Madam Chairperson, Dr. Compton Paul, Secretary of PROCICARIBE, Dr. Francois Dagenais, IICA Representative for Barbados, Dr. Chandra Madramootoo, Director of the Brace Centre for Water Resources Management, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen:
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to Barbados to the Annual Technical Meeting of the Caribbean Land and Water Resources Network (CLAWRENET). As you are aware, this year, the ATM is combined with the regional symposium on Land and Water Information Systems. This Symposium is one of several which FAO has held throughout the world - in Zimbabwe, the Philippines and Latin America. The objectives of these workshops are (1) to discuss the contribution of information system on land and water resources in improving decision-making for rational use, management, conservation and monitoring the Caribbean's resources, and (2) to promote Land and Water Resources Information Activities in Caribbean countries, using the existing regional land and water networks.
Today, Caribbean agriculture is being threatened by external and internal forces such as trade liberalisation, rural migration and competition from other sectors (e.g. tourism). In the Windward Islands, bananas which were once considered "green gold" in most islands, have come under severe pressure from the so-called dollar bananas of Latin America. Likewise diminishing quotas and low prices for commodities such as sugar, cocoa and coffee have resulted in reduced fortunes for the traditional export crops.
Despite these declining fortunes, Caribbean agriculture still plays an important role in the region's economies, as a source of foreign exchange, employment and food security. Furthermore, it has the potential to contribute to economic growth through export expansion and import substitution, especially in countries with limited natural resources. Linkages between agriculture and tourism through eco and agri-tourism are additional options for agricultural development.
There have been regional initiatives to address some of the problems of agriculture. For example, CARICOM's Regional Transformation Programme (RTP) and the OECS Agricultural Diversification Programme (ADP) are aimed at developing sound land use and land policies to increase production to meet the demands of the domestic and export market as well as the tourism industry.
But to develop these policies, decision-makers must have ready access to soil, climatic, topographic and socio-economic data, to answer questions such as:
In the water sector, decision-makers need information on ground water and surface water sources, quantities available during the year, water quality, and demand for agricultural, domestic, industrial use, and for the all-important tourism sector.
To answer these questions, the countries must have ready access to reliable and up-to-date information. In most Caribbean countries, however, the problem of data and information is not one of availability but accessibility. Generally, the data required are dispersed in different Ministries and other national organizations. For example, the Planning Division usually has information on land use, the Ministry of Agriculture has information on land suitability and soil types, the Meteorological Office has climatic data and the Research Division or CARDI may have information on crop responses to various plant nutrients. Thus, there is need to store this information in a readily accessible form.
This workshop is appropriate, therefore, as it introduces the Land and Water Resources Information System as a means of storing the information needed for decision-making on appropriate land and water use options. It also allows countries which have the facility, to make the information available on the internet if they so desire and so to share their information within the region and with the rest of the world. More importantly, for countries which do not have the information, it will assist in identifying data and information gaps so that appropriate measures may be taken to fill those gaps, allowing more informed decision-making in the future.
But the quest for better land and water resources information systems must not stop with this workshop. It must be a sustained and on-going exercise to ensure that the information is current and timely. FAO is committed to assist the region in developing such systems. Recently, the organization has approved US $ 329 000 to assist the OECS in developing a Land Use Planning and Agricultural Production Zoning system in the sub-region.
This project has three main objectives:
Through the project, all islands of the OECS will be equipped with new computer hardware and software, including GIS and LRIS software. The new hardware and software will be used to establish land use databases and maps for specific pilot areas and to enhance the capabilities of operational GIS and LRIS systems. Using the new software, evaluations will be conducted of existing idle and marginal lands to determine their potential for utilization. Moreover, short and medium-term policy options will be formulated to accelerate production on these lands and to rationalize zoning of agricultural production in the OECS.
The project will also undertake a review of existing policies and legislation on land use planning, land tenure and registration and land taxation.
Additionally, two workshops will be conducted to share experiences among the islands in the preparation and use of land suitability maps in land use planning and policy decisions and to devise a plan of action for the implementation of follow-up activities.
This initiative has the potential for linkages and synergies with other regional and sub-regional initiatives such as CPACC and the Regional Environmental Plan as the information and data provided will complement those being collected in these other programmes.
It is hoped that the results of this project would not be limited to the OECS sub-region but that there will be a ripple effect which will benefit the entire region. FAO is willing to assist member countries in their quest to manage their land and water resources more judiciously. Through our technical cooperation programme and our partnership programme, we offer expertise from all over the world, particularly from developing countries such as ourselves, which have had similar experiences.
In the area of water development, the Organization has also assisted member countries to develop small scale irrigation projects. Here I am referring to the recently concluded projects in St. Lucia and Dominica, where prefeasibility studies were conducted of small scale irrigation projects and pilot irrigation schemes were established in those islands. A similar project has just been approved for Grenada, where assistance will be provided for refurbishing some existing schemes and, more importantly, for training technical and extension staff in planning, operation and maintenance of small scale irrigation schemes. Through this project, a reputable university will be contracted to conduct a hydrological study of the island's water resources to determine the potential for rural and agricultural development.
The Organization stands ready to assist member countries by providing technical assistance to enable you to help yourselves in this very important area of land and water development. We look forward to your continued support and collaboration in the future. I wish you well in your deliberations over the next three days and a successful symposium.
Thank you.
|
Joseph S. Johnson |
