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​

Ciudad de Guatemala

March 20, 2026

President of Guatemala backed local biofuels development at regional seminar with participation from IICA and the Pan American Liquid Biofuels Coalition (CPBIO)

The meeting brought together government authorities, international experts, and representatives from the energy and agroindustrial sectors of Latin America and the United States to discuss the future of biofuels in the region.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Castries, St. Lucia

March 17, 2026

The Ministry of Agriculture of Grenada recognizes the importance of IICA’s support in strengthening the country’s agriculture

Lennox Andrews, Minister of Agriculture, Lands and Forestry of Grenada, highlighted the importance of the support that the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) has provided in the country for four decades and its current contributions to increasing the sustainability and climate resilience of Caribbean agriculture.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Brasilia

March 16, 2026

The World Bank launches the AgriConnect Brasil initiative at IICA’s headquarters in Brasília, with the aim of strengthening rural connectivity and digital inclusion in family farming

The initiative aims to support up to 300 million smallholder farmers worldwide by 2030, promoting the transition from subsistence models to more productive agricultural enterprises connected to markets.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins