presently fighting for in the
Caribbean (insurance, credit, technology, etc.). They
invade third world countries, producing large quantities
with cheap labour, whose focus is not for internal
development but for the foreign market. Yet, these
companies are continuously embraced by governments
and authorities promising to provide more employment
for the locals to improve living standards but they are
often left with the dismay of deserted-degraded lands,
chaos, mass migration of farmers to the cities, famine,
drought, and waves of violence just to name a few form
of their exploitation.
Therefore, we must open our eyes and see that our
development does not have to be foreign but from within.
Latin American, Asian and African countries have all felt
the effects of genetically modified crops and of those
empty promises from multinational companies. In the
Caribbean, we must hold strong with the limited
resources we have and first feed within our borders with
surplus turn over to the regional and extra regional
markets.
The transformation of Agribusiness in the Caribbean will
only succeed as we learn from our past and make
changes in the present to encourage a more sustainable
and profitable future.

Youth Volunteer invited to CTA Seminar

in South Africa
Ms. Renortha Penny of Grenada has been selected by CaFAN to participate
in CTA’s Annual Seminar on “Closing the Knowledge Gap: Integrated Water
Management for Sustainable Agriculture” to take place in Johannesburg,
South Africa from November 22-26th, 2010. Two of the four objectives of
the seminar are to:
- Share experiences and information on best practices in integrated
water management (IWM) in the various agro-ecological zones of
ACP countries
- Identify information & communication needs and requirements and
propose guidelines for the implementation of water management Renortha D. Penny is one of the
activities and programmes newest members to join CaFAN‘s
The seminar will bring together over 150 experts involved in integrated water team of technical volunteer. She is
resource management and related fields. a dynamic and motivated young
entrepreneur who has 5 years in
Ms. Penny also represents CaFAN who sits as a regional member on CTA’s the area of Green Business
Youth, Agriculture Rural Development and ICT (ARDYIS Project) along with Development strategies and
Ms. Keeley Holder of Barbados. Both Ms. Holder and Ms. Penny are creates a close relationship
technical volunteers and consultants with CaFAN. between research and sustainable
development issues.

6
 CAFAN contributes to
Regional Food & Nutrition
Security Policy
Voice of Jethro Greene, Chief Coordinator
of CaFAN
CaFAN is bent on making an indelible impact on the proposed
CARICOM/FAO Regional Food and Nutrition Security policy
(RFNS). According to Jethro Greene, CaFAN Coordinator, the
proposed RFNS is part of a larger agriculture sector policy that
CARICOM is designing with technical assistance from the
FAO. He said that CaFAN is bent on ensuring that the policy
reflects the true reality of the Caribbean, especially since the majority of people in the food production system are
small farmers.

