Following the end of the Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture held in Mexico, IICA is renewing contact with Caribbean nations to follow up on the topics discussed.
St. Lucia, November 11, 2015 (IICA). The Permanent Secretary and the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture of Saint Lucia, Darius Gabriel and Souraya Niles, recognized the support that the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) has provided to the agricultural sector of the Eastern Caribbean States (ECS), primarily by promoting the involvement of women and youth in agriculture.
The officers also stated that the technical cooperation actions carried out by the Institute have strengthened the ability of different stakeholders in the sector to face the impacts of climate change.
This acknowledgement was made during a meeting held in early November in Saint Lucia with the Director of Management and Regional Integration of IICA, Diego Montenegro, and the IICA Representative in the ECS, John King.
Montenegro also met with Maite Narvaez and Alejandro Pedraza from the Embassy of Mexico in Saint Lucia, with whom he discussed the implementation of the Mexico – Caribbean Countries Training Program, an initiative that has strengthened the capacities of technicians in the ECS in areas that are critical to the development of the sector, such as infrastructure, science and technology.
“We discussed the possibility of continuing to strengthen capacities through scholarships and other programs, as well as the need to boost greenhouse technologies to improve agricultural production and productivity,” stated Montenegro.
In a meeting with the Director General of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Didacus Jules, the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures program and the Agricultural Policy Program (APP) were recognized as critical to improving agricultural development in the region.
With the purpose of streamlining efforts and generating a greater impact, Jules, Montenegro and King also identified common areas of work outlined in the strategies of each entity in the ECS countries.
They also visited the Saint Lucia Agricultural Forum for Youth (SLAFY) and the Saint Lucia Network of Rural Women Producers (SLNRWP), where they were updated on the progress of two projects being carried out with support from the Institute.
More information: diego.montenegro@iica.int
