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Information Today for Agriculture Tomorrow

Trimesterly Newsletter January -April Vol.10, No. 1, 2004

AgriView Newsletter Agricultural Policy Still Matters

The AgriView Newsletter will now be pub-
Diana Francis1
lished trimesterly by the Inter-American Institute
for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) to provide Focus on Policy: better late than never
information on, and to enhance knowledge criti- How did Caribbean agriculture develop over the last twenty years?
cal to agribusiness. It also provides a forum for Were the development projects and actions based on well-defined
researchers, policy makers and agri-entrepre- and enabling policies that fit the context of the particular time? Not
neurs, including small farmers, to share ideas surprisingly, getting consensus to these questions is as difficult as
and successful experiences that will contribute getting consensus in the current agricultural trade negotiations.
to the repositioning of the Caribbean agri-food While government officials can point to a number of policy goals
system to one that is economically efficient, for agriculture at both the national and regional levels, the private
socially responsible and environmentally sound. sector may see things differently. In fact, many non-governmental
Policy has become the ‘silent’ partner in persons have pointedly questioned the process of policy formulation
agricultural development. Experiences with the
widening gap between the high promises of sci-
ence and technology in ACP agriculture and the
disappointing reality on farms have led to a con-
sensus on policy being the key constraint facing
ACP agriculture. Focusing on policy is an
attempt to bring urgent attention to the fact that
we in the Caribbean, inspite a long history of
policy making for agriculture, appear to be
repeating mistakes of the past. The international
environment is one which places a high penalty
on mistakes; agriculture can no longer afford to
repeat its mistakes. Caribbean Agriculture must
be brought into the 21st Century, quickly, starting
with feasible and effective policies. This process
can be expeditiously facilitated through net-
working, the tool of choice in the 21st Century.
Lessons learnt draw from the experience of the Going organic : policy driven or ‘jump-on-the-bandwagon’ response
CTA’s interventions in regional agricultural poli-
cy networking in African regions. and implicitly, the effectiveness of past and current policies for
making a real difference in agriculture.
IN THIS ISSUE...
One may surmise that for the longest time, the business of agri-
Agricultural Policy Still Matters 1 culture in most Caribbean countries seemed to be stuck in ‘neutral’.
Repositioning Agriculture in the Americas 3 In fact, many reports generally describe agriculture’s performance as
Information and Communication Technologies in ‘stagnant’, or ‘no-change in growth over the previous period’, with
Agricultural Policy Networking 3 trade liberalization blamed as the main culprit. One could also argue
ICTs, Agricultural Policy Networking and the CTA 4 that if it was known then, that agricultural trade liberalization would
The Policy Process 5 be inevitable, and that its short-to-medium term effects would be
The Regional Agricultural Policy Network generally negative, why were the appropriate mix of policies not put
in the Caribbean 6 in place to enable agriculture stakeholders to respond? This is a com-
Agricultural Networking in the Caribbean 7 mon question to which, answers rarely seem to satisfy.
Private Sector Supports the RAPN 7
Policy Perspective 7 Kirton & Bailey (2002)2 note that generally, developing coun-
Regional Agricultural Policy Networks: 8 try policymakers are expected to have a clear commitment to the
Take Note 9 1
Diana Francis is a Consultant responsible for in IICA’s Regional Policy and Trade Program
What’s Happening in the Negotiations 9 for the Caribbean
Taking ‘Old’ Agriculture into ‘New’ Frontiers: 10
2
“Establishment and Development of a Regional Agricultural Policy Network in the
Caribbean”,(December 2002) Claremont Kirton and Arlene Bailey, Faculty of Social Sciences,
Changing Youth perceptions on Agriculture 11 UWI-Mona, Jamaica.
Caribbean Week of Agriculture 2004 12
2 AgriView
agricultural sector. However, experience indicates that in most of
these countries, governments followed by the international com-
munity, have shifted away from agriculture. Since the 1970s,
many developing country governments have significantly reduced
expenditures on agriculture. Leading international donor agencies
to also reduce their assistance to agriculture. This in part explains
the situation of agriculture today. Did these actions result from
clear policy directives to reduce the focus on agriculture in favour
of sectors - industry and tourism perhaps? Or were they simply the
correct and automatic response to the policy doctrines which
reflected the dynamics of the global economy at that particular
time/period? Can any of us provide satisfactory answers to these
pertinent questions?
Policy History in Caribbean agriculture
It would seem then, that developing policy in itself cannot be the
end product. According to Kirton & Bailey (2002), policy, simply
defined, is a statement of intent, a prescription of what needs to be
done to achieve a particular purpose and goal. It implies that the
anticipated output would not have materialized without the spe-
cific policy being implemented. However, having well defined
policies, will not, on their own, lead to any change in the situation
for agriculture. Policy is a means to an end, and for policy to be
effective, the appropriate actions must be taken.
In tracing its evolution, Kirton and Bailey (2002) noted that
historically, colonial relationships shaped agricultural policy in
the Caribbean. The British directed policy in the British colonies,
as did the French, Dutch and Spanish in their respective colonies.
Following political independence, the former colonies established
their respective government Ministries of Agriculture that had
responsibility for agricultural policy preparation and implementa-
tion.
In 1975, following the formation of CARICOM in 1973, the
former British colonies in the Caribbean developed the first
regional agricultural policy - the Regional Food Plan (RFP). Its
main goal was to increase domestic food production as a means of
reducing CARICOM’s dependence on foreign food sources, espe-
cially for animal and fish products, cereal and grain legumes.
Among the explanations for this policy failure were a lack of
commitment by CARICOM Member states, and a shortage of the
required expertise to ensure successful implementation. In 1983,
the Regional Food and Nutrition Strategy (RFNS), replaced the
RFP as the guiding policy for agriculture in the Caribbean. This
policy also met with limited success owing to similar constraints.
In 1989, the Caribbean Community Programme for Agricultural
Development (CCPAD) and an associated Regional Action Plan
replaced the RFNS. By the early 1990s, it was evident that
CCPAD too, would follow its predecessors, and in 1996 its was
redesigned into the Regional Transformation Programme for
Agriculture (RTP), which currently oversees development and
implementation of regional agricultural policy.
The above clearly proves our long learning experience of pol-
icy making in agriculture, particularly at the regional level. These
policy failures were deemed to result from their inherent weak-
ness of process, and ultimately relevance. Attempting to influence
the levels of agricultural output in CARICOM countries without
Quarterly Newsletter Vol. 10, No. 1
Focus on Policy cont’d
initially establishing close working relationships with the produc-
ers at the country level is a recipe for failure. Also the failure to
explicitly recognize that producers’ decisions are conditioned by
their perceptions of the policy environment, which is determined
by individual national governments, could lead to policy disaster.
The Policy Context
The context for agriculture has changed since the early 1980s, and
has been evolving ever since. History suggests a 30-year cycle of
policy doctrine changes in the past. The experiences in world agri-
cultural markets over the last 25 years largely explains the empha-
sis on market-led growth and the benefits of open market compe-
tition; hence the push towards agricultural trade liberalization in
all sectors and spheres of economic activity.
The rapid pace of globalisation and resulting changes in the
international environment, have forced small developing states to
confront critical decisions about their policy orientation as they
attempt to minimize the associated negative costs and maximize
the beneficial consequences of these developments. In general,
policy options facing small developing states are conditioned by
their natural, human and financial resource limitations, historical
experiences and various bi-lateral and multi-lateral commitments.
Regional policy makers repeatedly emphasize that domestic agri-
culture is largely responsive to external stimuli. As policy makers,
we have no alternative but to operate within our best guesses and
