Launch of CWA 2025

Caribbean Week of Agriculture 2025 launched with call to sow seeds of transformation in agriculture sector

“Being held under the theme “Sowing Change, Harvesting Resilience: Transforming Our Caribbean Food Systems for 2025 and Beyond,” CWA 2025 will be a vital platform for sowing the seeds of change. It will promote the exchange of innovations in climate-smart agriculture, the sharing of lessons learned, and the forging of purposeful partnerships across the Region.”

CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana - Wednesday, 16 July 2025:   The stage is set for the 19th staging of the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA), which will take place from 29 September to 3 October in the twin-island Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.

A virtual launch of the Caribbean Community’s premier agricultural conference was held on Tuesday, 15 July. The event was anchored at the CARICOM Headquarters in Georgetown, Guyana, and included participation from key regional and international partners in agricultural development.

Being held under the theme “Sowing Change, Harvesting Resilience: Transforming Our Caribbean Food Systems for 2025 and Beyond,” CWA 2025 will be a vital platform for sowing the seeds of change. It will promote the exchange of innovations in climate-smart agriculture, the sharing of lessons learned, and the forging of purposeful partnerships across the Region.

In his Feature Address at the launch, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Honourable Samal Duggins, juxtaposed the challenges facing the Region’s agriculture sector occasioned by extreme weather events, high shipping costs, and logistical hurdles with the resilience of farmers, officials, scientists, policymakers, and entrepreneurs.

“These challenges, however, illuminated our resilience. They have revealed the creativity and determination of our farmers, officials, scientists, policymakers, and entrepreneurs. They have underscored our capacity to adapt, our capacity to innovate, our capacity to build systems that are not merely reactive, but proactive and sustainable,” Minister Duggins said.

“Now is the time for us to sow seeds of transformation,” he added.

The Minister said CWA Participants can look forward to engaging forums, technical workshops, dynamic exchanges, business-to-business networking, and insightful field visits that will showcase advancements in processing, sustainable farming, and the emerging green economy.

He reminded the Participants that Caribbean Week of Agriculture is “a clarion call for us to reimagine how we produce, how we process, and how we protect our food. A call to mobilise investment, not only financial capital, but human talent and intellectual resources as well.”

“It plays a pivotal role in reshaping public perception, stimulating meaningful engagement, and supporting the growth of the Region’s food systems,” he added.

Ambassador David Prendergast, Director of Sectoral Programmes in the Directorate of Economic Integration, Innovation and Development (EIID), noted that the event will bring together a wide cross-section of stakeholders. These include agricultural planners, policymakers, farmers, producers, private sector actors, development partners, academic and research institutions, and Regional organizations. Their collective participation, he said, underscores the Region’s shared commitment to inclusive dialogue and transformational change in Caribbean agriculture.

The Director noted that 2025 marks a critical milestone in the Community’s journey toward securing a prosperous future for the sector. He said the CWA 2025 programme reflects that urgency, with a week-long series of activities beginning with a vibrant Opening Ceremony; an Open Expo, which will showcase innovative and sustainable agricultural practices; technical sessions and a Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development on Agriculture.

Youth issues, Caribbean Perspectives

Outlining the Youth agenda at CWA 2025, the Chair of the CARICOM Youth Advisory Body, Ms. Teesha Mangra said that the event will spotlight themes that matter most to her generation, including circular agriculture, the youth economy, digital market access, agri-innovation, inclusion of marginalized youth in food systems, agri-education, transitioning into entrepreneurship, and regional youth collaboration for climate and food resilience.

“These are not just youth issues, they are Caribbean imperatives. And we are not the future; we are present drivers of Regional resilience,” she said, thanking partners who have supported youth involvement in agriculture, including CARICOM, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the CARICOM Private Sector Organisation (CPSO), international partners, and Regional governments.

“Thank you for investing in young people. Thank you for recognising that resilience does not grow in silos, but in solidarity,” Ms. Mangal stated.

International Partnerships and Cooperation

Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), H.E. Dr. Manuel Otero, noted that this year’s theme for CWA is both timely and appropriate. He said it reflects the spirit of innovation and urgency needed to renew the Region’s commitment to securing a sustainable future for the agricultural sector, while also showcasing the very soul of the Caribbean, rooted in resilience.

He added that IICA remains committed to contributing to this important initiative, including strengthening extension services, boosting production and employment, and enhancing rural resilience. He also extended congratulations to Saint Kitts and Nevis for agreeing to host CWA 2025 and for its steadfast commitment to regional agricultural transformation.

Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Mr. Máximo Torero, underscored FAO’s commitment to advancing regional agricultural priorities. He outlined the organisation’s work across the sector, including its support for the regional youth in agriculture agenda.

In this regard, he said FAO is mobilising financing and evidence-based policies to bring Youth to the center of agri-food systems.

FAO is also working with CARICOM on core governance issues in agriculture, including food security, trade, sanitary and phytosanitary standards, sustainable fisheries, and resource management, he stated.

Chief Executive Officer and Technical Director of the CARICOM Private Sector Organisation (CPSO), Dr. Patrick Antoine, said that the organisation “consistently endorsed the Region's '25 by 2025' plan and remains firmly committed to working with the Community to help ensure that the extended initiative to 2030 is fully realized.”

Dr. Antoine added that the CPSO also fully supports the implementation of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) and is focused on accelerating Regional Integration through private sector-led growth.

“We are committed to creating the enabling environment for investment, reducing barriers to trade, and unlocking the full potential of the Region's productive sectors, especially our food and agricultural sectors,” he said.

About CARICOM
 

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) was established on 4 July 1973 with the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas, which was revised in 2001 to allow for the establishment of a single market and economy. The Community comprises fifteen Member States and six Associate Members. It is home to approximately sixteen million citizens, 60% of whom are under 30 years old. CARICOM rests on four main pillars: economic integration; foreign policy coordination; human and social development; and security cooperation. Through the combined efforts to build a “Community for All”, it remains one of the best examples of integration in the developing world and is the oldest surviving integration movement.

The CARICOM Secretariat, the principal administrative organ of the Community, is headquartered in Georgetown, Guyana.