FAO, Canada, Jamaica launch gender-responsive, climate-smart agriculture project

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the government of Canada, last Thursday launched the Gender-responsive Climate-smart Agriculture and Food Systems in the Caribbean (GCAF) project at the S Hotel in St Andrew.

Through the launch and national inception workshop, the organiser revealed Jamaica’s role in the regional initiative aimed at strengthening climate resilience, promoting gender equity, and enhancing agricultural value chains across eight Caribbean nations.

The event brought together key stakeholders in government, farming organisations, development and resource partners, youth agriculture institutions, and civil society groups.

Funded by the government of Canada, the project focuses on empowering youth, women, and producer organisations by addressing gender constraints and introducing climate-smart technologies and practices to improve livelihoods and food security in the region. The project will be implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining in Jamaica.

Dr Renata Clarke, subregional coordinator for FAO Caribbean, in her greetings, emphasised the importance of regional collaboration and reaffirmed FAO’s commitment to building inclusive, resilient agri-food systems. In his remarks, the FAO representative ad interim in Jamaica, Alexis Bonte, underscored the project’s focus on inclusivity, stating that “we cannot end hunger and poverty without empowering both men and women in agri-food systems. Women and youth often face disproportionate barriers in accessing resources, markets, and opportunities within the agricultural sector. By addressing these gender constraints, this initiative aims to create a more equitable environment where all participants in the value chain can thrive”.

High Commissioner of Canada to Jamaica Mark Berman highlighted Canada’s commitment to fostering climate resilience and gender equality in the Caribbean.

“We strongly believe that women and youth are powerful agents of change who can actively contribute to achieving sustainable and resilience agri-food systems.”

According to the high commissioner, GCAF Caribbean was recently included in Canada’s statement of commitment to the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty at the G20 Summit last November.

“This project will play an important role to support our shared objectives to eliminate hunger and poverty,” he further stated.

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Floyd Green emphasised Jamaica’s dedication to advancing sustainable agriculture.

“We remain committed as a government to create to an environment that reduces income inequality, that boosts gender equality and inclusivity, and ensures that our youth have a space to participate in their agricultural enterprise.”

Green highlighted the transformative potential of climate-smart technologies in reshaping agriculture and empowering youth.

“This project will help us to infuse climate-smart technology. We are working with the FAO to ensure that we are establishing smart farms, using AI to ensure that we can track temperatures; we can have systems that are fully automated to release irrigation water; and that our young people can see new professions in agriculture that are based around programming, that are based around engineering, and that are based around ensuring that we are able to build a resilient sector.”

During the inception workshop, Vermaran Extavour, international value chain expert and project coordinator, emphasised the need to engage young men in agriculture and address the unique challenges they face.

“We have to practise positive masculinity in our promotion. It is really important to recognise the young men who are at risk, who are not getting and feeling the confidence to be engaged in productive sectors.

“What I have seen is that they are feeling sidelined. We have an opportunity when we are speaking and hosting the sessions, to have engagement with men and women separately, so that we understand their issues and find solutions to reduce constraints,” encouraged Extavour.