Charting the way Forward to meet the agricultural needs of CARICOM!

“The repositioning of CARDI is of critical significance at this time when the CARICOM region’s traditional agriculture sector is faced with economic challenges. In this regard it is imperative for the Institute to embark on a new approach, and deliver tangible results that will make an impact and contribute significantly to the immediate agricultural needs of Member Countries,” exclaimed Chairman of CARDI’s Board of Governors, Hon Ezechiel Joseph, Minister of Agriculture, Land, Fisheries and Forestry, St Lucia.

Minister Joseph made the announcement to CARDI scientists, professionals, technicians and administrative staff at the Opening Session of CARDI’s Institutional Planning Workshop 2008-2010 on November 12, at Cascadia Hotel, Trinidad and Tobago.

The Workshop was designed to develop the Institute’s Medium Term Plan for 2008-2010 which will incorporate Country Plans developed by and agreed to by key national stakeholders, clients, and be influenced by elements of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the World Food Plan of FAO, the Agro Plan, 2003-2015, at the Hemispheric level and the ‘Jagdeo Initiative’ at the Regional level.

“The CARDI Family, once united and with a common vision and commonality of purpose and practising teamwork, can and will build an Institute of Excellence,” declared the Executive Director, Dr Arlington Chesney in his address at the Opening Session.

To this end, three significant Strategic Axes were highlighted by the Executive Director that would better position CARDI to have a greater impact towards the development of the agriculture sector of CARICOM.

The first Axis relates to the Development of Sustainable Industries with Focal Areas in Science, Technology, Innovation, and Natural Resource Management, the second Axis is Strategic Linkages with Focal Areas in Partnerships & Collaborative Initiatives, and Advocacy. (Priority areas will include Donors, promotion of R&D for the “New” Agriculture and establishing ‘Friends’ of CARDI.)

The third Axis is Institutional Strengthening with Focal Areas on Income Generation, and Capacity Building with respect to Information Resources, Finance, Human Resources Development, and the Creation of Impact through utilisation of Strategic Partners, Clients and Non-Quota Resources.

“We must focus on issues that will have major impact on our stakeholders and clients, in particular in the areas of Food Safety and Food Security,” emphasised Dr Chesney. He added, in this regard, CARDI must have a more aggressive, proactive institutionalised programme for working with Strategic Partners through the development of research chains, greater integration of programmes during implementation, and make greater use of our physical presence in each Member Country.

For CARDI to survive and continue, we cannot continue as business as usual, explained the Executive Director. It is in this context that in order to achieve success; we must have guiding factors, beliefs and principles, such as integrity, teamwork, human resource development, and a new methodology to research and development with the aim to improve the quality of lives of the people of CARICOM.

Other participants at the Workshop included the Chairman of the CARDI Board of Directors, and President and Chief Executive Officer of the Sugar Company of Jamaica, Dr Richard Harrison as well as the former BoD Chairman, Dr Keith Archibald of St Kitts Nevis. A reception was held in honour of Dr Archibald, for his services to the Institute, in particular his role as Chairman of the BoD from 2000 – 2007.

Also present at the meeting were CARDI Country Representatives along with other professionals, selected technicians and staff from the 12 Member Countries of the Institute. Special invited guests included Dr Waldemar Klassen, University of Florida, Ms Cynthra Persad, the Director of Research, Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Marine Resources, Trinidad and Tobago, and Dr Oudho Homenauth, the Director of the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), Guyana.

Ms Diana Francis, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) gave a presentation on “The Global, hemispheric and regional issues and their relevance to CARDI,” with special reference to the Agro Matrix as a planning tool for CARDI.

In charting the way forward on the journey to meet the agricultural needs of the region, two Strategic Partners were on hand to participate relating to presentations with respect to charting the way forward at the conclusion of the workshop. These were FAO Representative for Trinidad and Tobago, Ms Florita Kentish, and President of the Caribbean Agribusiness Association, (CABA), Mr Harry Seeram.

Funding for the Workshop was provided by two of CARDI’s principal collaborators and stakeholders, namely the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).

For more information please contact:
Mr. Selwyn E. King
Public Relations and Communications Manager
CARDI.

03rd December 2007

(25/2007)