our most accurate judgments about how the world works today.
The changing context for agriculture thus begs the question of
whether or not, in the scheme of things, our range of policy
options are already pre-set by the external context within which
agriculture functions.
Focus on Policy - more important than ever!
Ensuring productivity and growth in primary agriculture is an
essential pre-requisite for effectively sustaining the social, eco-
nomic and political stability of Caribbean economies. Despite its
declining relative contribution to gross domestic production, pri-
mary agriculture remains a critical contributor growth in food and
beverage processing industries, employment generation, foreign
exchange earnings, income distribution, food security and social
equity and stability.
As agriculture becomes more integrated into the complex
legal and regulatory international system, domestic and regional
agriculture policy must adapt in order to enable effective partici-
pation. This adaptation must therefore, focus on transforming the
policy framework (institutional and regulatory) to create an envi-
ronment conducive to agriculture’s repositioning. Without policy
change and strong policy, agricultural repositioning will remain a
non-starter. Without providing the requisite resources (skilled per-
sonnel, adequate and well targeted financing for infrastructural,
institutional and entrepreneurial development), sustainable agri-
cultural development, which is competitive, equitable and envi-
ronmentally-friendly, will be an elusive goal. And in this context,
the focus on policy, through successful regional co-operation,
assumes even greater urgency.
AgriView
Repositioning Agriculture in the
Americas
Agriculture of the Americas
in the 21st Century is chal-
lenged to be competitive and
to produce value-added
products that conform to food
safety and agricultural health
standards demanded by the
market and consumers.
Agriculture must also provide
the base for rural prosperity
in order to stem the migration
of the rural poor to our cities.
The key factors driving the
new agriculture will be globalization and market liberal-
ization, new technologies and consumer preferences.
So said the IICA Director General when he addressed
Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas at their 2nd
Ministerial Meeting in Panama, in November 2003.
Back in November 2001 at their First Ministerial Meeting
in Bavaro, Dominican Republic, Ministers of Agriculture
had already recognized that agriculture and rural life
was at a turning point, and issued the Declaration of
Bavaro for the Improvement of Agriculture and Rural Life
in the Americas. The “Agro 2003-2015” Plan of Action,
adopted at the 2nd Ministerial Forum, emphasizes four
main dimensions of agriculture that require strong policy
and concerted action to facilitate continuous reposition-
ing and to meet the Millennium Development Goals
(MDG)1.
• Production-trade dimension;
• Ecological- environmental dimension;
• Socio-cultural and human dimension;
• Political-institutional dimension.
The DG cautioned that success in repositioning our agri-
culture and in developing the full potential of the rural
sector “will depend in large measure on leaders who can
promote change and harness the vast potential of the
countries by helping to remove the anti-rural bias in
development policy”. Achieving the MDGs particularly
that of reducing poverty by 50% in 2015 is a responsi-
bility shared by us all.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) commit
the international community to an expanded vision of
development that vigorously promotes human devel-
opment as key to sustaining social and economic
progress in all countries and recognizes the impor-
tance of creating a global partnership for develop-
ment. Details can be obtained from the World Bank
Website www.worldbank.org
3
The State of Rural Life in the Caribbean 1
The total Caribbean2 population is estimated at 22 million, ranging
from a high of 9 million in the Dominican Republic to a low of
42,000 in St. Kitts and Nevis. Out of this total population, the rural
population is slightly less than half (10.7 million), with Haiti hav-
ing the highest number of rural people (5 million). The importance
of agriculture in these countries is more evident for Haiti, Guyana
and St. Lucia than it is for the more tourism dependent countries
such as Barbados, The Bahamas, St. Kitts and Nevis and Grenada.
There is a direct relationship between the patterns of development
in the rural economy, the demise of traditional agriculture and
increasing rural poverty. The contribution of agriculture to GDP has
been declining absolutely and relatively in almost all the countries,
exacerbating an already high rate of poverty.
The highest levels of poverty are to be found in the rural, and
particularly the agriculture sectors. This is underpined by the low
levels of human capital development and high unemployment rates,
particularly evident in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Guyana and
Suriname, but also a cause for concern in the OECS countries. The
poverty levels in the region countries and the attendant inequalities,
persist at unacceptably high levels, ranging from a high of 65% in
Haiti to a low of 19% in Jamaica. An estimated 13.9% of the pop-
ulation of Barbados could be classified as poor, with most of those
classified being females (59%) and single parents (57.3%).
Through sizable inflows of concessionary finance, official
grants and net private transfers from abroad, the countries are able
to sustain some of their development programmes, but are finding
it increasingly difficult to do so. Low yields of monocrops such as
banana, sugar and nutmeg and the challenges of competing in inter-
national markets have resulted in a decline in the agricultural econ-
omy in the last decade. In agriculture, economic pressures to
increase export crop production, together with tourism construction
and expansion, have accelerated the clearing of forests and the
establishment of agricultural and urban areas on steep hillsides
which are highly susceptible to erosion. This has led to a significant
loss of wildlife habitat and the subsequent reduction of species
diversity.
Tourism has grown dramatically however, and now represents
more than one quarter of the region's total export receipts.
However, during the last decade the countries have been challenged
to deal with numerous environmental problems arising from
tourism, including inadequate waste management, unsustainable
water and energy consumption, the use of agro-chemicals to main-
tain the proliferation of golf courses and gardens, beach erosion
and degradation of the marine ecosystems.
Overcoming these challenges will be of critical importance to
the rural territories, in particular, and the economies in general, as
the countries of the Caribbean grapple with achieving the goals of
sustainable economic development, and substantially reducing
hunger and poverty by the year 2015.
1
Extracted from an IICA working document prepared by Joey Peltier, IICA’s Caribbean
Regional Specialist for Sustainable Rural Development, based in the Barbados office.
2
Caribbean excludes Belize, Montserrat and the French departments, the BVIs and USVIs,
and includes the Bahamas.
Trimesterly Newsletter Vol. 10, No. 1
4 AgriView
The State of the Fisheries Industry in Antigua – Barbuda
An important livelihood..
Capture fisheries, based largely on finfish, spiny lobster (Panulirus
argus) and queen conch (Strombus gigas), is an integral element of
the Antigua and Barbuda agriculture sector. The Barbudan econo-
my is particularly vulnerably due to its heavy reliance on lobster
exports as a foreign exchange earner. Over the last 30 years, the
sector has undergone significant modernisation, evident in the
upgrading of fishing fleet to modern fibreglass launches and
pirogues equipped with the latest fishing gear, (global positioning
systems, depth sounder, trap haulers, etc). However, while there
have been significant changes in vessel construction and fishing
technology, traps or “fish pots” remain the dominant gear.
With the constant growth in the number of fishing vessels
over the past eight years, fisheries production continues to rise,
contributing to 50% of the agricultural GDP of EC$ 62.6 Million
or 1.6% of the national GDP (in current prices) for 2002. However
the numerous hurricanes experienced over the past decade have
significantly reduced the level of fishing activity. For example, of
the 695 vessels registered at the end of 2003, only 292 (42%) were
actively fishing, accounting for 724 fishers or 2% of the labour
force of 33,000. These values should be taken as conservative esti-
mates since the sector continues to act as a “safety-net” for other
economic activity. In other words, when there is a downturn in
others sectors (e.g., tourism and construction) individuals re-enter
or increase their activity in the fisheries sector.
Pattern of Fish & Lobster Exports
from Antigua & Barbuda
fresh fish
live lobster
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Under threat by trade regulations . .
Total export of fishery products has witnessed great annual fluc-
tuation over the 1998-2000 period, with exports in 2002 valued at
