Overview

The Commonwealth of Dominica has articulated a bold and unparalleled vision to become the world’s first climate-resilient nation due to the continuous adverse impact of natural disasters on its economy, people society and natural environment. On this basis, efforts to engineer a resurgence of agriculture are duly focused on building climate resilience in the agriculture sector and other major pillars of the economy. Agriculture is dominated by crop farming on small rain-fed farms, operating at low productivity levels with poor marketing and distribution arrangements. The contribution of agriculture to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been on the decline over the last two decades and the sector struggles to remain competitive.

Challenges

Low agricultural productivity and declining export competitiveness are among the major challenges impacting agriculture. There are several contributing factors related to production management and the decline or disappearance of producer groups and cooperatives. However, an overarching issue is the innate vulnerability of the sector to frequent and destructive climate hazards, such as hurricanes, storms and floods. On the hand, periodic droughts can also have devastating impacts on agriculture and associated livelihoods. When impacted by hazards, these vulnerabilities are amplified resulting in significant damage, loss and lengthy recovery periods, as expressed in the consistently declining performance of the sector over time.

Despite current work on initiatives like National Agriculture Information Management System (MAIMS) and the market access application - CERES, Dominica is still without a fully functional comprehensive data and information management system that meets the needs of the sector.

Strengthening data and information management systems will support decision-making, production planning, market access initiatives and overall agri-business competitiveness.

The financial and human resources necessary to implement programs in support of the sector is significantly limiting their impact and sustainability.

Digital Solutions

Dominica is aggressively pursuing its Dynamic Dominica National Digital Transformation Strategy 2022 – 2026. A total of 15 Digital Hubs were recently established across the island. The facilities are being used to deliver digital literacy skills training to an estimated 500 people in communities. Targeted training in response to gaps identified and the needs of various community groups are also being pursued.

The existing national hubs will be used to support the development of competitive and innovative agribusinesses and value chains.

The hubs will serve as a space for convergence of digital solutions with problems in the agriculture sector. Ongoing training at selected hubs on Web Design will support various agroprocessing and agrotourism businesses.

Related links