caruta

CARUTA Activities

Capacity Building

 

ORGANIC FARMING, CLIMATE CHANGE AND ICTS FOCUS GROUP/TRAINING WORKSHOP FOR KNOWING AND GROWING FARMERS
A training session at Mona Universtity
 
June 27th to July 1st 2009, Kingston, Jamaica

Click here to see report

 

 
 
 
The Category 5 Hurricane Ivan in 2004 heralded an ominous change in weather patterns with more frequent and more severe storms devastating the region, coupled with increased rainfall causing severe flooding interspersed with periods of drought.   It was then understood that farmers across the Caribbean are facing the direct and indirect effects of climate change. 
 
Small holder farmers, the most vulnerable of the agricultural community have had little help to secure their farms, natural resources and assets in the face of increasingly unpredictable weather and rising sea levels.  The same farmers, however, have a critical and yet unrecognised role to play in addressing climate change by changing their farming practices to use less energy, to care for biodiversity and by reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions.  Organic production has been identified by the UNEP and FAO, as a fundamentally sound farming method to address climate change.
 
Farmers have an important role but are rarely included in the decisions around climate change, and women farmers in particular are not privy to this kind of information or decision making. To address these issues, the UNDP worked closely with Networked Intelligence for Development and its partner organisation, Jamaica Organic Agriculture Movement to bring together farmers and practitioners for a pilot workshop. Under the framework of the CARUTA (Caribbean Regional Unit for Technical Assistance) project, this pilot workshop on Organic Farming, Climate Change and ICTs for women farmers took place in Kingston Jamaica from 27 June to 1 July this year.  The agreed model workshop should then be rolled out across the region over the next three years.
 
The cross-section of participants coming from St. Kitts, Trinidad and Jamaica comprised farmers - or persons working land locally, individuals who have had to manage changes due to climate change or weather damage and individuals based in institutions or government who are interested in championing this agenda.
The discussions covered the following issues: 
  • How can ICT-based information and warning systems be better accessed by women farmers across the region to prepare for, adapt to and manage climate change;
  • What materials currently exist online that would be of particular relevance to women farmers in the region;
  • What further research and training will be required to develop materials and information on food and fuel security, disaster mitigation, biodiversity, and climate change pertinent to women’s farming livelihoods in the region;
Building on the existing work with the Knowing and Growing Network of women farmers, other Caribbean Organic Movements, CARDI, IICA, other regional organizations including the University of the West Indies, as well as government institutions, this initiative aims to: 
  • Maximise and tailor learnings for women farmers from all ongoing information and early warning systems;
  • Promote key players to implement and apply relevant and applicable risk management and early warning information;
  • Highlight effective mitigation strategies and essential coping skills already in place, and those required for appropriate adaptation; and
  • Ensure that the information needs of women farmers are addressed through a range of communication and information channels.
 
Field visit: looking at compost making
 
To learn more about these issues please contact Nidhi@networkedintelligence.com or Mario.porchetta@undp.org for details.

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