Emphasis on local food
Stressing that regional food security
should be centred around
Caribbean produce – not imported
food – Greene said it is scientifically
proven that a lot of locally produced
food that go to waste in the
Caribbean are much healthier than
a lot of the imported food. ”If we are
to fight the non communicable
diseases,” he elaborated, “we have
to get our people to eat more of our
healthy food rather than a lot of the
imported processed junk food that
they are using”.
Land policy
The CaFAN leader is also
contending that a regional food
policy must also include a clear land
policy in which emphasis is placed
on the preservation of agricultural
land across the region. “We can’t
have food security when
government is taking all the lands
and put to tourism … without any
regard for food security. So we have
to have good land policy designed
to protect agriculture.”
Stigma
Apart from meaningful land policies,
Greene feels that Caribbean
governments need to have
meaningful youth policies with
respect to agriculture. “We also
have to look at the negative stigma
attached to agriculture. If
government is serious, efforts would
be made from school level to foster
appreciation for agriculture.
“We also want to ensure that we do
not look at the farmer in an
impersonal manner as though he or
she is a machine – a producer of
food. Farmers must be looked at in
a holistic way. The farmer is an
integral part of the society. The
farmer is a person with needs and
has a family. Government has to be
serious in putting things like
infrastructure in agricultural
communities and rural areas.”
Storage
Pointing to the need for increased
storage facilities, Greene said there
are times of major gluts and scarcity
and this must be addressed by the
governments within the region.
Transportation
CaFAN believes that intraregional
transportation of produce is not a
major problem once the agricultural
sector is vibrant. According to
Greene, the private sector is ready
and willing to provide transportation
once supplies are guaranteed.
Greene said. “We need to deal with
the fundamentals of supply,
marketing and supply chain
systems that would ensure that
certain levels of supplies are
coming out of countries to be
distributed around the region and
transportation will fall in line. I’m
very confident about that. I’m more
worried about production planning
than transportation.”
CaFAN
Disclosing that CaFAN has over
500,000 farmers throughout the
region with members in 13
Caribbean countries, Greene
said:”The Caribbean is seen as one
country. In order for us to get
economies of scale we need to
work together. The idea of St.
Vincent and the Grenadines,
Jamaica, or even Guyana to work
on their own is ridiculous when you
think of what is going on in
international trade; people are
moving in blocks.
“So, we as a united farmers’
organization is way ahead of the
politicians – we are sensible, we’re
intelligent, we have vision. We
recognized that the world was
moving in blocks six years ago, so
we put ourselves in a block. Now,
we are in a position in which we can
offer – and the private sector is
coming to us to supply them with
commodities because we have
membership in all CARICOM
countries.
Continues on page 14...

7
EU officials
evaluate AAACP
Caribbean project
Two officials from the Coordinating
Unit of the EU AAACP have
expressed satisfaction with progress
made on attempts to bolster root crop
production amongst CaFAN
members participating in the EU ACP
AAACP Roots and Tubers program.

Ms. Laurence Guigou, Administrative
and Financial Expert and Ms.
Mariane Tambwe, Communications
Expert, visited the Caribbean during
the Caribbean Week of Agriculture
and visited three of CaFAN members
involved in the EU AAACP in
Grenada, St. Vincent and the
Grenadines and Jamaica. The
purpose of their visit was to monitor
the effectiveness of the EU AACP
assistance to improve capacity
amongst Caribbean farmers to
function viably and sustainably.
GRENADA
The North East Farmers
Organisation (NEFO) of Grenada
was the first to be visited, and this
took place on Wednesday October
20th. Accompanied by two of CaFAN
Secretariat Volunteers; Dave Rideout
and Sadaf Kashfi, the team
journeyed to several NEFO farms led
by its president Mr. Evans Gooding.
Farmers of NEFO were questioned
by the two EU officials and they
shared their experiences and lessons
learnt especially in the areas of
record keeping and new farming
techniques. Following the field visits,
NEFO held a small ceremony with its
members and the EU officials. This
event provided an opportunity for
Guigou and Tambwe to speak to a
larger audience of NEFO farmers
who are involved in the project. The
visit concluded with distributions of
certificates for participation in the
NEFO CaFAN FAO EU AAACP
project.
Ms. Guigou and Mr. Gooding examine plants during farm visits;
NEFO farmer presented with certificate of participation
ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES
th
On Monday October 25 , Guigou and Tambwe journeyed to St. Vincent
and the Grenadines and looked at progress being made on an FAO funded
sweet potato pilot project in the North Leeward area of the island. They
also visited the CARDI sweet potato experimental plot and several fields of
dasheen.
Pointing to some degree of differences in competence amongst the
Vincentian farmers that are affiliated to ECTAD and their counterparts from
NEFO, Tambwe said that ECTAD’s farmers membership is much larger
compared to NEFO and that she and her colleague could discern that
cultivation techniques are more developed in St. Vincent than at NEFO.
Enthused by what she saw, Guigou said ECTAD is receiving grant
assistance from other agencies to continue capacity building amongst its
affiliate farmers.
Ms. Guigou and
Mr. James
Clarke (farmer)
converse about
sweet potato
production
during visit to
ECTAD, St.
Vincent and the
Grenadines.
Photo taken on
CARDI‘s
experimental
sweet potato
plot
th
The two EU Officials departed from St. Vincent on Tuesday 26 to Jamaica
to learn of the experiences of the Christiana Potato Growers Cooperative
Association (CPGCA). They were also expected to meet a number of other
Jamaican stakeholders, local and international officials, including World
Bank personnel before returning to Brussels.

