Emerging cross cutting issues affecting the development and sustainability of the sector will be on the front burner for when another Agriculture Round Table (ART) Policy Forum meets in Roseau, Dominica during the 10th, Caribbean Week of Agriculture, from Oct 9-14.
Policy makers, media professionals, farmers, academics and other agriculture stakeholders are expected to explore various perspectives on the theme, “Food and Nutrition Circles …Connecting the dots.”
Inter –American Institute for Corporation on Agriculture (IICA), Regional Policy Specialist Ms. Diana Francis explained, the ART was conceptualized in 2010 as part of the Caribbean Regional Agriculture Policy Network (CaRPN), with specific objectives to engage stakeholders in an an unscripted free flowing communication among the technical experts in agriculture.
CaRAPN, Ms. Francis said, is still a “network in progress?, as far as fostering and strengthening networking among stakeholders in agriculture policy in the region and between the Caribbean and other regions in the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP).
“CaRAPN is working to strengthen its networking functions within and outside of the agricultural community in CARICOM. Placing efforts on networking is based on the premise and acknowledgement that agricultural policy networking is important in the Region. - consolidate and widen its central hub, establish firm links with existing public, private sector and non-governmental networks in the region and forge relations with similar networks in the African and Pacific regions,” She disclosed.
To this end, the ART has examined issues relating to growing Green and Clean, Innovation and Agri-business, Planning vs. Retrofitting Agriculture, Succession Planning, Trade Policy and Re –Branding of Extension services to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.
The authentication of the Regional Food and Nutrition Security Policy (RFNSP), at the CARICOM level has generated much debate in various spheres; as a result much emphasis will be generated in contextualizing discussion on the RFNSP Action Plan, and its implication for the region.
Among the areas stipulated for discussions under Food Nutrition Security are:
• Tackling Utilization and Nutritional Adequacy
• Tackling Availability and Stability
• Innovating Extension for FNP implementation
• Strengthening Communication & Knowledge for FNS
• Information on Global and Regional FNS initiatives
Ms. Francis is optimistic that the discussion generated at the ART, is critical towards enhancing understanding of the individual components of the FNS concept; promote their critical and unbreakable and mutually reinforcing inter-connections.
She said it will also seek, “to portray the FNS challenges, as a continuous cycle, one affected by a number of factors, several of which are outside the scope of agriculture, proper, and one which is extremely dynamic, evolving as food preferences change, and food and nutrition science and research results reveal new information and products; and disseminate information and enhance awareness of the RFNSP and Action Plan 2011-2025.”
The Art is an activity of CaRPAN, and is supported by the IICA, THE Technical Centre for Agriculture and Rural Corporation, Association of Caribbean media, Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.
