Efforts underway to increase agricultural health in the Caribbean

Shauna Brandon, rural development specialist brought greetings from IICA. At the head table are Audrey Morris of Pan-American Health Organisation / World Health Organisation (PAHO / WHO), Professor Ishenkumba Kahwa, Deputy Principal University of the West Indies and Dermon Spence, Chief Technical Director from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Kingston, July 10 (IICA). 35 leaders from the agricultural, environmental, and health sectors of 12 Caribbean countries are preparing to develop scientific and comprehensive solutions for coping with emerging endemic diseases that affect the public and environmental health of the region, as well as food safety.

The Caribbean specialists participated in a training event organized by the “One Health, One Caribbean, One Love” Project, a regional initiative that encourages collaboration among different sectors to attain optimal health levels for people, animals, and the environment.

“Through these training events, we hope to change the way in which certain health problems are dealt with in the Caribbean,” stated Professor Christopher Oura. “Our leaders will be able to approach priority health issues from a multidisciplinary perspective, equipped with effective leadership skills,” he added.

This initiative seeks to strengthen public and private capacities for designing and managing policies that benefit consumers and the environment.

The training, which took place in Jamaica at the end of June, was co-funded by the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) within the framework of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures Project, executed by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture.

The SPS Project seeks to strengthen agricultural and food safety systems in order to increase production and trade in agriculture and fisheries, through compliance with international standards. The One Health Leadership training contributes to the program through the development of public sector professionals who can support the SPS measures.

This regional initiative is supported by IICA, the School of Veterinary Medicine of the University of the West Indies (UWI), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), and the ministries of agriculture of Grenada, Guyana, and Saint Kitts and Nevis.

More information:
janet.lawrence@iica.int