EC$ 1.59 Million. This represented an increase of 26.4%, in terms
of quantity from the previous year, with Barbuda contributing
67.4%.
However, the fisheries sector has not escaped the influence of
globalization and trade liberalization, and more specifically, the
tendency towards increased economic integration in the European
Union (EU). The EU is the major export market for fish and lob-
1
Fisheries Officer/Marine Biologist, Fisheries Division, Antigua and Barbuda
Quarterly Newsletter Vol. 10, No. 1
Ian S. Horsford1
ster from Antigua and Barbuda and prior to 1992, fishery exports
mainly to the French territories of Guadeloupe, Martinique and
St. Barthelemy, averaged 473,000 lbs. For Barbuda in particular,
as much as 84% of lobster landings are shipped to the French ter-
ritories. With the harmonising of EU trade regulations in 1992,
fishery exports have declined substantially, and are yet to recover
their pre-1992 levels. For example, Article 5 of Directive 91/493
of the European Community legislation, which forbids the placing
on the market of fishery products containing ciguatera toxins – the
toxins responsible for “fish poisoning”, has placed severe restric-
tions on exports of mainly live lobster since local exporters can-
not guarantee that their products are free from such toxins. Fish
poisoning has long been recognised as a serious health problem
endemic to the Leeward and Virgin Islands, with Antigua and
Barbuda having some of the highest number of reported cases in
the sub-region (295 cases in 2001 and 276 cases in 2002). With
such figures, fish poisoning will continue to be detrimental to
trade and a burden on our health care system.
In addition to the challenges impose by the stringent EU trade
requirements Antigua & Barbuda is also struggling to overcome
trade sanctions (for conch) by virtue of its accession (since 1997)
to the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) which protects certain
endangered species from overexploitation by means of a system
of trade permits. Failure to meet reporting obligations and to enact
CITES enabling legislation required to implement the Convention
resulted in the imposition of sanctions in 1999. Trade sanctions
resulting from failure to meet international standards, have had
dire implications for Barbuda, since the lobster fishery offers the
highest per capita earnings, with 26% of the population (of 1,400)
financially dependent on this fishery.
Securing the Future of Fisheries
Antigua & Barbuda has initiated steps aimed at enhancing the
country’s ability to meet the challenges posed by globalisation,
trade liberalisation, multilateral environment agreements and
international fisheries instruments. In 1999, a morphological
study was conducted in 1999, followed by an abundance survey,
both of which form the first steps in determining a “sustainable
yield” for the stock. These initiatives aimed at improving the man-
agement of the conch resources and complying with obligations to
CITES. More recently, the Fisheries Division has sought assis-
tance from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN with
respect to bring the Fisheries Act (1983) and the Fisheries
Regulations (1990), in line with development in current interna-
tional fisheries law and related environmental agreements. The
process will include onoging consultations with authorities and
stakeholders to disucss a range of issues including, guiding prin-
ciples for fisheries management (e.g., sustainable development,
responsible fisheries, the precautionary approach, the ecosystem
approach). These initiatives are vital to recapture markets, reverse
the decline in exports and hence safeguard the livelihoods of fish-
erfolk and their dependents.
AgriView
The Policy Process1
Focus on the policy process
The growing recognition of the importance of the policy process
stems from the general concern about the persistence of policy
failures in the agriculture of ACP countries, even after recogniz-
ing policy as a constraint. Indeed these failures have persisted
from year to year, from regime to regime, and from one country
to another as if the policy actors are incapable of learning from
their own mistakes or from the mistakes of others, including their
neighbors.
The notion of the agricultural policy process has received
considerable attention because of the manifest failure of the tradi-
tional (discrete policy) approach. This implies that policy is not
just a set of discrete events, but a process of interactive phases as
described below.
1. Problem recognition or identification
This involves the recognition of an agricultural problem requiring
appropriate response or action. There are long time elapses
between the existence of a problem requiring a policy response
and recognition of the existence of a problem. In this regard, pol-
icy networking creates substantial scope and opportunities for
sharing information among countries relating to the mechanisms
for reducing the time lags.
2. Policy formulation, deign and articulation
It is one thing to recognize the existence of a problem. It is quite
another to design an appropriate policy package in response to the
problem. As in the first stage, there are long time lags between
recognition of a problem’s existence and the design of appropriate
policy responses.
3. Policy appraisal or verification
After formulating a policy, it is argued, the package should be
appraised prior to commitment of scarce resources, including ver-
ifying the underlying assumptions and conducting sensitivity
analysis. Although this stage is critical, it is usually skipped in
most ACP countries.
4. Policy implementation and adoption
Many policy packages remain on the shelf, gathering dust; some
are adopted after a long time has elapsed; others are never imple-
mented. It is crucial to get policy makers in the government to
believe in the package, to endorse it and be prepared to encourage
its implementation.
5. Policy evaluation and impact assessment
This final stage involved looking back to see how the policy
implementation has performed against the stated objectives (eval-
uation) and against some quality of life parameters (impact
assessment).Again, long time lags between policy implementation
and policy assessment occur for many reasons including hasty
policy designs that make little or no provisions for monitoring and
1
Extracted and summarized from “A Framework for agricultural policy process analysis”,
Francis Idachaba, International Service for National Agricultural Research, The Netherlands,
published in the Proceedings of a CTA Workshop on Agricultural policy networking: the
way forward. Uganda, 6-10 November 2000.
5
evaluation and lack of the ‘culture’ of using monitoring and eval-
uation and a management tool.
Some important polices lie outside agriculture
Among the characteristic features of policy is that some of
the most important policies, in terms of their consequences for
agriculture, lie outside agriculture. These are:
• foreign exchange rate policies, that set the average levels
and their consequences for the foreign and domestic
prices of exports and imports of agricultural commodi-
ties, including inputs and outputs. (Volatile exchange
rates cause a loss of confidence and instability in the
business environment. Over-valued exchange rates
reduce export competitiveness.)
• monetary policies and their inflationary implications for
the domestic terms of trade between the agricultural and
non-agricultural sectors, the term-structure of interest
rates and the supply and demand for loanable funds in
agriculture.
• fiscal policies, (taxes, tariffs, minimum wages, inflation-
ary deficit financing) and their consequences for domes-
tic terms of trade which govern the exchange of agricul-
tural products for products from no-agricultural sectors;
• income policies (national minimum wages, equity etc.)
that are usually targeted at the urban labour force wages
but have consequences for rural labour supplies, issues of
gender equity, regional income distribution etc;
• national industrial policies, such as, policies to provide
cheap agricultural raw materials for agricultural industri-
alization.
• international trade and balance of payments policies.
Conclusions
Experiences and failures of the agricultural sector in ACP
countries suggest that the agricultural policy process itself, is
unstable, due, in part to an absence of socio-political consensus on
a minimum set of values, beliefs and philosophy underlying agri-
cultural policy that are regime (government)-neutral and weak-
nesses of the community of stakeholders in the agricultural policy
process. The following conclusions are clear.
• Agricultural policy matters;
• Agricultural policy analysis matters, but only up to a
point;
• Agricultural policy is not a series of discrete events but a
process;
• The agricultural policy process requires types and
sources of information for which Caribbean countries
need to develop the capacity to generate and disseminate
efficiently.
All the above, and particularly the latter conclusion, further
justify the concept of policy networking for information exchange
and hence the establishment of an RAPN in the Caribbean.
Quarterly Newsletter Vol. 9, No. 3
6 AgriView

