The Resilient Environment and Agricultural Caribbean Habitats (REACH) Project was officially launched in Saint Lucia on April 1st and in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on April 4th, 2019.
This project, with a duration of 1 year, aims at assisting small farmers and their communities in managing and reducing the risks associated with the effects of climate change on the agriculture sector.
In delivering opening remarks in Saint Lucia, Mr. Barrymore Felicien, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Co-operatives outlined how the REACH Project aligns with the current work programme of the Ministry. He said that Priority Areas 9 and 10 of the Ministry’s work programme speaks to the protection, conservation and sustainable utilisation and management of natural and fisheries resources, while Priority Area 11 addresses disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, which is embodied in the Agriculture Policy Framework and Strategy for Saint Lucia 2016-2021.
REACH is funded by the Italian Development Agency for Cooperation and Development. The project is coordinated by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in partnership with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) and the Italian International Centre on Environmental Monitoring Research Foundation (CIMA).
In her remarks, Ms Elizabeth Riley, Deputy Executive Director, CDEMA said, “Agriculture is vulnerable to natural hazards and it is also climate sensitive. Globally it is widely accepted that out of all natural hazards, floods, droughts and tropical cyclones affect the agricultural sector the most”.
“The REACH Project is poised to help us in preparedness for disasters. Imagine if for every dollar we invest in preparedness, five to eight dollars could be saved in response. I think doing projects that address this area of interest is important”, said Daniele Barelli, Disaster Risk Management Specialist, FAO.
The collection, analysis and use of weather and climate information will be a critical aspect of the project in order to make the agriculture sector more resilient to environmental and natural hazards.
“Under the REACH Project, in both Saint Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, we are piloting the provision of weather and climate information at the national level but more particularly at the community level”, said Mr. Adrian Trotman, Chief Applied Meteorology and Climatology, CIMH.
Institutions, farmers, youth and local communities in the two countries will be equipped with the tools and knowledge to better manage their agricultural production.
Key stakeholders will also learn how to withstand the results of climate change and create more resilient rural livelihoods.
The project has been launched against the backdrop of significant sustainable development challenges in the Caribbean due to global climate change.
According to the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, increased climate variability is expected to have a severe impact on Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
This impact will be made worse by SIDS’ currently limited capacity to adapt to change.
Global climate change is likely to result in coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion, and more intense tropical storms and hurricanes which are going to severely impact the agriculture sector – generally the most vulnerable to these type of climatic events.
The ‘Resilient Environment and Agricultural Caribbean Habitats - REACH’ project builds on existing institutional experience at Caribbean and national level and on results of several previous initiatives focused on Agriculture Disaster Risk Management (ADRM) and resilience enhancement in Caribbean rural communities.