On Wednesday, 23 September 2026, CARDI Saint Lucia held Week 4 of the World Vegetable Center-supported Farmer Field School, continuing its structured training program for local tomato growers and technical officers.

The session was facilitated by Mr. Greg Mitchell, Agronomist and Soils Lab Technician with the Ministry of Agriculture’s Research & Development Division, who led comprehensive lectures and field discussions on establishing healthy plant starts.

Attendance & Collaboration:
A total of 21 stakeholders participated in the session, including 12 local farmers (featuring 3 female producers), 4 agriculture students and 1 teacher from the Agricultural College (TVET), 4 technicians from the MOA Research & Development Division, 2 Extension Officers, and 2 CARDI technical staff members.

Core Topics Covered:

• Site Selection & Soil Mediums: Choosing optimal nursery setups and preparing suitable growing media.
• Environmental & Water Management: Regulating temperature, shade, and watering routines to support young plants.
• Soil Biology & Pest Control: Identifying soil-borne organisms and managing potential pest threats early in the crop cycle.
• Optimizing Germination: Analyzing common reasons for seed germination failure, troubleshooting field issues, and implementing proven techniques to increase seedling success rates.

By building technical capacity across students, farmers, and extension personnel, the initiative continues to strengthen Saint Lucia’s capacity for climate-resilient vegetable production.

To support the growth of the national apiculture sector, representatives from the Mille Fleurs Honey Producers’ Cooperative Society Ltd and officials from the Ministry of Agriculture recently visited the CARDI Saint Lucia Field Station to select a location for a new Queen Bee Rearing Project.

The initiative represents a direct collaboration between CARDI, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Cooperative, aimed at building local queen rearing capacity, improving hive productivity, and expanding honey processing for local and regional markets.

Key Stakeholders in Attendance:

• Ministry of Agriculture: Chief Veterinary Officer, Bee Coordinator, and Apiculture Technician.
• Mille Fleurs Cooperative: Executive Members representing local beekeepers.
CARDI: Country Representative and technical team.

Following a tour of the facility, a prime location was selected, and key stakeholders outlined strategic action points to advance the project toward launch.






To address high food import bills and strengthen local production of widely grown crops, CARDI Saint Lucia initiated a dedicated Farmer Field School (FFS) program on Wednesday, 2 September 2026.

Supported by project funding and climate-resilient vegetable seed donations from the World Vegetable Center, the hands-on program focuses exclusively on improving tomato management practices under local growing conditions.

Program Overview & Key Details:

• Broad Stakeholder Engagement: Over 30 participants attended, including 14 local farmers, Extension Officers, Research & Development Officers, Marketing Officers, and CARDI staff.
• Technical Partnership: Officials and technicians from the Taiwan ICDF Mission joined the sessions to provide expert technical guidance.
• Hands-On Learning: Week #1 began with an official opening ceremony followed by field activities, with practical exercises continuing into Week #2 on 9 September 2026.

Through interactive field training, local growers and technical officers are building capacity to increase national tomato supply and enhance crop resilience.




On August 7th, 2026, the CARDI Saint Lucia Unit received an important shipment to help address the ongoing scarcity of yams and yam planting material across the island.

Working in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, CARDI imported 60 tissue culture plants representing six hybrid yam varieties from the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) in France and Guadeloupe.

Project Breakdown:

• Targeting Supply Challenges: Stakeholders across Saint Lucia, including farmers, Massy Stores, and the Saint Lucia Marketing Board, have faced consistent shortages of local yams and planting stock.
• Lab Multiplication: CARDI Country Representative Dr. Andre Barry Innocent collected the FedEx Express shipment and delivered the plants to the Ministry’s Tissue Culture Lab, where they will be systematically multiplied under controlled conditions.
• Natural Breeding: These tissue culture plantlets are derived entirely from natural plant breeding programs and are non-GMO.

Once the multiplied plantlets mature, they will be distributed to local farmers to establish clean, reliable planting material and secure long-term yam supply for Saint Lucia.



A strong agricultural sector relies on practical knowledge sharing! CARDI was pleased to host a Farmer Field School on Yam Miniset Production at our Saint Lucia Field Station in La Ressource, Dennery.

This initiative forms part of CARDI’s ongoing work program, executed in close partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture Region Extension Office and Massy Stores Saint Lucia.

We were thrilled to welcome 32 dedicated participants (17 men and 15 women, including vibrant young farmers). Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with farmers expressing their excitement over the new practical techniques they learned.
Step-by-Step Field Station Training Highlights:

Miniset Preparation: Demonstrating precise cutting techniques to turn seed yams into uniform miniset pieces.
Seed Treatment: Dipping miniset pieces into pre-treatment mixtures to protect against soil-borne pests and diseases.
Bin Construction: Building sturdy raised bins using concrete blocks and filling/levelling them with nutrient-rich compost.
Planting & Weather Protection: Properly spacing the minisets and covering the bins to safeguard the fragile nursery material from heavy rainy-season downpours.

By equipping farmers with miniset technology, we are ensuring a steady, high-quality supply of yam planting material for Saint Lucia.








The CARDI Saint Lucia Unit continues to ramp up support for local food security! Today, our team distributed an additional 612 high-quality yam mini-sett plants to farmers across key agricultural regions.

The distribution was split evenly, with 300 plants going to each of the following areas:

• Region 8 (North-West Agricultural District)
• Region 7 (Central-West District – including Roseau, Canaries, and Anse La Raye)


As you can see in the photos, the plants were collected by the dedicated Agricultural Extension Officers of the respective regions, who will ensure they reach the hands of our hardworking local farmers. 

The big milestone: this latest distribution brings our cumulative total to 2,576 yam plants successfully delivered to boost regional production and food resilience.

A huge thank you to the Extension Officers and farmers partnering with us to strengthen Saint Lucia’s root crop value chain.