The Caribbean Agricultural Policy Network

Building Capacity to Manage the Caribbean RAPN

Background:
✧ Global developments, characterized by market openness
and integration, make it imperative for the Caribbean
to rethink its policies and strategies for agricultural and
rural development.
✧ Networking is the most cost-effective and modern
mechanism to foster widespread involvement of agri-
cultural sector stakeholders in the policy process.
Mission:
✧ “in collaboration with national, regional and interna-
tional institutions and other networks, the Network
will strengthen linkages at the national and regional
levels and contribute to cost-effective agricultural poli-
cy decision making”.
Objectives:
✧ establish and operate, through networking, a system of
information exchange for the promotion of effective
agricultural and rural development policies in the con-
text of objectives related to national development;
✧ support the formulation of common negotiating posi-
tions with regard to extra-regional agricultural trade
agreements and promote intra-regional trade.
“Good management – as critical as good policy”
Having already established that ‘policy’ and the ‘policy process’
are weak links that affect the agricultural sectors of Caribbean
countries; and having also established that Caribbean policy mak-
ers agreed that a regional policy network was an important mech-
anism to strengthen the environment for policy making, the CTA,
IICA and CARDI determined that building regional capacity to
manage such a network was a critical logical step to strengthen the
RAPN, and ultimately, the policy process for agriculture in the
region.
A series of training courses designed to improve skills in the
management of those persons identified as coordinators or poten-
tial coordinators for agricultural policy networks is planned for
the Caribbean region. The first course, held in Guyana over the
period 6-10 October 2003, also coincided with the official launch
of the CaRAPN and timed to coincide with a meeting of senior
policy makers during a Caribbean Week of Activities.
About The Workshop
The issue of how best to manage an agricultural policy networks
for achieving best results is important, particularly enhancing the
understanding of stakeholders of how agricultural policy networks
function and are managed. These stakeholders include those who
receive products and services from the network and/or contribute
to the production and dissemination of products and services.

