Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

Agriculture

Producers realize the power of organization and its role in sustainable development

Tiempo de lectura: 3 mins.

A national training event focused on the requirements for improving governance in producer, enterprise and member participation.

The training allowed the participants to revisit their own structures and to work to strengthen the weaknesses identified.

Antigua and Barbuda. Members of four producer organizations are now equipped to improve their governance and operational procedures, after receiving training in Antigua and Barbuda from the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).

The objective of the training was to help participants to realize the power of organization and its role as a vehicle of sustainable development for the agricultural sector. 

The activity helped to familiarize participants with key principles of good governance, pinpoint weaknesses in their present governance structures, and highlight areas for improvement of governance within their respective organizations.

A total of 14 participants were drawn from the Antigua and Barbuda Network for Rural Women Producers/Agro-Processors (ANBNROP), Antigua and Barbuda Agriculture Forum for Youth (ABAFY), Caribbean Farmers Network (CaFan), South Central Farmers Network (SCFNW). Also present were technicians from the Ministry of Social Transformation and Human Resource Development – Community Division and the Ministry of Agriculture Land, Fisheries and Barbuda Affairs (MALFBA), who regularly work with those groups.

The training was supported under IICA’s flagship project on Competitiveness and Sustainability of Agricultural Chains, and the Agriculture Policy Programme (APP) of the 10th European Development Programme (EDF). 

 

An interactive training event

The participants in the two-day event are now equipped to:

  • Understand the role and fundamentals of good governance within an organization
  • Understand the roles and responsibilities of the Board of Directors;
  • Understand the roles and responsibilities as individual members of the organizations;
  • Apply skills and knowledge for enhanced participation in the governance of their organization.  

The National Value Chain Facilitator (NVCF) for Antigua and Barbuda, Pamella Thomas, said that the workshop had been very insightful, particularly with respect to the Local Producers Organizations Governance system.

“It allowed the participants to revisit their own structures and to work to strengthen the weaknesses identified, as well as to further reinforce their strong points”, she said.

 

More information:

craig.thomas@iica.int

Share

Related news​

Belém do Pará, Brazil

November 13, 2025

At a COP30 event, IICA supports stakeholders from the Argentine rural sector, in declaring that the regional agriculture sector must bolster its standing as the driver of global development and sustainability

A document prepared with the consensus of multiple stakeholders in the production and industrial sectors, stresses that the region must use evidence to strengthen its positioning, by citing scientific data that demonstrates the true impact of agricultural sustainability practices in Argentina and South America.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Mailen Saluzzio, Gerente de Programa Internacional de AAPRESID; Manuel Otero, Director General del IICA; y Marcello Brito, secretario ejecutivo del Consorcio Amazonía Legal y enviado especial a la COP30 de los estados brasileños amazónicos, durante la apertura del panel.

Belém do Pará, Brazil

November 13, 2025

Experts engaged in an AAPRESID-IICA panel discussion at COP30 maintain that agriculture in the Americas is providing the environmental solutions that the planet needs

The event began with a discussion between Executive Secretary of the Legal Amazon Consortium and COP30 Special Envoy for Subnational States of the Amazon, Marcello Brito; and Manuel Otero, Director General del IICA.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

“Panel sobre ciencia, innovación y sostenibilidad agrícola en la COP30, organizado por el IICA en Belém do Pará, Brasil. Expertos discuten la transformación de la agricultura en las Américas mediante tecnología, investigación y sistemas agroalimentarios sostenibles.

Belém do Pará, Brasil

November 12, 2025

Evidence, science and results: IICA panel discussion at COP30 highlights the need for a new narrative on agriculture that demonstrates the important role of the Americas in food and environmental security

Rural leaders, producer organizations and public authorities involved in agricultural research all agreed on the need for a new narrative to demonstrate how farmers in the Americas are transforming their activities, by way of science, technology and innovation, to become guarantors of the world’s food, energy and environmental security, while also increasing resilience and protecting biodiversity.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins