00:00The goal is to increase food security by augmenting food productivity and the
00:06timeline is now or never. It is quite alarming to read reports that estimate
00:12that about 3 million people in the English-speaking Caribbean are
00:17experiencing food insecurity. We are witnessing in real time the predicted
00:25times of recession, scarcity of funds, inflation and climate variability that
00:34will inevitably continue to negatively impact the basic need for food and food
00:39production. This is a scary reality. For this reason the USAID's Caribbean
00:46Agricultural Productivity Improvement Activity, CAPA, held a workshop with a
00:51view to bridging the gap between farmers and farming technologies.
00:56A three-year intervention focused on three broad objectives. Objective one is to increase
01:01smallholder market-led production of selected fruits and vegetables. Objective
01:07two to improve domestic and regional market linkages and objective three
01:12centers around strengthening public and private sector extension services. CAPA
01:19has been implemented in eight countries Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana,
01:27St. Lucia, Suriname, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and of course Trinidad and Tobago.
01:32The Agricultural Society of Trinidad and Tobago confirms that not only are
01:38farmers in TNT challenged by climate change but also a lack of knowledge.
01:43Encouraging the adoption of climate smart technologies such as precision
01:46agriculture tools or drought-resistant crop varieties through training and
01:51incentives first and how climate smart practices such as crop diversification
01:57or soil conservation can improve yields and this is something that we used
02:02to do in the past as well and I think that some of the
02:06old-time ways we need to go back to because we had a more practical
02:10approach as well back then. Creating partnerships and collaboration. Collaborate
02:15with agricultural organizations as what we are doing today with all the
02:19different organizations. Meantime the University of the West Indies is
02:23encouraging those in the agriculture sector to further their education. A
02:28partial scholarship is available. Come and register. Come and do a program at
02:35UWE and I'm inviting you because it is only by that that we will strengthen
02:41what we are doing and make the impact that is required. I particularly want to
02:48mention that we have our postgraduate diploma in climate resilient
02:55agricultural extension for community development. It's a brand
03:01new program that we have developed because of the need that we have seen in
03:07the area of extension and we invite you to register. Applications are open so
03:14register. Renessa Cutting, TV6 News.
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