8
JAMAICA
On October 28, 2010, the Christiana The EU representative, presenters, CPGCA and RADA personnel
Potato Growers Co-operative addressed the gathering about their organizations’ efforts to improve the
Association Ltd showed its wellbeing of the farmers and their communities. Further comments were
appreciation to FAO and all the made by farmers in the audience. The CPGCA chairman gave the closing
Group Secretaries that participated in remarks and brought the meeting to a close.
the “Training the Trainers” Seminars
by hosting a Farmers Day & FAO
Evaluation Exercise. Special guests
from the EU Coordinating Units;
Guigou and Tambwe, were present,
along with presenters and RADA
officials who participated in the
training exercises.

Some of the farmers from various

communities whose group
secretaries participated in the training
exercise were present in support of
the secretaries. There were
approximately 55 persons in
attendance including 7 persons who
were visiting Jamaica which gave the
exercise an international flavor.

The representatives from the EU,

accompanied by Mr. Alvin Murray,
General Manager and Mr. Ivan
Green, Chairman CPGCA, toured the
Devon Resource Center where they Standing: Alvin Murray, Laurence Guigou & Ivan Green
saw the activities associated with Sitting: Female trainers are Olive Johnson & Cheryl Sawyers
green house vegetable production.
According to Guigou and Tambwe, the overall visit is part of a periodic
The representatives from the EU
monitoring programme to determine whether EU grants and funding from
later participated in the Farmers’
other donor agencies are achieving the objective of raising capacity
Meeting held at CPGCA Head office.
amongst small farmers to improve their production and productivity and
There, the trainees deliberated on
consequently their quality of life in ACP countries.
the value of the FAO sponsored
seminars on their personal lives and
The EU Officials explained that a number of international organizations
their community improvement. The
operate as implementing agencies for the All ACP Agricultural
EU representative assisted in
Commodities Programme. “In this case,” Tambwe said, “FAO training is
handing out Training Manuals,
being provided to different farmer organizations in St. Vincent, in
containing the course work to the
Jamaica, in Guyana, in Grenada to improve their production cultivation
Group Secretaries who were present.
techniques, to improve the use of fertilizers and their ability in leadership
and also improve the management of their own farms.”

Priceless Expressions
Some members of NEFO receiving their certificates from Mr. Reginal Andall, CARDI Representative in
Grenada and main trainer under the NEFO CaFAN FAO EU AAACP Roots & Tubers Project

