Workshop 7: Building Partnerships and Alliances to Scale Up Climate-smart and Adaptation Solutions in the Caribbeanat The Caribbean-Pacific Agri-Food Forum 2015 (CPAF2015) taking place 2-6 November in Barbados with support from the Intra-ACP Agricultural Policy programme, organized in partnership with the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). http://www.cta.int/en/news/caribbean-pacific-agri-food-forum.html

1. by
Leslie A. Simpson PhD
Natural Resources Management Specialist
Caribbean and Pacific Agrifood Forum
Workshop: Building partnerships and
alliances to scale up climate-smart and
adaptation solutions in the Caribbean
Improving the Climate Resilience of
the Regional Agriculture Sector: The
CTA/CARDI Strategic Alliance 2010 -
2015

2. The CTA/CARDI Strategic
Alliance
• The Technical Centre for Agricultural
and Rural Cooperation (CTA) has been
a key partner in CARDI’s work in
Climate Change and agriculture,
particularly in developing the technical
strategies and accompanying policies to
achieve the needed climate resilience in
various aspects of the agricultural
portfolio.
• Over the past 5Years CARDI/CTA have
hosted five CC workshops at the Annual
Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA)

3. Adaptation Strategies
• In 2010, CTA supported a Workshop
entitled “Climate change and agriculture
in the Caribbean: Protected Agriculture
– An adaptation option.”
• This workshop articulated the various
adaptation strategies needed to ensure
that the agriculture sector can withstand
the challenges of climate change.
• It also pinpointed Protected agriculture
as a viable adaptation strategy to be
considered.
Improving Lives Through Agricultural Research

4. World Bank Risk Management
Training Modules
• Small holder agricultural
producers have a
comprehensive on-line
training manual on
Agricultural Practices to
Mitigate Risks to their
production, including
climate risks.
• See:
https://www.agriskmanag
ementforum.org/content/
world-banks-caribbean-
smallholder-farmer-
courseImproving Lives through Agricultural Research
This material has been
uploaded since 2012, but
there is has been limited
uptake from stakeholders in
the Caribbean.
There is the feeling from some
stakeholders that there is too
much information and it
needed to be presented in a
more “bite size” bits e.g. in
catechetical (question and
answer) format

5. Protected Agriculture
TechnologyTropical Greenhouse
Growers Manual for the
Caribbean
Topics covered include:
• Greenhouse structures and
equipment
• Tropical greenhouse production
systems and plant troubles
• General pests, diseases and
physiological disorders of
tropical greenhouse vegetables
and their management
• Crop culture of tomato, sweet
pepper, cucumber and lettuce
• Marketing considerations
• Economic considerations
Improving Lives through Agricultural Research
http://www.cardi.org/cfc-
pa/files/downloads/2014/01/TROPICAL-
GREENHOUSE-GROWERS-
MANUAL.pdf

6. Enhancing Water Resources
Management
• In 2011, CTA supported a second workshop on Climate
Change adaptation in Caribbean agriculture - Enhancing
water resources management.
• This workshop took a holistic look at water management
in the Caribbean, while emphasizing the importance of
water to the agricultural sector.
• The workshop emphasised that there was a need to
enhance current farming operations to improve the
efficiency of collection, storage and use of water.
• From the technical strategies articulated for the efficient
management of the region’s water resources, important
policy briefs were developed to guide policymakers in
the needed support required by the stakeholders in the
agricultural sector related to water management.

7. Enhanced Soil Water
Management• In the area of
managing scarce
water resources in
agriculture,
stakeholders have
been given a
tremendous amount
of information on:
• rainfall harvesting and
storage,
• efficient water
transport,
• drip irrigation and
• soil water
enhancement
methods.
• Use of these systems
is increasing in
Jamaica and across
the Region.
Improving Lives through Agricultural Research

8. Innovative Water Adaptation
Measures in Jamaica
1. Under the GOJ/Adaptation Fund
(AF) Programme:
• 75 small scale drip irrigation
schemes established across 7
parishes -Trelawny, St Ann, St Mary,
St Thomas, St Catherine, Clarendon
and Manchester
• 14 Rain Water Harvesting systems
across 3 parishes
• 8 Water Users’ Groups established
to help with the efficient
management of water used for
farming
2. Under the Pilot Programme for
Climate Resilience (PPCR)
• To install 250 communal water
harvesting systems and to
rehabilitate a number of systems
currently in disrepair.Improving Lives through Agricultural Research

9. Management of key Agro-
biodiversity Resources
• In 2012 a third workshop was hosted in collaboration with
CTA on “Development of climate smart agriculture
policies that focus on the conservation, sharing and
utilization of key agro-biodiversity resources.
• It looked at the key constraints and challenges in
developing climate resilient crops and made
recommendations for the alleviation of them.
• Two important recommendations were:
• The establishment of strong national systems to take stock
of and safeguard our region’s existing rich diversity of plant
genetic resources for food and non food crops, which
underpin our agricultural sector.
• The promotion of mechanisms to share germplasm
regionally and internationally in order to improve the
robustness and resilience of each country’s systems and
support other national and regional strategies.

