Green pushes bold regional action ahead of Caribbean Week of Agriculture

Regional food security and stronger intra-Caribbean trade are among themes that will dominate this year’s Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA), as Agriculture Minister Floyd Green positions the forum as a launchpad for bold action to build a more resilient regional agricultural sector.

“CWA has to be the platform that we are sharing those systems for implementation that we are learning from each other so that we are shortening the time it takes to transform our agricultural systems. Caribbean agriculture must be central to every island's developmental agenda,” Green said.

Speaking on Thursday during the launch of the 20th CWA at the Summit in Kingston, he said that agribusiness growth and climate-smart innovation wouldill also be key on the agenda.

The event, which will be hosted in Jamaica on September 27 to October 2, is the region’s premier agricultural forum. It will feature seminars, statutory meetings of regional agriculture organisations, and other key forums, including a special meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED). 

It will also bring together farmers and youth, entrepreneurs, innovators, policymakers, partners, and other stakeholders under the theme ‘The New FACE of Caribbean Food Systems’. FACE represents food security, agribusiness, climate-smart technologies, and export expansion.

Green noted that collaboration in the region is crucial now, especially as it grapples with the effects of climate change, rising input costs, and ongoing global uncertainties.

“Food security remains one of the defining issues of our time, especially with these global realities and these global disruptions. We must reduce our dependence on external, extraregional markets. We must turn to our own capacities,” he said. 

“To feed ourselves, we must pool our resources to ensure that things like animal feed, we can get throughout the region; , that we do not have to turn to far-off countries to get our fertiliser, [and we need] to develop our own organic bio-fertilizers that can serve our world,” he added. 

He asserted that progress wouldill only be made through stronger partnerships, greater knowledge sharing, increased investment, “but more importantly, a collective commitment to truly building a food system that is resilient, sustainable, and capable of supporting future generations”.

“We're using Caribbean Week of Agriculture to look at regional blended financing options to ensure that our small-scale farmers – whether they are in Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados, or St Kitts – can have access to financing,” the minister said. 

Meanwhile, in a virtual message, Zulfikar Mustapha, Guyana’s minister of agriculture and chair of the special ministerial task force on food security and food production, noted that agriculture remaineds deeply connected to the economic and social fabric of the region.

“It sustains livelihoods, supports rural communities, contributes to economic growth, and plays a critical role in reducing poverty and improving nutrition and health outcomes,” he said. 

However, he noted that the sector continues to face significant challenges, but has made progress in strengthening food- production systems and advancing the regional food security agenda. 

“This progress has been driven by deliberate investments, innovative policies, and strategic partnerships across member states,” he said. 

Dr Carla Barnett, secretary general of CARICOM, lauded Jamaica for hosting the flagship event, less than a year after Hurricane Melissa ravaged its agricultural sector. 

“(It) stands as a powerful symbol of resilience, recovery, and regional solidarity,” she said. 

Ambassador David Prendergast, director, of sectoral programmes at the CARICOM Secretariat, who also spoke via video message, said the CWA is firmly anchored in the 25 by 2025 plus 5 initiative, which is aimed at reducing the region's food import bill by 25 per cent while strengthening domestic production systems. 

He noted that this initiation hads entered a new phase,- transitioning from setting targets to scaling impacts.

“Our focus is, therefore, firmly on building resilience, advancing rural transformation, and improving nutrition outcomes across the community. The Caribbean Week of Agriculture 2026 will serve as a critical checkpoint for assessing progress and strengthening coordinated regional action,” he said.

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