BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - The European Union-Caribbean Regional Food Security Programme, will on Tuesday launch a call for proposals aimed at enhancing food system resilience, focusing on improving the livelihoods and food security of vulnerable population.
The four-year programme will invest EUR 19 million, implemented through key regional partners, including the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), International Trade Centre (ITC), Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), and EU member state agencies (FIIAPP and CPVA).
A key highlight of the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) in St. Vincent and the Grenadines this week, will be the launch of the EU-CDB call for proposals under three funding windows: increasing access to finance for smallholder agricultural and fisheries producers focusing on women and youth, financing scalable aquatic/agri-tech solutions, and developing sustainable food distribution channels at the regional level.
Speakers at the ceremony will include Felipe De La Mota of the EU Caribbean Partnership for Economic Resilience and Trade, L. O’Reilly Lewis, the CDB’s Ag Director of Projects, Teodora Diamantopoulos Fernandez, coordinator for EU-CaN Facility.
William Castro Rodriguez, Programme Manager, International Trade Centre, and IICA representatives will also address the ceremony.
The CDB said that the programme’s general objective is to enhance the sustainability and resilience of food systems in the Caribbean, promoting food and nutrition security, particularly for vulnerable groups.
It said specific goals include improving food production systems with a focus on gender sensitivity, enhancing food processing and distribution, expanding social protection systems for agricultural actors, and ensuring equitable access to nutritious diets across the region.
The Value Chains project, led by ITC, seeks to support agri-Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), cooperatives and producers to become more competitive and resilient through value addition, diversification, and commercial alliances at the local and regional level.
The SPS Project, implemented by IICA, aims to increase regional production and distribution of fresh and processed products by addressing sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) barriers to intra-regional trade. This project will work toward harmonizing the legislative framework for regional commodities and improving food safety compliance.
The EU-CDB Regional Food Security Programme, led by CDB, will support agri-MSMEs and producers by providing access to finance, fostering innovation, and improving distribution systems to enhance competitiveness and resilience.
Additionally, the Social Protection and Nutrition Project, led by the EU Member State agencies FIIAPP and CPVA, will strengthen the inclusion of food system actors by promoting social insurance schemes and supporting agricultural producers’ access to national social protection systems.
