Caribbean Climate Responsive Agriculture Forum on the Road: Saint Lucia Edition

IICA has launched the Saint Lucia Edition of the Caribbean Climate Responsive Agriculture Forum, promoting education and knowledge transfer and community resilience across the Caribbean.

The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) has officially launched the Saint Lucia Edition of the Caribbean Climate Responsive Agriculture Forum (CCRAF) on the Road, bringing together key agricultural stakeholders to outline a week-long series of activities focused on climate-smart agriculture and community empowerment.

The CCRAF on the Road initiative serves as a platform for collaboration, awareness, and knowledge-sharing across the Caribbean. Its core objectives are to promote climate-smart agricultural practices and policies, strengthen regional capacity, and build a network of engaged actors linking technical knowledge to practical, on-the-ground action.

This year’s Saint Lucia Edition will span an entire week, featuring a diverse schedule of school visits, farm tours, and stakeholder consultations. These activities aim to deepen understanding of climate-resilient agricultural methods while encouraging community participation in sustainable farming solutions.

Representative Eastern Caribbean States, IICA Delegation Saint Lucia, Gregg Rawlins, emphasized the importance of this initiative in strengthening information sharing and building knowledge on climate resilience across the vulnerable Caribbean countries.

“So we brought together policymakers, researchers, scientists, farmers, and a range of stakeholders to really, for the first time, look at how the agricultural sector was being impacted by climate change and what could be done, what kind of actions could be taken to build resilience and provide an appropriate response by the agricultural sector. And those spaces were created in each country for dialogue, and then we evolved to having, using the technology, having a lot more exchanges across the countries to now where CCRAF is a major knowledge-to-action, not just a platform but a network that is, you know, that is really making a difference and having a great impact in bringing information and knowledge on this important subject. We all recognize the fact that the ECS countries, including Saint Lucia, are extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The need to build resilience is a priority area for us in IICA, and therefore, this resilient agriculture program that manages the CCRAF process is very, very important.”

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security, and Rural Development, Bradley St. Ange, underscored the Ministry’s commitment to supporting agricultural resilience while addressing emerging challenges, ensuring food security, and promoting innovation within the sector.

“ As you know, at the forefront of the ministry, in terms of objective, is enhancing food security, and we know the challenges that surround us that confront us in achieving that mandate. So when we got to know about the CCRAF, we were very much excited, and I think my team is very much on board, so I really want to thank everyone who is involved, and I’m hoping that over the next few days, we will have a very successful initiative.”

Through collective dialogue and hands-on experiences, the CCRAF on the Road is expected to leave a lasting impact—strengthening partnerships, empowering local farmers, and advancing Saint Lucia’s journey toward a more climate-resilient agricultural sector.