National Parks Protected Areas System Plan & Protected Areas Policy

As part of the UNDP Ridge to Reef and IWECO project, a workshop was held on Wednesday 8th March 2023 at the Fisheries Conference Room to review the National Parks Protected Areas System Plan and Protected Areas Policy (NPPASP).

The goal of the policy is to establish and manage a national protected areas system that will provide for the sustainability of biodiversity and other ecosystem services and support socio economic growth and sustainable development. The facilitator of the workshop was Project Coordinator for the Ridge to Reef Project IWECO, Makini Barrow. The workshop was conducted by Founder of Spenceley Tourism and Development (STAND) Ltd and Tourism Expert, Dr Anna Spencely.

Present at the workshop were representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry Department, Fisheries Division, National Parks Rivers and Beaches Authority, Central Water and Sewerage Authority (CWSA), SVG National Trust, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Legal Affairs, Physical Planning, Coast Guard, Economic Planning, Union Island Environmental Attackers, Sustainable Development Unit and Fauna and Flora International.

SVG Beekeeper’s Association discuss plans for 2023

Technical Staff within the Ministry of Agriculture and members of the SVG Beekeepers Association convened at the Bishop College Kingstown hard court to host a Beekeepers Awareness Meeting. This meeting was geared towards presenting the Ministry of Agriculture’s Beekeeping Work Program for 2023 to our beekeepers, farmers and to all auxiliary partners in SVG, including, SVG Beekeepers Association, IICA, FAO, GEF, SVGEF and SVGCF. Also, to promote the prospects for beekeeping development and honey production in SVG.

Farmers Graduate with Competencies in Several Agricultural Practices

A total of fifty-seven (57) farmers and fisherfolk trained under the FAO Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID) Resilient School Feeding Programme graduated on Wednesday 8th March, 2023 at the NIS Conference Room, Kingstown.

This training sought to increase the capacity of these persons in Food Safety, Compost Production, Post Harvest Management, Irrigation, Small Scale Agriculture and Agri-Business Management. The main goal of the training was to better equip farmers and fisherfolk with the knowledge necessary to supply the school feeding programme.

Ministry of Agriculture’s Permanent Secretary, Nerissa Gittens-McMillan affirmed that the school feeding initiative will instill the importance of healthy diets into the minds of children to allow for proper eating habits. Targeting children throughout their formative years allows for good long-term eating habits that will eventually contribute to a healthier nation. Taking this approach significantly reduces the risk of lifestyle diseases. Mrs. Gittens-McMillan encouraged the graduates to create connections and combine resources to improve their livelihoods.

Chief Agricultural Officer, Renato Gumbs said “Education is an important poverty eradicator” and commended the graduates on taking the initiative to build their expertise.

IICA Technical Specialist, Michael Dalton congratulated participants and urged them to apply what they had learned in their future undertakings.

Resilient School Feeding Programme, Project Coordinator, Laura Anthony Browne disclosed that menus used in the school feeding program were revised to incorporate a larger percentage of locally grown produce. Kitchen staff for seven (7) schools were also trained in Basic Food Handling and Preparation. She assured the gathering that efforts are being made to articulate a school feeding policy to guide the operation, execution and implementation of the school feeding programmes.

Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Education, Renitta Peters - Morris indicated that the Ministry of Education has committed to aid in the improvement of the nutritional status of SVG children as part of their mission to promote good nutrition and food safety. This combined initiative will attempt not only to guarantee that children have access to nutritious and fresh commodities, but also to assist in reducing the food import bill and to develop a sustainable agricultural industry.

Graduate Farmer, Kenroy Johnson, was of the belief that Agricultural Science should be placed in the core curriculum of schools due to our lineage as an agricultural society. He thanked the implementing agencies for organizing the training as he was exposed to a wealth of knowledge and had the opportunity to network with other farmers.

The event concluded with graduates being awarded their certificates.

The Resilient school feeding program which is a subproject of FAO AMEXCID aims to establish and maintain school gardens for six (6) primary schools (New Grounds, Argyle, Cane End, Paget Farm, Spring Village and Fair Hall). It also aims to provide training to 75 farmers and fisherfolk to improve their ability to supply the school feeding programme.

The project is sponsored by the Government of Mexico in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and implemented by the Inter American Institute for Corporation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Ministry of Agriculture.

International Day of Forest and World Water Day celebrated with an Exhibition

International Day of Forest and World Water Day Exhibition on Tuesday 21st March 2023 was held at the SVG Postal Corporation Parking Lot. The exhibition was organized by the National Parks Rivers and Beaches Authority and the Forestry Services with support from the UNDP Ridge to Reef and IWECO Project.