Benefits:
✧ forum for dialogue and consultation;
✧ support to preparation and dissemination of policy
papers, technical and statistical reports;
✧ facilitation of easier access to relevant databases, web-
sites, directories, publications and information;
✧ support to training in policy analysis and formulation;
✧ promotion of greater visibility of regional agriculture
through its web-page and links to other networks;
✧ support to advocacy and public awareness of emerging
agricultural and trade related policy issues.

Membership is open to Ministries of Agriculture and all

existing networks in agriculture.
The strength and relevance of the Network
depends on participation and ownership of
all relevant actors and stakeholders in the
agricultural policy process.
Cross-section of policy network stakeholders
The workshop sought to provide national and regional net-
work managers with the skills, methods and tools necessary to
develop mechanisms and activities to improve agricultural poli-
cies. Another objective was to enhance a common understanding
among key stakeholders on network functioning and management
issues to better enable the regional network to achieve its mission.

Quarterly Newsletter Vol. 10, No. 1

AgriView
Private Sector Supports CaRAPN
“If the poultry industry has money, it is because they
are part of a network that works!”
So stated Dr. Keith Amiel, Manager-Corporate Affairs,
Caribbean Broiler (Jamaica Ltd), when he addressed
members at the official launch of the Caribbean
Agricultural Regional Policy Network. The launch of the
RAPN coincided with the 5th IICA-sponsored Caribbean
Week of Agriculture in Guyana. Dr. Amiel is one of the
founding members of the RAPN, which was first dis-
cussed at a workshop in Suriname in January 2003. He
urged the Caribbean agricultural stakeholders to “net-
work as fast as it can” to facilitate the effective response
to the challenges and opportunities that emerge from
deepening global integration. These sentiments coming
from the private sector is further manifestation of the
proactive stance taken by the agribusiness sector in the
shaping of agriculture to meet the demand and require-
ments of the 21st century.
Policy Perspective: A sample of what
we are up against!
“America should continue to be a global agricultural
leader in the 21st Century. Our farmers and food compa-
nies benefit from a wealth of natural resources, cutting
edge technology and supporting infrastructure. With
these assets we can compete with anybody in the world
– provided markets are open, trade is not distorted by
subsidies and our own domestic support programs do
not inadvertently reduce our competitiveness”.
Enhancing US global agriculture competitiveness will
focus on: continuing the liberalization of trade in agricul-
ture; enhancing the competitiveness of our food and
agricultural exports; ensuring that farmers have the
proper tools (infrastructure and assistance programs);
and; pursing an ambitious and focused global marketing
strategy.”
From ‘USDA Food and Agriculture Policy” September 2001
7
Agricultural Networking in the Caribbean
– Experiences
Discussions on benefits of an agricultural policy network in the
Caribbean have taken place since the mid-1990s. In the context of
the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), cost-effec-
tive, self-sustaining networking will be a particularly important
mechanism for fostering widespread involvement of stakeholders
in regional agricultural policy formulation. Given the ongoing
international trade negotiations, policy information networking
was cited as an important vehicle through which relevant con-
cerns, ideas and information may be shared between and among
policy makers and stakeholders.
IICA has been promoting and supporting networking to
address specific aspects of agricultural development at the region-
al level. These include:
• Caribbean Council for Higher Education (CACHE) (Nov.
1997), among agricultural degree-granting and tertiary edu-
cation Universities;
• Caribbean AgriBusiness Association (CABA) (Nov. 1998),
comprising entrepreneurs, including farmers associations, a
major private sector advocate for agriculture;
• Caribbean Agricultural Science and Technology Networking
System. (PROCICARIBE) (1998), an umbrella network
comprising several thematic (marketing intelligence, Plant
Genetic Resources, Post Harvest Technology etc) and com-
modity networks (rice, vegetables, fruits, root crops, small
ruminants, etc);
• Caribbean Network of Rural Women’s Producers (CNRWP)
(July 1999), to enhance their skills, self-reliance and empow-
erment in the decision making process;
• Alliance for the Sustainable Development of Agriculture and
the Rural Milieu in the Caribbean (October 2001), which
includes a Ministers of Agriculture Forum and other stake-
holder networks;
• Caribbean Agricultural Forum for Youth (CAFY) (December
2002) to encourage greater youth involvement in agricultural
development in all its dimensions.
With agricultural trade liberalization, the 1990s also saw an
unusual visibility and consolidation of existing commodity asso-
ciations/networks. Among the oldest regional commodity associ-
ations is the Sugar Association of the Caribbean (SAC) and the
West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers Association (WIRSPA).
The changed conditions in the 1990s also spawned the establish-
ment of new commodity networks, such as, the Caribbean Poultry
Association (CPA), and the more recent Regional Pork and Pork
Producers Association, launched in 2003 and patterned largely
against the CPA. Within the last two years, initiatives have also
been made towards the development of a Regional Farmers
Association.
The success and future of the agriculture and food sector will
affect everyone, albeit in different degrees. Therefore, this move-
ment towards networking in agriuclture, that will gain momentum
as the 21st century progresses, augers well for the task of reposi-
tioning regional agriculture and the rural communities into the
evolving global environment.
Trimesterly Newsletter Vol. 10, No. 1
8 AgriView
Defining Regional Agricultural
Policy Networking
• ‘Regional’ implies addressing issues that cut across nation-
al political boundaries. For this to happen and be effective
and sustainable, such issues have to be relevant to the gov-
ernments and peoples of the various countries covered.
• ‘Agricultural’ implies that we are confining ourselves to a
particular sector – agriculture. In so doing we recognize that
there are many other sectors which relate to and influence
agriculture. We also realize the difficulty of establishing
boundaries between agricultural and non-agricultural issues.
• ‘Policy’ implies a statement of intent, a prescription of what
needs to be done to achieve a particular purpose and goal.
Hence policies are derived and applied at all levels of socie-
ty by a wide spectrum of people and organizations.
• ‘Networking’ is a combination of two words, ‘net’ and ‘work-
ing’. This distinction is critical because often we have the ‘net’
but not the ‘working’ and yet we talk of ‘networking’.
The policy ‘net’ in the context of an RAPN consists of all
partners involved in key agricultural policy areas in the region,
which in CARICOM, includes national, regional and interna-
tional private and public sector organizations, groups and asso-
ciation, involved in the policy process at all different stages.
The ‘net’ implies that there are bridges between the different
entities and linking them to a nucleus, which in the Caribbean’s
case is the RAPN. These bridges are formed through informal
and formal statements of intent to collaborate.
Forming the ‘net’ is a necessary but not sufficient condi-
tion for networking. Deliberate efforts must be made to put the
‘working’ in place. The latter comprises tangible and explicit
activities that jointly take place between and among the part-
ners of the ‘net’. For success and sustainability, there must be
undoubted conviction of value-added in networking compared
to countries operating individually. The value-added in net-
working should be greater than the sum of the value-added
when the units work individually.
Reproduced from “Regional agricultural policy analysis networking in Eastern and
Central Africa” Issac J. Minde, ECAPAPA. publsihed in the Proceedings of a CTA
Workshop on Agricultural policy networking: the way forward. Uganda, 6-10
November 2000
You are invited
to visit the
RAPN at
www.rapn.net
to get more
information
and to become
member in our
growing policy
networking for
agriculture in
the Caribbean.
Quarterly Newsletter Vol. 10, No. 1
Information and Communication Technologies
(ICT) and Agricultural Development
The application of new ideas, concepts and science to agri-
