The Caribbean Agriculture Research and Development Institute (Cardi) has agreed with the Caricom Secretariat and the Inter-American Institute for Agriculture to equitably manage the Intra-ACP project of $9 million euros for agricultural development in the region. This will be done over a four-year period, commencing in 2012.
At an annual planning meeting at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Port-of-Spain, on March 5, Dr Arlington Chesney, Cardi’s executive director, highlighted the need to ensure that the work of Cardi supported the programmes and activities of member countries. Cardi’s work programmes are executed through donor funds. Major donors include the Common Fund for Commodities, the European Union, the Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture, the Technical Center for Agricultural and Rural Co-operation, the Caricom Australia Fund, Caricom Japan, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and the World Bank.
Arlington explained that his institute must adhere to stringent international standards for financial management in order to qualify for donor funding. Priority projects identified for 2012 include small ruminants, roots and tubers, hot peppers, protected agriculture, climate change and agriculture, and control of invasive species, mainly the red palm mite and black sigatoka.
Thirty-four staffers of Cardi from countries across the region, namely Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines and T&T were in attendance. The meeting followed a five-day Scientific Writing Workshop, which was attended by 40 participants.
The scientists, drawn from Cardi, UWI and UTT, were skilfully guided in the art of writing for scientific peers and policy decision makers by Professor Anthony Youdeowi of Nigeria.
