Brazil, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the University of Florida want to strengthen cooperation with the Caribbean to improve agricultural production and food security.
During Caribbean Week of Agriculture in Jamaica, they discussed projects with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) aimed at making the region more resilient and reducing dependence on food imports.
According to an IICA report dated October 5, the talks took place in Trelawny, Jamaica. Brazil’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Cleber Soares, met with agriculture ministers from the region and IICA Director General Muhammad Ibrahim. Soares confirmed that Brazil wishes to continue cooperation based on the priorities of Caribbean countries.
According to IICA, the region faces several challenges. In addition to increasingly extreme weather conditions, these include geopolitical tensions, more complex trade relations, rising prices for fertilisers and energy, and the return of diseases and pests that threaten agriculture and livestock farming.
IICA has therefore developed a specific strategy for the Caribbean within its 2026–2030 multi-year plan. This takes into account the structural vulnerability of small island states.
Regional agricultural centre in Guyana
An important part of the cooperation is the establishment of a regional centre for sustainable agriculture in Guyana. This centre, the Sustainable Agriculture Hub of the Americas, is intended to serve as a platform for technical cooperation, research and innovation in tropical agriculture, with particular attention to the Caribbean.
Its establishment was recently agreed by the agriculture ministries of Brazil and Guyana and IICA. According to Soares, experts from the Brazilian agricultural research organisation EMBRAPA will play a prominent role within the centre.
The talks addressed, among other things, the genetic improvement of dairy cattle, increasing coffee productivity and agricultural systems that combine trees, crops and livestock. Agricultural machinery, the development of soy, maize and rice varieties, and the production of organic agricultural inputs were also discussed.
According to Ibrahim, Brazilian expertise can contribute to higher production and productivity and greater resilience in Caribbean agriculture. He stressed that reforming the sector requires joint efforts by governments, organisations and other stakeholders.
Focus on school meals and artificial intelligence
IICA also discussed opportunities for cooperation with representatives of the World Food Programme on addressing extreme weather, strengthening cooperatives, digital agricultural solutions and school feeding programmes. The talks on behalf of IICA were led by Technical Cooperation Director Valeria Piñeiro.
With Professor Adegbola Adesogan, director of the Global Food Systems Institute at the University of Florida, discussions were held on sustainable livestock farming and the application of artificial intelligence in agriculture.
The parties involved want to better connect research, education and technical knowledge in order to address agricultural challenges in the Caribbean and the rest of the Americas.
