IICA supports agricultural disaster response certification in Trinidad and Tobago
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, October 24, 2019 (IICA). At least 50 officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fishers (MALF) of Trinidad and Tobago, including Directors and Heads of Departments, are actively building their capacity and institutional systems to respond to incidents and emergencies in the farm sector with the support of the IICA.
The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) is an integral part of the MALF team responsible for developing an Agriculture Disaster Risk Management (ADRM) Plan and establishing an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) at the MALF Headquarters, Chaguanas.
Trinidad and Tobago´s ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, Clarence Rambharat, recently confirmed that the MALF “has been working on two exercises which include the collection of data and how to react when there are bad weather conditions, or how to prepare farmers for that.”
The Sub-Group on Data and Information Management, tasked to build the evidence base for effective preparation and response, has already developed an Agricultural Vulnerability Map for Trinidad based on GIS mapping of the actual impacts over the 2005 to 2018 period.
An important area of focus in this effort is to ensure that MALF staff are properly trained in disaster preparedness and response.
This first 2 session, was held at the MALF Headquarters, the proposed location of the EOC.
It was also the first formal sensitization for several of MALF Directors and Division Heads in ADRM and EOC.
A second training session will be conducted during 13 -15 November, for the MALF trainees on Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) programme. CERT is internationally recognised as a tool to educate and train volunteers in disaster preparedness and basic disaster response skills.
This training kicked off from 2 – 4 October facilitated by an expert of the Trinidad and Tobago Red Cross and two certified MALF staff.
Fortunately, the impacts of 2019 rainy season has not been as severe as occurred in 2017 and 2018 farm sector floods.
More information:
Diana E. Francis, IICA Representative in Trinidad and Tobago