Fresh Focus on climate change at inaugural Caribbean-Pacific Agri-Food Forum

len ishmael
Dr. Len Ishmael – ECS Ambassador to the European Union. Photo credit: CTA

(Bridgetown, November 5, 2015) The devastating impact of climate change on Caribbean Agriculture was a key item of discussion at the inaugural Caribbean Pacific Agri-Food Forum, which got underway in Barbados on Monday November 2nd and Tropical Storm Erika’s blow to Dominica was the major reference point.

Dominica’s representative to the European Union Dr. Len Ishmael told members of the media that August 26 and 27, 2015 in Dominica is a lesson to all that climate change is an existential threat for small islands.

“A Tropical Storm, not a hurricane, killed and inundated so many. We are being killed and losing access to very important resources on the backs of tropical storms, not even hurricanes,” she said. “Two years ago, on Christmas Eve, it was St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines and again, people died.”

Agriculture experts, policy makers, farmers, investors and the youth are meeting in Barbados this week, to chart the way forward for the regional agriculture sector.
It is a landmark gathering convened by the ACP-EU Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation, in collaboration with the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), with the support of the Intra-ACP Agricultural Policy Programme.

The climate change component of the 5-day event hopes to build partnerships that will scale up adaptation solutions in the Caribbean.

The CTA’s Senior Programme Coordinator in Agricultural and Rural Development Olu Ajayi says the climate change sessions ensured that farmers are actively involved in the proposed adaptation and mitigation strategies.

“Think of the small farmers, the vulnerable, those who battle with the problems of climate change every day. We keep them in mind during every discussion on climate change and ask ‘how will this help them?’, ‘will it help them to improve and adapt?’ These are the questions,” he said.

Head of the Caribbean Export Development Agency Pamela Coke Hamilton says climate change, with its ensuing intense storms and extreme weather events, affects every link in the agricultural value chain.

“A storm hits Dominica. The input coming from Dominica to another country, that gets knocked out and is part of the knock on effect. Climate change takes a toll on the consistency of supply that’s required to retain market presence,” she said.

Dominica’s EU representative says hope for a rebound in the country’s agricultural sector remains high.

“Dominica does wonderfully well. Dominica provides fresh fruit weekly, both to Saint Kitts and Nevis and Antigua. Whenever there is a drought, Dominica provides fresh water, even to the French Islands,” said Dr. Ishmael.

She is hoping that the island will benefit from proposed “Pan OECS Businesses” that will provide EU-supported funds to build refrigerated warehouses at the ports in St. Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Barbuda to receive greater amounts of fresh fruit and vegetables from Dominica.

Climate change is just one of the issues central to the Caribbean Pacific Agri-Food Forum. Participants are also exploring the challenges and solutions to problems plaguing fisheries, access to finance and agri-business. They are also hoping to bridge what many agriculture experts say is a widening gap between regional agriculture and the hotel sector.

The forum ends on Saturday November 7.

 

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2 Comments

  1. anonymous2
    November 6, 2015

    Climate change via the globalists is completely fabricated. They are changing the weather via weather weaponization techniques via geoengineering.

    • VC
      December 30, 2015

      anonymous2 you are 100% right. Tropical Storm Erica was goengineered and people need to be aware of weather control via Chemtrails and HAARP. It’s time to stop these wicked bastards from destroying our planet.

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