9
CTA continues to
support CaFAN
through 2010
contract
CaFAN has signed a new partnership
contract with the Technical Centre for
Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
(CTA). The overall objective of the
contract is to contribute to enhanced
competitiveness of Caribbean
farmers and improved quality of life
of farmers’ families.
The main activities to be imple-
mented include:
- Conducting a survey on CaFAN
membership needs;
- Production of two fact sheets on
farm management and pro-
duction planning;
- Production of two issues of
Agrivybz newsletters;
- Conduction a regional workshop
on Crop Production Planning and
Management targeting specific
markets
At the end of the project, CaFAN
seeks to:
- Strengthen its membership base
and provide up-to-date and
relevant information to members
- Strengthen members’ capacities
to take advantage of marketing
opportunities nationally, region-
ally and internationally
- Reinforce interactions among
and between CaFAN members,
and other stakeholders
The 2010 contract was signed in
October 2010 and will be
implemented over a ten month period
ending August 2011. CTA has been
a major partner of CaFAN since
CaFAN’s inception in 2002.
CaFAN signs LoA
The EU AAACP roots and tubers project is being coordinated by CaFAN
who was first engaged by FAO in 2008 as the leading regional farmers’
organisation to work with, in the implementation of activities funded by the
EU AAACP. To date, several country visits have been made to Grenada,
Jamaica and Guyana in an effort to provide support services to activities of
national projects supported by the AAACP.
In an effort to enable CaFAN to continue to provide support services to
national activities of members, to further facilitate networking and
information exchange on lessons learnt, to implement parts of its
communication strategy, prepare written promotional materials, and to
monitor and assist in the finalization of reports, CaFAN has signed its fourth
LoA with FAO, PR 45515.
The LoA has also provided further assistance to visit three of the four
national projects and to provide training on appropriate topics. It also
provided an opportunity for training of the CaFAN’s Secretariat staff in
business development services.
The CaFAN Secretariat expresses its appreciation to FAO; especially Mr.
Heiko Bammann, Enterprise Development Officer of FAO AGS division for
the support offered to CaFAN and its members which will help to advance
its marketing programme and service provision to its members.
Kuru Kururu Farmers benefit
from training
Under the EU AAACP project, the Guyana Agricultural Producers
Association (GAPA) has signed its first letter of agreement (LoA) with FAO
and will be conducted with the Kuru Kururu Farmers Crop and Livestock
Association (KKFCLA), a member of GAPA. The project is set to be
implemented over a six month period ending December 2010. Members of
KKFCLA received their first training on Effective Management of Farmers
Organisation which was conducted by Jethro Greene, CaFAN Chief
Coordinator. The training was conducted on the 7-8th September, 2010 and
had a total of over thirty participants.
In a letter dated September 28th, 2010, the Chairman of the KKFCLA,
Yonnette Kennedy expressed her gratitude on behalf of KKFCLA for the
opportunity to be a part of the EU AAACP Roots and Tubers project. She
noted that KKKFCLA was quite impressed and rewarded with the
knowledge and guidelines on the training conducted that is very conducive
to their organisation.
It is her hope that there will be continuance of training activities where
KKFCLA farmers will be given the necessary opportunities and linkages
that would advance them towards the development and improvement of
their agricultural activities. Kennedy expressed the association’s interest to
be a part of the CaFAN network and to develop linkages with all the other
farmers and organisations in the network.
10
CaFAN
contributes to
CTA’s 5 year
Strategic Plan
Jethro Greene, Chief Coordinator
was the lone representative from
the Caribbean region to attend
CTA Strategic Planning Workshop
from October 5-7, 2010 in
Wageningen, the Netherlands.
There were over fifty international
experts including CTA staff in
attendance. Their role was to
assist in defining possible strategic
thrusts and priorities for the Centre
in the coming five years.
CTA convenes every five years to
review the external environment,
examine its roles and devise a new
strategy to guide its future work.
The strategy serves to priorities the
CTA programmes, projects and
activities for the following five
years.
In an exclusive interview with Mr.
Greene regarding his participation,
Greene said that CTA has a major
strength that most of the other
agencies do not have, “a unique
partnership approach”, which
places emphasis on sharing and
dialogue, rather than talking down.
This partnership approach is a
pillar which allows CTA to work
through partners like CaFAN and
also through strategic partnerships
like FAO – it can maximize its
resources.
He also said that CTA’s staff
comprises both ACP and European
which creates a balance in the
Institution.
Greene’s contributions were made
from CTA national and regional
partnership programmes through
which CaFAN and its Secretariat
have been able to benefit.
ECTAD signs LoA
ECTAD has once again received support from FAO for a number of
development activities in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG). The support
which falls under EU AAACP is aimed at strengthening ECTAD’s farmer base
within rural communities for the production and marketing of root crops. As
part of the programme, ECTAD has targeted a minimum of 600 farmers for
(re)registering in SVG and has set up six field officers to work directly with
these farmers and the area extension officers in the Ministry of Agriculture. It
will also hold a National Stakeholders Planning Meeting scheduled for
November 23-25, to appraise the farmers on all aspects of the project and
what would be required of them.
ECTAD will also use the opportunity to hold one day village meetings with
farmers which it is hoped will result in the strengthening of a group or cluster.
These meetings will be held in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture
and other stakeholders such as CARDI and the Taiwanese Technical Mission.
CAFAN contributes to CARCIOM
Agricultural Policy (CCAP)
On November 11-12, 2010, Jethro Greene represented CaFAN at a
CARICOM Agricultural Policy (CCAP) validation workshop in Guyana, prior to
which he distributed CaFAN’s position on agricultural policy to be incorporated
into the CCAP.
CaFAN believes that CCAP must support measures that will enhance farming
as a business within the region in areas which include:
1. Improving agriculture productivity
2. Improving marketing and trade, starting within our own CARICOM
borders
3. Facilitate support for farmers to better deal with environmental
standards, health and safety issues regarding the food trade
4. Facilitate focus on young farmers and promote agriculture right
through the school system from kindergarten to secondary
5. Support value addition with key focus on the use of local products
produced within the Caribbean region and support more research and
development in value addition
6. Improving access to finance and financial investment for farmers
7. Improving access to land and security of land titles for farmers
8. Improving marketing infrastructure especially storage, packaging and
safety issues
9. Support skills development in the agriculture field
10. Facilitate risk mitigation training and technical support for farmers.
11. Facilitate agriculture crop and livestock insurance
12. Facilitate the strengthening and build capacity building of farmers
organisation and clusters as a core strategy
13. Empowerment of farmers and farmers organisations
14. Support focused research and development aimed at solving
problems affecting farmers
15. Support skills development in the agriculture field
11
ECTAD identifies key crops for CaFAN regional
import substitution programme
Seven key crops; dasheen, sweet
potato, yams, eddoes, plantain,
ginger and pineapples were
selected by farmers and
agriculture stakeholders for
production linked to CaFAN
marketing programme.

