In June 2021, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and COLEAD launched the Caribbean Agrifood Business Series to highlight the innovations and successes of farmer-led agricultural businesses and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Caribbean.
The 21st session took place on 16 June and explored the opportunities available to Caribbean SMEs to adopt agroecological practices. It brought together 398 registrants from across several continents.
Drawing on the experiences of entrepreneurs and experts from Saint Lucia, Barbados and Trinidad, the discussions presented concrete examples of regenerative agriculture, agroforestry, permaculture, biodiversity-based pest management, renewable energy integration and participatory research. Speakers showed how these approaches can help restore degraded soils, improve water retention, enhance biodiversity, increase resilience to climate shocks and strengthen local food systems.
One message recurred throughout the webinar: agroecology is not a one-size-fits-all solution. While many Caribbean farming systems already incorporate agroecological principles, their successful implementation depends on adapting practices to local ecological, social and economic realities. Panellists stressed that healthy soils and ecological diversity form the foundation of resilient farming systems, but that scaling up sustainable practices also requires knowledge exchange, innovation, technical support, enabling policies and viable business models. Ultimately, the discussions highlighted agroecology as both a practical and systemic approach to strengthening the long-term sustainability, productivity and resilience of Caribbean agriculture.
Highlights and recordings are available on Agrinnovators.
This activity is supported by the Fit For Market Plus (FFM+) programme, implemented by COLEAD within the Framework of Development Cooperation between the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the European Union. This publication receives financial support from the European Union and the OACPS. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of COLEAD and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union or the OACPS.