IICA, ECS, CCRAF facilitate online webinar on agriculture digitalization on the region

The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), through its representation in the Eastern Caribbean, recently facilitated a significant regional dialogue on digital innovation in agriculture.

In collaboration with the Digitalization of Agrifood Systems Program and the Caribbean Community Resilience Agriculture Forum (CCRAF), IICA hosted the CCRAF 2025 Special Edition Regional Webinar #2 on September 10, 2025.

According to an IICA press release, the virtual event, themed “Digitising ECS Agriculture – Technological Innovations for Agricultural Transformation,” reportedly drew a diverse audience of 226 participants from across the Caribbean and beyond, engaging via the CCRAF’s Zoom platform.

A key feature of the webinar was the presentation segment, where three young technology innovators shared pioneering digital solutions tailored to common agricultural challenges.

In Dominica, Charles Grant, IT Manager at Jollys Pharmacy and Director of Q C Grant Ltd, discussed the application of Long Range Wide Area Networks (LoRaWAN) to aid decision-making processes within agriculture.

Michael Joseph, a youth farmer and drone operator from Antigua and Barbuda, demonstrated how he leverages drone technology for crop management to enhance farm efficiency and extend these services to fellow farmers nationwide.

Meanwhile, Nicolas Castellan, an industrial civil engineer and CEO of MIIDO, a Chile-based tech firm, showcased an AI-powered virtual assistant designed to streamline data collection in farming—an innovation with broad regional applicability, including the Caribbean.

IICA representatives underscored the importance of these technological advances.

Gregg Rawlins, a delegate representing IICA’s Eastern Caribbean states, noted, “ the agricultural sector in the Caribbean region needs to address the issues of low productivity management, as well as low investment levels. And we see digital technology as an essential tool in helping to build and help to transform the sector moving forward in terms of building greater competitiveness and sustainability.”

Michael Dalton, a technical specialist with IICA in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, emphasized IICA’s strategic focus, stating that, “Digitising Agri-food Systems is one of seven programmes that IICA has in fulfillment of our mandate to really transform agricultural rural communities across our member countries. This is a recognition really of the importance of these types of technologies in improving agricultural productivity.”

From the perspective of CCRAF, a multi-stakeholder platform dedicated to fostering resilient agriculture through innovation and partnerships, Nekelia Carai, CCRAF’s coordinator and specialist in water and soil management, highlighted the need for translating knowledge into tangible results.

“Very important for us outside of all the talk, all the webinars, all the panel discussions,” she stated, “is translating that knowledge to action on the ground. And that is why we would have launched the CCRAF on the ROAD initiative where
we are now heading into the countries on the ground and implementing a lot of the required actions to address some of the challenges that we’re experiencing in the region.”

Further remarks from Federico Bert, Program Manager for the Digitalization of Agrifood Systems at IICA headquarters, reinforced the commitment to integrating digital tools into agricultural transformation efforts, said the release.

He pointed out that IICA’s upcoming Digital Agriculture Day, scheduled for September 22-26, 2025, will serve as a pivotal event to foster regional networks and generate insights to inform policy and practice. Bert explained that this initiative aims to build collaborations with key actors within digital ecosystems to develop diagnostics and strategic recommendations for the Caribbean.

The webinar served as the culmination of a series of Digital Agriculture Days organized by IICA across the Eastern Caribbean from June through August 2025. These sessions included:
– Grenada (June 27): Focused on digital tools for knowledge management, addressing data gaps in agriculture.
– Antigua & Barbuda (July 3): Showcased digital solutions aimed at boosting productivity.
– Dominica (July 17): Brought together stakeholders to demonstrate digital applications for sustainability.
– St. Lucia (August 7): Featured an “Ideation Hackathon,” fostering innovative solutions through collaboration.
– St. Kitts (August 19) and Nevis (August 20): Introduced digital tools for early detection and management of plant diseases.
– The final event will take place in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on September 17, emphasizing digital applications to improve farm efficiency, including the launch of the latest version of the AgriExtApp—a communication tool developed by IICA—and other digital resources for stakeholders.

As detailed in the IICA press release,  the September 10 webinar, which integrated these regional activities, marked a key moment in the celebration of Digital Agriculture Week 2025, scheduled for September 22-25 in San Jose, Costa Rica.

IICA also said that this series of initiatives underscores the institute’s unwavering commitment to harnessing digital innovation as a vital driver of agricultural competitiveness, resilience, and food security across the Caribbean region.