10. Agricultural Biodiversity
Management
• This CARDI programme
addresses the need to
conserve, share and
sustainably utilise plant
genetic resources.
• The objective is to
ensure that farmers
have access to climate-
ready planting material
that will be sufficiently
resilient and productive
under future climate
threats.

11. Cassava Germplasm Collection
and Assessment in Guyana
• The National
Agricultural
Research and
Extension Institute
(NAREI) has
collected cassava
germplasm in
Guyana, from which
three important
climate-resilient
cultivars were
identified.

12. Dasheen Germplasm
Assessment
• CARDI obtained 50
Dasheen (Colocasia
esculenta)
accessions from the
Secretariat of the
Pacific Community
(SPC) -Centre for
Pacific Crops and
Trees (CePaCT).
• These are now being
evaluated for local
climate tolerance in
three CARICOM
countries.
Dasheen: A moisture loving
tuber-bearing crop.

13. Storage and Security of Plant
Germplasm
Working with The Global
Crop Diversity Trust
(GCDT), CARDI and
regional partners have
collaborated in:
◦ upgrading germplasm
collections of prioritized
staple food crops,
◦ mass produced and
distributed planting materials
to farmers and
◦ prepared germplasm of
unique accessions for
security conservation in the
safest international

14. Management of Pest and
Diseases• In 2013, a fourth workshop, focussed on “Improving the
Policy Framework for Developing Climate Change
Resilient Agriculture Systems in the Caribbean:
Combating the threat of pest outbreaks under climate
variability and change.”
• This workshop found that agro-ecological systems may
change more rapidly than in the past, requiring a
strengthened plant protection and phytosanitary policy
framework and greater farmer involvement in research
and development, as well as:
• more research and policy attention for the Collection and
archiving data on environmental and biological conditions
and increasing monitoring activity;
• the development and application of robust tools and support
systems for end-user (farmers, technicians, decision
makers);
• Evaluation of short and long term adaptation strategies to
improve crop protection managements under current and
future climate conditions.

15. Activities in Pest and Disease
Management
• In a programme with CIMH three (weather/crop)
simulation models were developed based on
selected pests of economic importance within the
Region namely:
• Pathogenic pests - Black Sigatoka (Mycospharella
fijiensis), Soyabean Rust (Phakopspora pachyrhizi)
and
• Arthropod vector - Asian Citrus Psyllid (Diaphorina
citri) which is the vector for the devastating citrus
disease known as Huanlongbing (HLB) or citrus
greening.
• These models have been developed to the stage of
being ready for validation in the field.
• A proposal has been developed jointed by CIMH
and CARDI to seek funding for the validation of
these simulation models.
Improving Lives Through Agricultural Research

16. Management of the Small
Ruminant and Fisheries sub-
sector• In 2014, a fifth workshop addressed “Improving Climate
Change Resilience in the Small Ruminants and
Fisheries Industries in the Caribbean.”
• This workshop emphasised the need for inter-sectoral
networking to formulate and realize an integrated
approach to terrestrial and marine adaptation and
conservation; specifically:
• Livestock conservation programmes (ex-situ and in-situ),
which include the characterization of genetic material;
• Continued support for the full operationalization of CAFSA,
including Fisheries and Aquaculture;
• Support for the introduction of Insurance and Risk
Management Systems; and
• The ecosystem approach to fisheries.
• These recommendations have been or are in the
process of being developed into Policy brief for the
guidance of policy makers.

17. Building resilience in Livestock
Agriculture
Challenges
• With increased drought and
under traditional graze
management small ruminants
will suffer from chronic and
acute nutritional deficiency
• Increase temperatures in the
absence of adequate water
while grazing will cause chronic
heat stress, leading to less
grazing, poor reproductive
capacity, lower birth weights of
kids and lambs.
• Exotic breeds of sheep and
goats being introduced for
increased yields are less likely
to survive under a more
adverse climateImproving Lives through Agricultural Research

18. Building resilience in Livestock
Agriculture
Some solutions
• Feeding and Nutrition
• Protein Banks
• Byproduct feeds
• Modifying the
Environment
• Adequate water and
shade in pastures
• Forecasting and
monitoring of THI
• Conserving and
improving Indigenous
genetic resource
• breeding and
improvement of local
indigenous breed types
Improving Lives through Agricultural Research

19. Improved Housing for Farm Animals
Housing which combines good ventilation
with sturdiness against hurricanes

20. Conclusion
• Through the strategic alliance between
CARDI/CTA much has been achieved
in the past five years. Important
achievements to date include:
• A comprehensive on-line training manual
on Agricultural Practices to Mitigate Risks
including climate risks.
• A comprehensive manual for tropical
greenhouse production
Improving Lives Through Agricultural Research

21. Conclusion
Notable achievements to date:
• Increased use of water resources
management tools such as:
• rainfall harvesting and storage,
• efficient water transport,
• drip irrigation and
• soil water enhancement methods
• significant on-farm and community based
water systems development in Jamaica
• Initiation of studies and activities to develop
climate resilient root crops: cassava and
dasheen
• Initiation of climate resilience studies and
activities in Livestock agriculture
Improving Lives through Agricultural Research

22. Improving Lives through Agricultural Research
Offices in 12 Member States

23. THANK
YOU
Improving Lives through Agricultural Research