ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA– The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) was joined by the Ministry of Agriculture and representatives of different farmers’ organisations and agriculture stakeholders in hosting its accountability seminar at the National Stadium on September 7.
The seminar was the first to be held face-to-face since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Its objectives were to provide opportunities for IICA to report on its achievements for the preceding year and share some planned activities with key stakeholders and development partners and obtain feedback from its stakeholders and partners on issues of concern to them on the way IICA’s technical cooperation activities were delivered.
Highlighting the technical cooperation activities undertaken by IICA Grenada in 2021, Minister of State with responsibility for Agriculture and Lands, Fisheries, and Cooperatives, Senator Adrian Thomas, alluded to the Caribbean Climate Resilience Agriculture Forum and the Backyard Gardeners Network Initiative and expressed government’s commitment to continue working with IICA in fulfilling the mandate of improving the livelihood of the rural population through the transformation of Agriculture.
Minister Thomas said, “As a government, we pledge our full support and commitment to working with IICA and look forward to strengthening our partnership and friendship as we journey on the road of transformation. We look forward to tapping into the vast institutional experience of IICA for support in best practices and technical expertise to help us tackle and find solutions for the challenges that the agriculture sector currently faces.”
Minister Thomas mentioned capacity building, technology transfer, and strategic planning as areas of focus as the partnership between IICA and the Ministry of Agriculture continues.
IICA’s Representative in the Eastern Caribbean States, Gregg Rawlins, stated that IICA’s aligned agenda is consistent with the government’s priorities and building a resilient agriculture sector remains a central theme of the IICA programme.
Mr. Rawlins said, “Partnerships continue to be a key feature of our approach in the delivery of technical cooperation, and we, therefore, wish to recognize both our traditional farmers, as well as our new farmers for joining us on this quest to support the development of a sustainable agriculture sector. Our progress over the last year would not have been possible without you, our developmental partners, and stakeholders, who have collaborated with us to deliver the activities undertaken.”
The formation of the Backyard Gardeners Network Initiative and assistance rendered to different agricultural programmes and initiatives were highlighted in the Annual Report presented by IICA’s National Specialist, Derek Charles.
On receiving high commendations for the work done in the last year, Charles said, “IICA stands ready to provide technical cooperation to its principal client – the Ministry of Agriculture, stakeholders, and development partners towards developing the Agricultural Sector in Grenada”.
Ministry of Agriculture…ensuring food and nutrition security for all