culture is a prerequisite if it is to, not only survive, but flourish in
the 21st century. The revolution in international information and
communications technologies (ICT), with the ever-expanding
cyberspace linkages through the Internet and World Wide Web has
the potential of doing more to enhance the international exchange
of information, comprising ideas, concepts and science than any
process the world has ever known. Global competitiveness is
increasingly based on access to the information. Much of this
information is available worldwide and can now be accessed,
exchanged and used efficiently through ICT.
The agri-food sector is complex and diverse and the agricul-
tural policy process itself, requires types and sources of informa-
tion for which Caribbean countries need to develop the capacity to
generate and disseminate efficiently. ICTs can provide the best
options for developing countries to effectively meet the informa-
tion and communication requirements, and more particularly, in
improving the effectiveness of policy networking. ICT benefits
range from improving access to information for policy and deci-
sion making to enabling the most rural and micro producer to
search for, promote and engage in direct marketing to customers
in diverse markets around the world.
However, Caribbean countries will need to invest heavily in
ICT infrastructure and systems, for any such benefits to flow.
Caribbean countries will have to seriously address the general
inadequacy of infrastructure, specifically, information and com-
munication infrastructure, and even more critically, the underde-
veloped IC systems in agriculture and rural areas. Also the rapid
pace at which information is being generated challenges our coun-
tries’ capabilities to organize and transfer it and challenge users’
capabilities to utilize it effectively. As well as physical infrastruc-
ture, management of effective information services to a clientele
that has little historical experience in using ‘real time’ information
for decision-making also needs to be enhanced. Ignoring the need
to develop ICT capacity is tantamount to adopting the approach
that we will not participate in globalization; that will guarantee
that we will continue to be marginalized from the global economy.
The Caribbean
RAPN needs
YOU!
Contact us at
www.rapn.net
share your
experiencs and
contribute to a
stronger policy
environment
for agriculture.
AgriView
What’s Happening in the Negotiations?
Negotiating Deadlock . . .
Like the subject of the negotiations – agriculture - the agricultural
negotiations under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and Free
Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) started 2004 in crisis!
Agriculture is a major “deal maker or breaker”. The February-
April period seemed to be ‘crunch-time’, a time to get these back
on track if they both were to make their deadline date of 2005. That
deadline now seems highly unlikely! While the countries profess
their commitment to these negotiations, the task ahead has grown
even more complex. Key players, United States (US), the G-20 (18
large developing country agricultural exporters, including Brazil
and Cuba) and the Cairns Group (a mix of 17 developed (includ-
ing Canada and Australia) and developing (including Brazil and
Costa Rica)), can convince the European Union (EU) to agree on
negotiating an end date for phasing-out all forms of export subsi-
dies. Although in March, indications out of Geneva had suggested
possible new signs of movement, based on signals from key play-
ers, the US and EC, the negotiations are still a long way from con-
sensus on at least a framework for the agriculture modalities.
The future of the FTAA negotiations still remains question-
able, as Members are yet to resolve the fundamental issue over the
common set of obligations. Agriculture is again the major source
of conflict, with the US and its supporters accusing Mercosur
countries (5 South American countries led by Brazil), of seeking
excessive agricultural concessions while offering little in the way
of concessions on services, intellectual property and government
procurement. The FTAA negotiations are also challenged to bal-
ance the interests and bridge the wide gap among its members.
Resolving these issues is critical to arriving at a common frame-
work for liberalizing trade in agricultural products in the hemi-
sphere.
The May-August period is set become the most critical period
for substantial progress to be made in both the WTO and FTAA
agriculture negotiations. This task seems quite daunting, since the
developed countries continue to resist disciplines that would
reduce their ability to substantially support their agricultural sec-
tors. In addition to domestic agricultural support and export subsi-
dies negotiations, market access negotiations are also continuing.
Take Note
Out of the Mouth of Developed Countries
“..market access matters more for those who have got
less . . Trade expansion is critical; but critical for whom? I
would argue that whilst it is ‘important’ for the developed
world, the only countries for whom it is actually ‘critical’
are the developing ones, in particular the poorest..... The
‘Everything But Arms’ agreement and the European sys-
tem of trade preferences are what has contributed to our
becoming the largest importer, by far of agricultural prod-
ucts from developing countries.”
Dr. Franz Fischler, EC Member responsible for Agriculture, Rural Development
and Fisheries, commenting on the US Food and Agriculture Policy. USDA
Agricultural Outlook Forum 2004
9
New Beginnings . . .
Beginning in January 2008, Caribbean countries will have entered
into an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with EU. That is,
provided these negotiations, which kicked off to a positive start in
April in Jamaica, remain on track. The EPA, to be implemented
gradually over a period likely to exceed 10 years, signals the end
of an era in two fundamental respects. The EPA will govern trade
relations between the EU and each distinct region within the ACP
group; rather than between the EU and the ACP as a group. The
unified ACP could soon be history! Under the EPA, trade between
the EU and CARICOM will now have to be reciprocal in order to
be compatible with WTO rules. CARICOM countries will soon
have to grant market access concessions to the EU in agriculture
and other areas. Non-reciprocal trade relations could also be histo-
ry!
At the April launch, both the Caribbean and EU negotiators
endorsed the structure and schedule of the negotiations, which are
already shaping up to be as complex and multifaceted as the wider
WTO and FTAA negotiations. The net impact of an EPA on the
preferences from which CARICOM agricultural exports still ben-
efit is yet unclear particularly since the preferential arrangements
for bananas, sugar, rice and rum would have already been signifi-
cantly eroded before the EPA comes on stream in January 2008!
For example, the waiver granted by the WTO for continuation of
preferential treatment for banana exports to the EU will expire in
2006. For sugar, the extent to which an EPA changes the current
preferences depends on the treatment of the Sugar Protocol in the
EPA negotiations. The Sugar Association of the Caribbean (SAC)
is adamant that the Cotonou Agreement (which, in June 2002, con-
tinued the non-reciprocal trade preferential treatment started under
the Lomé Convention) preserves the status of the Sugar Protocol
between the EU and ACP countries as a legally binding arrange-
ment of indefinite duration. However, several developments,
including challenges to the EU’s common market arrangements for
sugar, by Australia, Brazil and Thailand may undermine the real
benefits of the Sugar Protocol for CARICOM. The planned
enlargement of the EU membership to 25, on May 1st will further
add to the complexity of issues for agriculture, since of the 10 new
members, agriculture as a sector, is critically important to four,
with its importance to the other six, varying based on individual
industries.
Appropriate Responses
Caribbean business and public sector officials seem united in their
concerns over the implications of the continued liberalization in
agriculture. Regional trade negotiators must redouble their efforts
to secure genuine understanding and assistance from the interna-
tional community that would provide Caribbean agriculture with
the time and resources required to make the transformation into the
21st century. In the context of the CARICOM Single Market and
Economy, regional governments should also commit to policies
and support that would enhance the emergence of a “new agricul-
ture” based on business practices, environmental sustainability and
competitiveness.
Trimesterly Newsletter Vol. 10, No. 1
10 AgriView

