Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

Information and communication technologies

Trinidad and Tobago enhances its agricultural risk management with the support of IICA

Tiempo de lectura: 3 mins.

The Institute handed over to the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries in Trinidad and Tobago their first resistograph to evaluate trees health and prevent risks under heavy rains, winds and floodings.

ResistographTTPort of Spain, December 19, 2019 (IICA). The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) supports the work of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries in Trinidad and Tobago (MALF) on the development of an Agricultural Disaster Risk Management (ADRM) Plan, handing equipment to assess the level of risk of trees after natural disasters.

This equipment was procured by IICA, under a special Caribbean Fund from the IICA Director General, Manual Otero. It included a Resistograph, which, according to Yohann Govia of the MALF-HSD, is the first owned by the MALF.

In demonstrating the use of the machine to HSD officers and the media, Govia was quick to confirm that they “do not cut down healthy trees and having the resistograph will help us to detect and monitor cavities in trees, assess if trees pose a risk and determine the health of trees that we want to preserve”.

In addition to the Resistograph, IICA also provided a harness and spikes for tree climbing, two chainsaws and 400 feet of two sizes of heavy duty, expandable rope used for enhanced safety.

IICA Technical Specialist, Richard Rampersaud, indicated that “IICA was invited by the Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, Senator Clarence Rambharat, to be part of a Ministerial Committee tasked to develop an Agricultural Disaster Risk Management (ADRM) Plan”.

As a member of the Committee and the Data Management Working Group, IICA worked alongside MALF technicians to assess specific communities for flood vulnerability and develop farm flood vulnerability maps. IICA also data entry of outstanding flood claims over the 2015-2018 period, and supported the sensitisation and training of MALF senior staff and extension offices in first responder and incident command centre operations.

“Having a disaster management plan is one thing; but being prepared and able to actually respond to incidents is more important, including the capacity to be able to reach your response team at any time”, said the Ministry of Agriculture, Senator Clarence Rambharat.

The rains and flooding in parts of south Trinidad during the week of December 9th, provided the perfect backdrop to the handover of specialised equipment to the Horticultural Services Division (HSD) of the MALF.

More information:

Richard Rampersaud, Agribusiness and Value Chain specialist at IICA

richard.rampersaud@iica.int

 

Share

Related news​

Buenos Aires, Argentina

August 8, 2025

New narrative for agriculture must be jointly developed and address consumers’ needs, agree participants at AAPRESID Conference, with noteworthy participation by IICA

The three-day conference will spotlight key issues related to the future of agriculture, which must drive innovation in science and production. For the second consecutive year, IICA is participating actively in the conference, one of the year’s most important events for the agriculture sector in Latin America.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Buenos Aires, Argentina

August 7, 2025

IICA will serve as a bridge for intensified trade and agricultural cooperation between Argentina and Central America and the Caribbean, as the former pledges to spearhead actions in Panama, Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

At a meeting with senior officials of the Argentinian government, ministers of Panama, Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines explored new agribusiness and cooperation opportunities in the application of genetics in beef production, dairy farming and beekeeping, among other areas, with a view to expanding trade between Argentina and the Caribbean and Central America.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

San José, Costa Rica

August 7, 2025

The coordinated efforts of science and farmers will drive the sustainable transformation of tropical agriculture

The transformation of tropical agriculture toward more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable systems calls for the coordinated efforts of scientific research, farmers, and public policymakers, according to specialists who took part in a forum organized by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Tropical Agriculture Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE).

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins