The Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Manuel Otero has expressed full support for an initiative by President Dr Irfaan Ali, which is aimed at strengthening agricultural output in Caribbean nations.
The plan, announced during the recent Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), focuses on enhancing local food production and improving food security in the region.
President Ali had revealed that six projects will be implemented in collaboration with IICA to boost the resilience, sustainability, and competitiveness of Caribbean food production. The region has historically relied on imports despite notable progress in agricultural development.
The CARICOM meeting, themed “Strength in Unity: Forging Caribbean Resilience, Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development,” was held in Bridgetown, Barbados and brought together Presidents and Prime Ministers. Among the guests were United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres and European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen.
At the event, President Ali highlighted plans to establish a Digital Fabrication Laboratory (FabLab) in the region with IICA’s support. “Its goal will be to promote technological innovation and linkages between agriculture and tourism, while reducing the digital gap in the agri-marine value chain,” he explained.
The FabLab will focus on developing technology-based solutions for agriculture, strengthening public-private partnerships, and supporting women and youth in the sector.
In a statement on Tuesday, IICA’s Otero underscored the importance of these efforts. He stated, “The primary objective of these initiatives, which the Institute wholeheartedly supports, is to make a decisive contribution to reducing the Caribbean region’s food import bill. They address the need to strengthen food and nutritional security, in an effort to increase local food production, improve intraregional trade and foster the creation of wealth and economic opportunities in the agriculture sector.”
The Director General also pointed to IICA’s Hemispheric Fund for Agricultural Resilience and Sustainability (FoHRSA), which was launched in 2024 and aims to enhance the institutional, technical, and administrative capacity of the hemisphere’s agriculture sector. It was explained that the fund promotes climate-resilient agroecological systems, integrated water and soil management, digital technology adoption, and sustainable animal production models.
Other projects announced by President Ali in partnership with IICA include building capacities for extension services that contribute to raising productivity and generating rural employment; improve the adaptability and resilience of coastal communities; diversify fruit production to increase food security; and add value through new products, using tools such as precision agriculture.
IICA highlighted that the initiatives align with Caribbean nations’ Vision 25 by 2025 program, which was introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic to address agrifood challenges. It was also stated that efforts will also be geared towards developing a bioeconomy model for inorganic waste treatment and the generation of products; as well as improving water availability for small-scale farmers by mitigating risks associated with climate variability.
Moreover, President Ali in his address had the urgency of these measures. He said, “This is a critical point in time, not only in terms of geopolitics and trade, but also food security, production and price issues. Our region is bearing the impacts of price increases in global markets for grains, meat, dairy and vegetable oils, which are products that we primarily import.”
President Ali had remarked that Caribbean countries have made strides in reducing their dependence on imports, with agrifood production increasing by 24% between 2022 and late 2024. The Guyanese head-of-state had also stressed that collaboration with IICA follows a holistic approach to agricultural development, integrating food security, resilience, sustainability, technology adoption, and increased participation of women and youth by 2030. “We have managed to expand production despite hurricanes, storms and floods, which destroy crops and our productive capacity. However, our farmers and policymakers have demonstrated tremendous resilience in reinvesting and ensuring that food security remains a priority for the region,” he stated.
Notably, President Ali previously participated in the 2023 meeting of the Inter-American Board of Agriculture (IABA), IICA’s highest governing body, in San Jose, Costa Rica, where regional agricultural challenges and solutions were discussed.
