Bond: US govt committed to assist TT in food security

US Ambassador Candace A Bond said her government is committed to assisting TT in increasing its food security through initiatives such as the Farmer-to-Farmer programme

Speaking at the opening ceremony of a two-day conference on Wednesday at the Sir Frank Stockdale Building, UWI, to celebrate the upcoming culmination of the programme in September, Bond said the initiative is a key component to the US government’s efforts to improve food security in TT and the region.

“This dynamic programme responds to the needs of TT and other nations by leveraging the expertise of volunteers from US farms and agricultural and educational institutions. The goal is to generate sustainable, broad-based economic growth in the agricultural sector through voluntary technical assistance in several critical sectors and we’ve seen it work since the implementation of the programme. US volunteer experts help TT improve production practices, agro-processing techniques, and market-led approaches to agriculture by working directly with farmers, government, non-governmental organisations, and agri-businesses.

The project was funded by the US Agency for International Development and implemented by Partners of the Americas in collaboration with UWI and Purdue University. Visitors from the US visit host groups selected by the UWI Faculty and Agriculture and conduct training for a minimum two-week/14-day period.

“I’m pleased to learn there have been more than 40 volunteer assignments over the last two years, which have led to tailored and customised partnerships with local farmers and organisations such as Vision on A Mission, Tobago URP, and the Tri-Valley Cluster of cocoa farmers.”

She said according to UN nation statistics, Latin America and the Caribbean is the most food insecure region in the world.

“In this beautiful nation, it costs more to get a healthy meal than any other nation in the world. I want to reconfirm that the US government in collaboration with UWI, the University of Purdue, and US institutions and regional partners, are all committed to address this challenge, to ensure the work being done through the USAID’s F2F programme is critical to strengthening our food situation in TT and around the region.”

UWI St Augustine campus registrar Dawn-Marie De Four-Gill said the campus is deeply invested in the development of the agriculture sector and food security and production in the region.

“F2F has shown itself to be not only very effective but also very timely. We are in an era of great uncertainty. The world is still recovering from the pandemic, we are still dealing with the fallout of the Russia-Ukraine war. Inflation, though it shows some signs of easing, has still impacted food prices. The Caribbean, perhaps like never before, has to examine and greatly improve our relationship with food, both as producers and consumers.”

Faculty of Food and Agriculture dean Prof Mark Wuddivira said the F2F programme is a vital initiative. He said the programme began in 2020 under the leadership of former dean Prof Wayne Ganpat and was successful despite the pandemic and other obstacles.

“The initial three-year project has been so successful that USAID has provided a one-year extension to upscale the project. The project has engaged over 40 US citizens as volunteers to provide solutions to demand-driven issues of these groups.”

Beneficiaries included the Agricultural Society of TT, the Cocoa Development Company TT Ltd, Ministry of Land, Agriculture and Fisheries, Green Market Santa Cruz, National Marketing and Development Corporation (Namdevco), Network of Rural Women Producers of TT, Tobago Agricultural Society, Tri-Valley Cluster (participants from Lopinot, Brasso Seco and Aripo), Tobago Unemployment Relief Programme (URP), and Vision on Mission.

Purdue University International Programmes in Agriculture director Prof Jerry Shively said during the pandemic, the programme shifted to virtual learning which had never been done before. He said it had created and strengthened networks that will magnify the project for years to come. He said the aim was greater economic success for today and a greater hope for economic success in the future.

Purdue University F2F programme director Amanda Dickson said the programme was demand-driven, recruited volunteers willing to work with minimal resources, and had the required skill sets. She said over the two years of the programme, 98 per cent of volunteer assignments were completed, 165 recommendations were made, 150 recommendations were implemented by the hosts, and new or improved products were produced.

Tobago Agricultural Society member Darren Joseph said during his time with the programme, he learned many lessons which would assist him in building his rabbit rearing business and has seen growth.