Taking ‘Old’ Agriculture into ‘New’ frontiers: Organics and Herbs

Diana Francis
The Backdrop organic sub-sector to capitalize on the large and rapidly growing
Demand for ecologically-friendly, good-for-you foods and bever- world organics market.
ages has given momentum to world organic and health foods mar-
ket. In addition, revolutionary advances in production and pro- When have herbs not been Healthy?
cessing technologies have increased the source of new products In response to the growing health consciousness and the demand
and new product uses for farmers that are not limited to ‘food’. for more wholesome and safe foods, the world herbal market has
These include, what the Americans call come into increased focus within
“farmacological” (pharmacological) recent times. Natural Health products,
products (agriculturally grown farma- nutraceuticals and functional foods
ceuticals (pharmaceuticals). account for approximately US $70-
250 billion annually with the primary
Growing Organic! markets being US, Europe, Japan and
The US organic market has experienced Asia. There is an estimated global
incredible growth over the past decade; growth in nutritional products of 5-
Japan is increasingly being described as 10% per annum with the greatest
the beacon of the organic movement in potential in Latin America, Europe,
Asia; with steady demand for organic Canada, Asia, Australia, New Zealand
fruit and vegetables in European coun- and Africa.
tries. Several Caribbean countries are The Caribbean herbal sector is
vigorously pursuing and expanding into very fragmented with poor coopera-
the ‘new wave’ of modern organic pro- tion among its participants. Efforts to
duction. These include the Windward redress this situation to further the
Islands, supported by WIBDECO herbal sub-sector in the Caribbean
together with leading UK supermarkets, were spearheaded very recently, at a
have initiated organic bananas early in December 2002 Caribbean Herbs
2000 and Guyana, in organic sugarcane Business Forum, under the theme
and molasses. It is also believed that a “Fostering commercial partnerships
significant proportion of Cuba’s agri- for sustainable and economic use of
culture is also organic, with extensive biodiversity”. Emerging from the
research in integrated pest management. Organic Agriculture - Nature’s Way
forum was overwhelming consensus
However the Dominican Republic and on the potential of the herbal industry for the region, based on the
Costa Rica stand out. numerous opportunities to transform the current marginal and tra-
• The Dominican Republic, which initiated organic production ditional use of herbal medicines into the contemporary main-
since the early 1980s, has become the Caribbean’s leading stream market. Among the reasons for investing in the develop-
exporter, with organic bananas that accounts for 80% of all ment of a Caribbean herbal industry included the need to encour-
organic exports, experiencing phenomenal growth in the age appropriate diversification in agriculture, import substitution,
1990s. Organic coffee, cacao, pineapple, coconut, sugar, using both forestry and agricultural raw materials, and utilization
lemons and oranges are also exported. Organic vegetables are of the great biodiversity of traditional medicinal plants to produc-
sold on the local market. er herbal extracts which could be labor intensive, in favor of the
• Costa Rica is also an emerging organic exporter, with an esti- Caribbean situation.
mated 14,560 ha of organic production, comprising bananas,
orange (for both fresh and juice concentrates), mango, pas-
So what’s New?
sion fruit, pineapple, coffee and cocoa, sugar cane for exports,
Certainly neither organic farming nor herbal production!
and a diverse range of vegetables, roots and tubes and herbs
Caribbean farmers have been engaged in this traditional activity,
exclusively for the local market. Costa Rica also produces
albeit in an uninformed, unregulated and unorganized fashion.
organic fertilizer for its own use.
What’s new is the unprecedented application of stringent safety-
Compliance with standards has become the benchmark for related standards to production processes and farm management
determining competitiveness in the organics market. However, as and their accompanying certification requirements. What is also
no universally accepted organic standard exists, Caribbean new, and particularly alarming, is that these standards are being
exporters of organic products producers face difficulties in imple- determined and developed largely by developed countries with
menting specified systems, in complying with stringent, country- agronomic, economic and social conditions that differ, sometimes
specific standards and in getting accredited against a number of substantially from Caribbean situations. Increasingly, it is stan-
different, and sometimes conflicting standards. This challenge dards, such as these, that are converting traditional knowledge and
notwithstanding, Caribbean countries continue to nurture their practice into the ‘new agri-culture’.