Marriaqua Schools joined Together to Celebrate World Water Day 2023

Schools in the Marriaqua district joined together on Monday, 27th March 2023 to celebrate World Water Day 2023. The Worldwide theme for World Water Day 2023 was “Accelerating Change”. This event facilitated a march and rally aimed at raising awareness of to the public on the need for the protection of rivers in SVG.

National Parks, Rivers and Beaches Authority and Forestry Services St. Vincent and the Grenadines participated in the activity. This event was organised by the St. Joseph’s Convent Marriaqua Environmental Science Club. Other participating schools were: Emanuel High School Marriaqua, Mountain View Academy, Evesham Methodist School and Richland Park Government School.

Tri Tri Fishers given capacity boost through the EnGenDER Project

In SVG, the Enabling Gender- Responsive Disaster Recovery Climate and Environmental Resilience (EnGenDER) project is jointly implemented by Economic Planning and the Gender Affairs division in the Ministry of National Mobilization. The project is aimed at improving climate and disaster resilience for key vulnerable populations, particularly youth and women/girls.

Given that Tri Tri Fishers were severely impacted by the eruption of the La Soufriere Volcano and are facing several environmental threats, the need to build the capacity of this group was realized. Therefore, approximately 54,000 US dollars was allocated to securing livelihood equipment: freezers, raincoats, buckets, aprons, submersible lights and water boots.

Some of the equipment was handed over on Tuesday 28th March, 2023 at the Chateaubelair Learning Resource Centre where we heard from several key speakers.

Chief Fisheries Officer, Jennifer Cruickshank Howard stated that SVG’s Tri Tri industry is the most underdeveloped and exposed to a variety of climatic, coastal and geological threats. She pointed out that women make up 62% of the 350 registered fishers. She thanked the UNDP for recognizing the need to strengthen the resilience of Tri Tri fishers in order to secure the long-term viability of their livelihoods, poverty reduction and gender equality.

Environmental Resource Analyst, Economic Planning Unit, Nyasha Hamilton indicated that the project attempted to ensure that climate change and disaster reduction actions are better informed by an analysis of gender inequalities and to ensure that decisions taken by Government reduce those inequalities. The project implored the Government to take ownership of their disaster risks which allowed for the establishment of key objectives to achieve such. These objectives are:

· To advance gender responsive implementation of the National Adaptation Plan. (SVG’s National Adaptation Plan was approved in October 2019).

· To establish adaptation plans at the sector level according to national priorities.

· To focus on sectors that have greater beneficial impact for women and girls in Agriculture, Fisheries and Tourism.

· To support representation of the needs and perspectives of the most vulnerable population in cross sectorial inclusive of Governance and National Climate Change planning.

· To build Government capacity for gender relations intersectoral access to climate finance through innovative solutions and building on the work of other partners at a national level.

Ms. Hamilton also informed the gathering that the Government is extending a multitude of resources to combat the effects of climate change.

EnGenDER Project Manager, Dr. Marium Alleyne stressed the importance of advocating for youth and women involvement in climate resilient fisheries to allow for greater development of value chains, improved food security and increased sustainable livelihoods and access to income for vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. Dr Alleyne is of the belief that the success of the project will represent a step towards a climate resilient future and a world where no one is left behind.

British High Commission Kingstown, Political & Projects Officer, Mr. Seon Samuel stated that this donation will allow Tri Tri Fishers to safely ply their trade and improve catchment quality, improve sales and contribute significantly to the economic development of SVG.

Minister of National Mobilisation, Social Development, Family, Gender Affairs, Youth, Housing and Informal Settlement, Hon Orando Brewster pointed out that tri tri farming comprises a significant portion of Vincentian culture and is mostly dominated by women, however it is often the most overlooked trade. He expressed gratitude to the implementing agencies and took the opportunity to encourage the recipients to share the knowledge gained via this modern technological boost with persons who may be interested in the field.

The ceremony concluded with Shirla Robertson and Rayanna Burke expressing their gratitude for the donation. The EnGenDer Project seeks to further integrate gender equality and human-rights based approaches into disaster risk reduction (DRR), climate change (CC) adaptation and environmental management frameworks and interventions and identify and address some of the gaps to ensure equal access to DRR and climate change and environment solutions for both men, women, boys and girls in nine Caribbean countries (Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Suriname).

The Project is jointly funded by the Canadian Government and the United Kingdom Government and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (Barbados) in collaboration with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), United Nations Women and the World Food Programme.