Community consultation meetings have successfully been held on the Windward and Leeward sides of the island, and will continue on the mainland and the Grenadines – as the Government begins the implementation of the St Vincent (SVG) Food Insecurity Project 2023, which is funded by the World Bank.
A total of fifteen (15) meetings are scheduled to sensitize stakeholders about the opportunities and benefits of the project, facilitate stakeholder feedback, and demonstrate the procedures for application and beneficiary selection.
On June 21 and 22, 2023, community consultation meetings were held in Sandy Bay, Georgetown, Troumaca, Chateaubelair, North Union, Greiggs/Lauders, Questelles and Barrouallie; and were extremely well-attended by farmers and fisherfolk from those communities. In addition to numerous inquiries made about the project, attendees also highlighted several peripheral issues – which staff members from the Ministry of Agriculture committed to address.
On June 26, two community consultation meetings took place in Evesham and Calliaqua, and these were also well-attended with high participation from farmers and fisherfolk.
On June 27, meetings will take place in Kingstown, Belair and Biabou; on June 28, meetings will take place in Mayreau and Union Island; and on June 29, the meeting will take place in Bequia.
At a sum of US$10 million, the SVG Food Insecurity Project is funded through the overarching regional programme unleashing the Blue Economy of the Caribbean (UBEC), under its Contingent Emergency Response Component (CERC).
The Project aims to mitigate the negative impacts on SVG’s agricultural and fisheries sectors, which have been caused over the years by the April 2021 volcanic eruptions, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, climate change, tropical storms and droughts.
The Project’s objectives include: increasing food production and availability to residents and a growing visitor population; improving economic and physical access to food by vulnerable groups; improving productivity, resilience and sustainability of the SVG production system; and improving the quality and competitiveness of fish, fruits and vegetables through targeted food safety investments.
The four (4) components of this Project are:
Component 1 – Crop Production(building production capacity to increase the supply of fresh fruits and vegetables)
Component 2 – Livestock Production(to increase the supply of animal protein through investments that will increase productivity/production and reduce days-to-market)
Component 3 – Fish Production(to expand the capacity of fisherfolk, through investments, to harvest in deeper waters – indirectly reducing the strain on near-shore resources)
Component 4 – Project Management(to ensure effective implementation, monitoring of activities and evaluation of the project)
The SVG Food Insecurity Project is being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation, Industry and Labour and the Economic Planning Division (Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Information Technology) – with assistance from the Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Sustainable Development and Culture.