These crops were identified at a

Crop Production and Marketing
Coordinating workshop organized
by the Eastern Caribbean Trading
Agriculture and Development
Organisation (ECTAD) which took
on Wednesday 25th August,
2010.
The main objective of the one day
meeting was to develop a
production and marketing strategy
linked to CaFAN’s Regional
Import Substitution Programme
and joint overseas marketing.
The meeting was held in
collaboration between ECTAD,
Ministry of Agriculture and the
Caribbean Agricultural Research
and Development Institute
(CARDI). It brought together a
broad community of agricultural
stakeholders from farmers,
agricultural institutions, govern-
ment, and the private sector.
There were over 30 participants
including representatives of the
Guyana Agriculture Production
Association and the North East
Farmers Organisation from
Grenada.
Group photo of participants
The one day workshop which was led by Mr. Jethro Greene, Chief Coordinator
(ECTAD) examined crop production and marketing from the local, regional and
international standpoints. There were presentations made by Dr Gregory Robin,
(CARDI Representative), Mr. Seithroy Edwards and Mr. Renarto Gumbs,
Agriculture Officers (Ministry of Agriculture) and farmers’ leaders who gave an
update on the current state of production in several areas of St. Vincent and the
Grenadines.
The one day workshop also featured a brief outline by Jennifer Blackman of a
CARICOM Study Project to access famers’ knowledge of the CARICOM Single
Market and Economy (CSME). Magdaline Niles of Grenada and Steve Mangal
of GAPA also gave a brief descriptions of their organisations, while Ms. Nyasha
Durrant, ECTAD’s Project administrator gave an outline of the current FAO EU
AAACP support to CaFAN.
Significant opportunities for farmers and agriculture stakeholders to comment on
trends in the agriculture sector were an important element of the workshop.
There was a Question and Answer section that was intended to promote
dialogue amongst interested parties and to foster learning among a diverse
group of stakeholders, regarding competition and other issues in the agricultural
market landscape.
At the end of the meeting, Mr. Greene noted that ECTAD, St. Vincent was just
one of thirteen countries that will contribute crops for CaFAN marketing
programme. The other countries were recommended to meet and identify crops
that they had a strategic advantage of growing.

