CARICOM, IICA train extension officers

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) joined forces to train more than 100 agriculture extension officers over the past two months.

More than 150 representatives of the 15 CARICOM Member States participated in the virtual training session which was held 1 November 2021 – 14 January 2022.

The exercise was aimed at building the capacity of extension officers across the Region in areas such as sustainable agricultural production; strengthening knowledge in extension tools, methods, approaches and networking; enhancing the resilience of farm systems against climatic ad natural risks and emerging food security challenges; and introducing the agri-extension app which is to be promoted and operated in Caribbean countries.

The training was hailed as timely and relevant, given a number of factors, including the pandemic, climate change, market instability, market access and the emergence of pests and diseases.

The sessions were facilitated by: Mr. Kenly C Edwards- Coordinator of the Training – Food Safety Specialist- Grenada; Dr. Tessa Barry- Co- Chair – Lecturer  UWI St. Augustine- Extension – Grenada; Dr. Jeanelle Joseph- Lecturer UWI St. Augustine – Extension (Trinidad and Tobago); Dr. Wayne Ganpat – Former Professor UWI St. Augustine /Dean FFA (Trinidad and Tobago); Dr. Ferguson Lecturer UWI St. Augustine – Trinidad and Tobago; Mr. Steve Maximay- Climate Change Specialist- Trinidad and Tobago; Mr. Eugene Gabriel- Agronomist- St, Lucia; and Mr. Troy Augustine- Agronomist – Grenada.

Source: CARICOM TODAY