Quarterly Newsletter Vol. 10, No. 1

AgriView
Changing Youth Perceptions on Agriculture1
The future looks bright …
Caribbean agriculture is at the proverbial cross-road. Decreasing
world market prices for traditional products and competing career
options have led to dwindling participation in agriculture across
the board. This decline is especially marked among our youth.
Hence the establishment of the Caribbean Agricultural Forum for
Youth (CAFY), encouraged and supported by IICA and other
friendly organizations.
Damien Hinds addressing the launch of the CaRAPN
Agriculture not limited to farming . . .
There is an urgent need to change the perception of agriculture on
the minds of our youth. Agriculture must no longer be seen as
“nuff” work with little reward. We have to remove the caricature
of the farmer being one with a hoe and fork, working for long
hours in the hot sun, then returning to a sub-standard home with
barely sufficient money to hold body and soul together.
Additionally, it must be impressed on our youth that agriculture is
not limited only to farming, but must now be seen as the entire
spectrum of activity responsible for bringing the food from the
farm to the table. Careers such as soil science, marketing, irriga-
tion management, hydroponics etc. must be seen within the realm
of agricultural activity.
Another chief reason for the departure from agriculture in the
Caribbean is the relative lapse in embracing modern technologies
and techniques to advance the sector. Students often ask “why is
it, that while all spheres of education have embraced new tech-
niques to ensure that the attention and interest of the youth is cap-
tured, in agriculture we seem to be preaching the same old stories
on how to plant food and raise animals to our students”.
Not for the less academically inclined
As shared Dr. Winston Small, patron to the Barbados Chapter,
“one of my undying memories is of the day when I told my uncle
I was going to Trinidad to do a degree in agriculture, to which his
horrified response was: But Winston why would you want to do
that, you were a very bright boy at Harrison College (one of the
more prestigious schools)”. Well I’m happy to state that that
11
young man has evolved into one of our champions for the cause
of agriculture both at the technical and administrative levels. I am
also sure, that with similar focus and commitment, there are some
potential Ministers and even Prime Ministers among us who could
take charge of securing the future of agriculture in the Caribbean.
This example also serves to underscore, to our youth that agricul-
ture can no longer be seen as being reserved for those of lesser
academic ability. It is therefore necessary to transform how agri-
culture is presented in our schools’ curriculum, if it is to attract the
brightest and more innovative of our young people, required to
give the necessary impetus to advance our agricultural sectors.
Women: an unrecognized and untapped engine!
As it relates to our women, contrary to the popular belief based on
an economic bias, I have always understood our Caribbean soci-
eties as being matriarchal. This is even more pronounced today as
we see the emergence of more and more single parent families,
most of which are headed by our women. History has shown that
it is our mothers who have held the primary responsibility of har-
nessing the values of our children, and therefore responsible for
nurturing our human capital, which lays the platform on which
sound economic development can take place. However, the role of
our women does not stop there. Changes in the societal landscape
of the Caribbean has given rise to the economic empowerment of
our women and we know that agriculture holds tremendous poten-
tial opportunities for our women, without compromising that
needed, loved and appreciated gift of positively shaping future
generations.
Let me reassure, that as far as ideas and energy levels among
us - the youth in agriculture - the future looks bright. The chal-
lenge for us now is to translate our vision and energy onto the
minds and spirits of our youth so that we all come to the common
understanding of the critical importance of a revitalized agricul-
tural sector to the sustainability of life as we know it.
Cross-section of stakeholders - Ministry policy makers, women and
youth at the 4th CWA in Guyana
1
Extracted from an address by Damien Hinds Secretary Barbados Agricultural Forum for
Youth and Representative of CAFY to a regional workshop on Enhancing Agricultural
Policy Development and Implementation through the participation of Women and Youth,
Guyana, October, 2003.
Trimesterly Newsletter Vol. 10, No. 1
 Coming Soon . . . CWA promotions

Mark Your Calendars! Caribbean Week of Agriculture 2004

The Annual Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) October to 7 November, in Grenada, includes the
provides a forum for dialogue among stakeholders at usual network AGMs (Caribbean AgriBusiness
all levels and an opportunity for showcasing the best Association, Caribbean Network of Rural Women
products that Caribbean agriculture has to offer. Like Producers, Caribbean Forum for Youth in Agriculture
its predecessors, the 4th CWA held in October 2003, etc), two workshops focusing on the topics agro-
was also groundbreaking, in that it officially launched tourism and on information strategies for the reposi-
the Regional Agricultural Policy Network (RAPN) in tioning of Caribbean agriculture and a trade show and
the second annual meeting of the Alliance for the
the Caribbean.
Sustainable Development of Agriculture and the
On the agenda for the CWA 2004, scheduled for 30 Rural Milieu in the Caribbean.

Articles, news updates, book reviews, questions and comments for publication in the AgriView Newsletter are welcomed.

A Newsletter produced in Trinidad and Tobago for ITU

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encourage agriculture development.

Editor-in-chief:
Aaron Parke
Editor:
Naitram Ramnanan
This Issue Prepared by:
Diana Francis
Production:
Morton Publishing

ISSN - 0534-5391-A2/TT-03/04 Telephones: (1 868) 628-4403; 628-4078; 628-4079. Fax: (1 868) 628-4562. EMail:iicatt@iicacarc.org

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