NEFO visits ECTAD Farmers

Delegates of NEFO, Grenada visited St. Vincent through a study tour program hosted by ECTAD from August 24th
–27th 2010. The Study tour was one of NEFO’s activities funded under a letter of Agreement by FAO through the
EU AAACP. The goal of the tour was to identify key production and propagation techniques practiced in St.
Vincent that will enhance NEFO’s present and future crop production for greater economic, financial and workforce
building opportunities.
NEFO farmers were taken on several farm visits in which they looked at the production practices of dasheen, yams,
eddoes and sweet potatoes on both the Leeward and Windward locations. They also visited CARDI’s experimental
stations, the Ministry of Agriculture propagation station and the Taiwan experimental plot.

12
CaFAN strengthens relationship
with COADY International Institute
An official from the COADY International Institute, St. Francis Xavier
University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada, is satisfied with the Youth in
Partnership (YIP) programme between the institution and ECTAD/CaFAN.

Natalie Abdou, Youth Programme Officer, COADY International Institute,

visited St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) from Monday 31 May to
Saturday 5 June 2010 during which time she assessed the internship of
three COADY cohorts, who arrived in SVG in March 2010.

Abdou explained that COADY functions in seven month “cohorts” in which David Rideout
the participants undergo two weeks training before going off for a six
month stint in a foreign country followed by a two week de-briefing upon Sadaf Kashfi received her Bachelor of
their return to Canada. The YIP is presently being funded by the Commerce from McGill University,
Canadian International Development Agency. Canada in 2009. She has worked with
Agriculture Canada informing farmers
Abdou said, among other things, her visits will help COADY to better about government programs and
recruit associates as well as better provide new cohorts with information services relevant to their farms, as well
on their placement so that they are better able to contribute positively to as assessing their needs situation.
the respective organizations to which they are attached. She also said Sadaf welcomed the opportunity to
that she appreciates the opportunity to chat one on one with the work with ECTAD and hopes to engage
leadership of the partner organisation, since, according to her, it really in mutual learning with the farming
strengthens the partnership in a remarkable way. community in SVG and gain a better
understanding of international develop-
Impressed by what she saw in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, ment work.
particularly the manner of rudimentary agriculture on steep slopes, the
COADY official said: “These are really small business and it provides an
opportunity for young Canadians to engage in community development –
and through ECTAD and CaFAN – by getting information and trying to
assist in determining policies in communication and marketing.

“It seems to be a unique opportunity for young Canadians to be part of

that process … to really engage and put their influence to various pieces
of work … in that their strengths are being utilized and in addition to that,
they are being challenged in new ways … and to learn more of people
such as trying to find the relationship around trying to coordinate the
efforts of local farmers.”

Richard Kirkham and Marcia McCune were the COADY “associates” at

ECTAD/CaFAN during Abdou’s visit. Their six month stint ended in mid
September 2010 during which time, ECTAD/CaFAN welcomed two new
interns, David Rideout and Sadaf Kashfi. Sadaf Kashfi

Dave Rideout graduated with a double major in International Development

Studies and Political Science from Saint Mary's University in Halifax, The first batch of interns was Laird
Canada. He went on to obtain an Advanced Diploma in Public Relations Herbert and Paula Hearn, who served
and haS since worked in the non-profit and corporate communications at ECTAD/CaFAN during July 2008 to
sectors in Canada. As a COADY Institute YIP intern, he will be able to January 2009.
combine his training in PR with his background in development. Dave
hopes that through this experience, he will be able to contribute to positive CaFAN is grateful for the opportunity to
and lasting change for agriculture in the Caribbean. work with COADY and looks forward
for a stronger and lasting relationship.

