FAO to Improve Water Resource Management in Nevis
Participants of the Stakeholders Meeting held in Nevis.
20/01/2023
Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis - The Government of Mexico, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) continues to cooperate on climate change adaptation and resilience with the recent hosting stakeholders meeting in Nevis under the “Addressing the water-energy nexus in agriculture” subproject of the Resilient Caribbean Initiative (RCI).
The meeting, organised by FAO RCI National Project Coordinator (NPC) Conrad Kelly, updated the twelve farmers and government extension officers on the subproject’s activities, securing farmers’ commitment to the installation of solar powered drip irrigation, water harvesting, and storage systems on their farms.
These stakeholders also received certificates, as participants of the 5-day “Sustainable Agricultural Practices” training, held in the final quarter of 2022. Two of these farmers are currently being trained and equipped to pursue aquaponics.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture on Nevis, Mr. Huey Sargeant remarked “With the tools and equipment to be provided by FAO, these should go a long way in helping to reduce the food import bill.”
Female beneficiary farmer, Ms Zadia Browne, commented: “The training received was quite informative and timely and we are looking forward to receiving the equipment so that we can put into practice what we have learned.”
NPC Conrad Kelly indicated, “The training and the equipment to be provided, will enable farmers to harvest and store rainwater, make more efficient use of water, increase crop yields and farmers’ income.” Overarchingly, this subproject will equip twenty farmers including eight female farmers with solar power, drip irrigation, rainwater harvesting and storage facilities, and measurement tools.
The Resilient Caribbean Initiative hopes to address the issue of resilient aquaculture for food security and well-being in selected Caribbean countries The “Addressing the Water-Energy-Food Nexus” sub-project’s objective is to improve the efficiency of water resources resulting in increased agricultural productivity in Caribbean Small Island developing States (SIDS) using an integrated Water-Energy-Food Nexus approach.
The project is currently pursuing monitoring and evaluation activities by interviewing 20 WEF beneficiary farmers to build a data framework for future implementation of projects. The baseline survey identifies present crops grown, agronomic practices and quantifies water and energy usage while collecting yield, expenditure, debts and income data. The food security and dietary survey among the same farmers seeks to acquire meal consumption data that would be used to evaluate the impact of the project’s interventions on diet and meal composition.
The meeting, organised by FAO RCI National Project Coordinator (NPC) Conrad Kelly, updated the twelve farmers and government extension officers on the subproject’s activities, securing farmers’ commitment to the installation of solar powered drip irrigation, water harvesting, and storage systems on their farms.
These stakeholders also received certificates, as participants of the 5-day “Sustainable Agricultural Practices” training, held in the final quarter of 2022. Two of these farmers are currently being trained and equipped to pursue aquaponics.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture on Nevis, Mr. Huey Sargeant remarked “With the tools and equipment to be provided by FAO, these should go a long way in helping to reduce the food import bill.”
Female beneficiary farmer, Ms Zadia Browne, commented: “The training received was quite informative and timely and we are looking forward to receiving the equipment so that we can put into practice what we have learned.”
NPC Conrad Kelly indicated, “The training and the equipment to be provided, will enable farmers to harvest and store rainwater, make more efficient use of water, increase crop yields and farmers’ income.” Overarchingly, this subproject will equip twenty farmers including eight female farmers with solar power, drip irrigation, rainwater harvesting and storage facilities, and measurement tools.
The Resilient Caribbean Initiative hopes to address the issue of resilient aquaculture for food security and well-being in selected Caribbean countries The “Addressing the Water-Energy-Food Nexus” sub-project’s objective is to improve the efficiency of water resources resulting in increased agricultural productivity in Caribbean Small Island developing States (SIDS) using an integrated Water-Energy-Food Nexus approach.
The project is currently pursuing monitoring and evaluation activities by interviewing 20 WEF beneficiary farmers to build a data framework for future implementation of projects. The baseline survey identifies present crops grown, agronomic practices and quantifies water and energy usage while collecting yield, expenditure, debts and income data. The food security and dietary survey among the same farmers seeks to acquire meal consumption data that would be used to evaluate the impact of the project’s interventions on diet and meal composition.