CARDI wishes to recruit on a contractual basis, a suitably qualified and experienced Consultant for the position of:

1. Agricultural Economist more
2. Communication Specialist  more
3. Media Tools Developer more

Applications should be addressed as follows:

Executive Director,

Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI)

P.O. Bag 212, Frederick Hardy Building,

University of the West Indies,

St. Augustine Campus

St. Augustine,

Trinidad and Tobago W.I.

Caribbean Agricultural Research and  Development Institute (CARDI) and the National Resources Institute (NRI) of the University of Greenwich in England are organizing a Regional Training Workshop in Trinidad and Tobago from the 23^rd – 27th April 2012. The meeting targets young career scientists working primarily on root and tuber crops.

The workshop is funded by the European Union, under the project entitled “Science and Technology for Enhancing the Contribution of Tropical Root Crops to Development in African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) countries”. The overall objective of this project is to strengthen the science and technology capacity of ACP countries in tropical root and tuber crop production, research and added value application.

The workshop will focus on three main areas that need to be strengthened in order to improve incomes from root and tuber crops along the value chain:

1. Research Proposal Development

2. Research Methods

3. Intellectual Property Rights

Applications should reach the Institute no later than Friday 27 April 2012 and should be addressed as follows:

Country Representative, Jamaica

Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI)

P.O. Box 113, Mona Campus, Kingston 7, JAMAICA

For advertisement and further details please click

National/Regional Project Coordinator (Jamaica -based)

The CARDI UNIT BRIEF is an attempt to sensitise CARDI’s stakeholders to some of the Unit’s activities and their impact on the agricultural sector.

CARDI St Lucia Unit BRIEF March 2012

Also visit the CARDI – St. Lucia webpage

Caribbean agriculture development efforts to fight poverty and hunger will receive a boost of Euro 8,6million (US$11,3m) from the European Development Fund in 2012.

Operation of the Agriculture Policy Programme and the actual disbursement of funds is expected to start in the second quarter of this year.

The fund is aimed to increase the effectiveness of Caribbean agricultural organisations to address the development needs of smallholder agriculture, by promoting and supporting inter and intra-regional trade.

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) secretariat, Caribbean Agriculture Research and Development Institute (CARDI) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) will manage the fund.

For more details, please click here

Senator the Honourable Vasant Bharath meets Dr. Avvaru Sujatha

Dr Avvaru Sujatha, an Indian Entomologist specializing in the control of insect pests on coconut and mango arrived in Trinidad on February 19, 2012. Her arrival is the result of protracted discussions involving the Ministry of Food Production, Land and Marine Affairs and the Indian High Commission in Trinidad and Tobago, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and The Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute.

Dr Sujatha is the Head and Principal Scientist (Entomology) at the Mango Research Station, Nuzvid, India. Nuzvid, in the Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh, is known as being one of the world’s foremost mango producing areas. Before joining the Mango Research Station in 2010, Dr Sujatha was attached to the Agricultural Research Station at Ambajipeta since 1985. While at that station she worked exclusively on the control of coconut pests and this work led to the receipt of no less than seven distinguished scientists awards to Dr Sujatha.

In Trinidad, Dr Sujatha will be looking at the Red Palm Mite (Raoiella indica) pest which is causing devastation to the coconut industry and is also attacking several other hosts.

Red Palm Mite is an exotic pest of Asian origin. The first Western Hemisphere report was from Martinique in 2004; from there it quickly moved to St Lucia in 2005 and to Trinidad and Tobago in 2006. Several other Caribbean countries are also affected. The pest is a tiny red mite scarcely visible to the naked eye; in the absence of any natural enemies it multiplies rapidly and US scientists working in St Lucia estimated that millions of individual insects could be found on a single coconut frond.

The leaves of infested trees take on a ‘dried-up’ appearance as if suffering from drought conditions. Eventually the trees will stop producing nuts and will loose their crowns entirely.

CARDI recognised the problem which this pest would cause as soon it appeared in the Caribbean. In the 1990s, CARDI was able to arrange for an Indian Scientist, Dr R.C. Gautam, to spend a year in Trinidad where he brought the Red Hibiscus Mealybug under control. Following these experiences the Institute made an appeal through the Indian High Commission in Port of Spain, to the Indian Government for a scientist to help with the Red Palm Mite. The response from India was positive; the Commonwealth Secretariat in London was also supportive.

Despite this support, there were some bureaucratic delays. However, the Trinidad and Tobago Minister of Food Production, Land and Marine Affairs, lent support to the CARDI proposal. Subsequently along with the Ministry, CARDI selected from a list of qualified entomologists that the Indian government sent to CARDI.

In October 2011, CARDI signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR). This will mean that in future CARDI can work directly with the Indian agency to obtain support for the Caribbean agricultural sector.

The Serbian Association of Agricultural Journalists, AGROPRESS, is organizing the second workshop for foreign journalists covering agriculture. The Balkan Tour 2012, in Serbia is to be organized May 14-19, 2012.

This workshop will present agricultural aspects of Serbia to the World, as well as promote and highlight potentials of companies and individuals dealing with agricultural production in Serbia. Participants will visit various company’s production plant and headquarters, as well as farmers who will inform and familiarize journalists with Serbian brands.

Serbia is increasingly exporting agricultural products beyond country borders and working to increase export volumes and investments in agriculture. Serbian agriculture traditionally makes trade surplus and ensures a stabile economy. In 2010, agricultural exports of the Republic surpassed 3 billion dollars.

The tour is to be organized May 14-19, 2012, in Belgrade, Novi Sad and Valjevo, among other places.  Registration is limited so sign up early. English is the official tour language.

Traveling expenses, food and accommodation during the program, from the arrival at the hotel on May 14th through hotel departure on May 19, are covered by the participation fee. Traveling expenses to and from Serbia, as well as additional expenses are not included. Extended staying and additional tours are optional, upon request.

For more details visit http://www.agropress.org.rs/balkan-tour-2012-eng.html

Best regards,

Goran Djakovic,

President

Union of Agricultural Journalists AGROPRESS www.agropress.org.rs

Telephone: 1 (868) 645-1205/06/07
Fax: 1 (868) 645-1208
Email: hresources [at] cardi [dot] org
Website: www.cardi.org

Unsuitable applications will not be acknowledged

Interested persons should be actively engaged in agriculture and rural development/ natural resource management/ biodiversity conservation in the domains of information and communication.

Date: Monday 05 – Friday 09 March 2012

Venue: ECLAC  Sub-regional Headquarters for the Caribbean, Port of Spain ,Trinidad     and Tobago

Participation in the Learning Opportunity is free of charge, but subject to   acceptance by the organizers.

If you are interested in applying, please complete the online application form at:

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Deadline for application: Sunday 12 February 2012.