13
...continued from page 7
It’s on the basis of that we were able
to interact with CARICOM – a
regional organization – and, of
course, if there is a regional
organization like us that is active on
the ground producing, they would
hear about us and engage us.”
He explained that the Caribbean
Farmers Network (CaFAN) is a
network of small farmers. “We form
them in groups or clusters. No matter
how small they are, we bring them
together to get economies of scale.
We get production. We get training.
We get technical assistance. It is
primarily a small farmers’
organization. The coordinating office
is in St. Vincent with focal points in all
the member countries of the network.
Every member in a country whether it
is the Jamaica Agriculture Society,
the Christiana Potato Growers
Association represents CaFAN in
their country”
Expectations
“A policy is an over arching
framework” Greene explained. “A
regional policy for agriculture and
food security is necessary so that we
have something that we could fall
back on. It is a guide and once it is
fashioned in a right way it could force
governments in the region to change
their behavior and conform because
they will be held accountable.”
He said as farmers’ organizations
become more active they can play a
stronger role in their country and
ensure that government does not
dole out the country to foreigners.
“You protect your farmers.”
He said that if the policy is followed,
a number of things would fall in place
that would benefit farmers. “For
example, we have had a lot of ‘so
called’ money come into the region
for agriculture and governments have
attempted to create organizations. I
don’t believe in that.
“I believe that government must
create the policy framework and an
enabling environment for farmers’
organizations to have farmers
working together in clusters, etc.
They must not be controlled by
government. They must be facilitated
by government because the farming
sector has been too politicized over
the last decade or so and, generally,
in a lot of countries, politicians are
afraid of farmers being independent.
So, they keep them dependent.”
Prosperity
“CaFAN’s role is to ensure that
farmers act like the private sector.
Governments need to create the
enabling environment. Let the EU
assistance come directly to the
farmers’ groups. Let the private
sector investment come directly to
the farmers’ groups. Governments
must simply collect taxes and create
the enabling environment and get out
of direct lead involvement in some of
these activities and we will see
prosperity.”
Novel
Greene is also the Chairman of the
Agriculture and Nutrition Committee
of the St. Vincent and the
Grenadines Chamber of Industry and
Commerce. Noting that it is a novel
committee in the organization,
Greene said the committee has been
working well.
“We are now doing a cook book
based on our local food chain. We
are also promoting a fruit of the
month and a fruit of the quarter
based on our local fruits. We are also
promoting the nutritional value of the
fruits. Among other things, we have
started a very active programme to
promote school gardens, starting with
the Intermediate High School, which
is very good since we are focusing
the school garden as a business –
not just as farming. We are trying to
promote farming as a business.”
He said he joined the Chamber to
influence the organization to become
more involved in agriculture and he is
happy to state that more business
men are taking a more active interest
in agriculture and purchasing more
local food. “So, the Chamber is
moving in the right direction.”

CARICOM consultations attended by CaFAN

On September 16 and 17, Jethro Greene represented CaFAN at the CARICOM Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN)
consultation meeting in Barbados. The purpose of the consultation was to reach agreement on a standing
arrangement for future consultations between the OTN and select Regional Non-State Actors (NSA) organizations.
Following the meeting, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been drafted between CaFAN and CARICOM

On October 28, 2010, CARICOM Secretariat held a one day meeting to review the draft report of the CSME Rural
Community Readiness Study which was conducted in Belize, Dominica, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Vincent and the
Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago and to agree on a strategy. The meeting took place in Guyana and
was represented by Jethro Greene.

On November 9 and 10, Mrs. Dhano Sookoo, CaFAN Director and President of the Agricultural Society of Trinidad
and Tobago (ASTT) represented CaFAN at a CARICOM Stakeholders workshop on “Developing an Action Plan for
Promotion of a Regional Agribusiness Sector and Targeted Commodity Enterprises” in Guyana.

14
…continued from page 3
FAO will also be supporting an issue of AGRIVYBZ and
is supporting the CaFAN Secretariat to host regional
workshops and provide technical supervision for the
projects on the ground. Recently, a two member team
from the coordinating unit of the European Union All
ACP Agricultural Commodities Programme (EU AAACP)
visited the region aimed at evaluating the impact of the
projects. From first impression, they seemed satisfied
with the progress of the project in all four locations.
xxxxx
2010 Caribbean Week of Agriculture
The performance of the various CaFAN representatives
caused the organization to shine at the various
workshops held at the CWA. CaFAN was featured on
six television and radio interview programmes during the
week of activities, much more than any other
organization that attended the event.
And with its local Caribbean food night, CaFAN became
the most visible and recognizable organization at the
Caribbean Week of Activities. As a result of this, a
number of organizations including CARICOM and our
traditional partners are reaching out to us in more
intensive fashion with offer of technical and financial
assistance.
The team approach of CaFAN and the consistency of its
message and vision with heavy emphasis on leadership
succession by encouraging young people to participate
in the leadership is putting CaFAN in extremely high
profile – way above the rest.
There must be no compromise in continuing the process
of team leadership and sticking to our vision of ensuring
that our farmers own more of the value chain if not the
total value chain to the extent that he/she can have a
viably profitable business that he/she can pass on to
generations.
Congratulation to the CaFAN leaders at the Caribbean
Week of Activities!
xxxxx
CaFAN Constitution and Strategic Plan
CaFAN is in the final stage of its Constitution and has
been circulated to members for final comment. CaFAN
new strategic plan is also under review and a draft
outline would also be circulated within the next month.
xxxxx
CaFAN membership fees
CaFAN would begin membership fee collection in
December to be continued in January to ensure that all
members are in good current financial standing.
15
Others
• The recent training course on Agribusiness
Management for Farmers Organization held in July,
2010 in St. Lucia was very successful and the report
has been circulated to all members.
• All CaFAN members and affiliates are asked to
submit articles on their organization to the
Secretariat for publication in AGRIVYBZ.
• Any CaFAN member, representing his/her
organization at any official workshop is asked to
submit a report of the event to the CaFAN
Secretariat, which will in turn, be circulated to all
members
• CaFAN members are also requested to keep the
Secretariat informed on activities in country and any
major report on agriculture in country so that the
Secretariat could circulate to the general
membership of the network.
The CaFAN Directorate and Secretariat would like to
encourage the membership to be vigilant and take
charge of your/our own agriculture destiny.
CaFAN Upcoming Events
Crop Production Planning Regional Workshop
February 14-18 or 21-25, 2011
Three day Grenada consultation meeting and
country visit – January 2011
Three day Jamaica consultation meeting and
country visit – February 2011
Barbados Agro-fest 2011 – February 25-28, 2011
SEND US YOUR COMMENTS
The CaFAN Secretariat is looking forward to
receiving your feedback on this issue of
AGRIVYBZ Issue #10.
Please send comments or suggestions to
cafancaribbean@gmail.com or
ectadsvg@yahoo.com
 The CaFAN Secretariat recruits new volunteers

Mr. Elroy Wilson is a final year student at the University
of the West Indies (UWI) pursuing his Bachelor of
Science degree in Agribusiness Management and
Entrepreneurship at the St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad
& Tobago. Elroy has worked in agriculture as a Banana
Extension Officer at the St. Vincent Banana Growers
Association. On November 3rd 2011, he received the
‘Agribusiness Community Service’ award for most
outstanding performance in the internship programme
which he completed at the Ministry of Agriculture
Forestry and Fisheries, St. Vincent.
Elroy fully commits himself to the field of agricultural and
rural development and supports CaFAN’s mandate to
improve the livelihood of small farmers across the
region.
Mr. Conroy Huggins is an Agronomist/Agricultural
Engineer within the Ministry of Education, St. Vincent
and the Grenadines where he has been teaching
agriculture science at the Bishop’s College Kingstown
(BCK) for two years. He is a former senior extension
officer at the St. Vincent Banana Growers Association.
He also served as president of the St. Vincent and the
Grenadines Agriculture Forum for Youth (SVGAFY).
He is presently the coordinator of the BCK Agriculture
Science club. Conroy desires to inspire and mobilize
youth involvement in agriculture in St. Vincent and the
Grenadines and the wider Caribbean and he is pleased
to be a part of the CaFAN team.

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 / cafancaribbean@gmail.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
16of CTA.
opinion