The European Union-Caribbean Regional Food Security Program is set to launch a call for proposals aimed at enhancing food system resilience, particularly for vulnerable populations. This four-year initiative will invest EUR 19 million and will be implemented in partnership with key regional organizations, including the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), International Trade Centre (ITC), and Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), as well as EU member state agencies.
The announcement will take place during the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The call for proposals will focus on three main funding areas:
- Access to Finance: Improving financial opportunities for smallholder agricultural and fisheries producers, with an emphasis on women and youth.
- Aquatic/Agri-Tech Solutions: Supporting scalable technology solutions to enhance agricultural and fisheries productivity.
- Sustainable Food Distribution: Developing efficient distribution channels to ensure food reaches those in need.
Speakers at the launch will include representatives from the EU, CDB, ITC, and IICA, who will highlight the program’s focus on sustainability and resilience in food systems.
The overarching goal of the program is to enhance food and nutrition security, especially for vulnerable groups. Specific objectives include improving food production with a gender-sensitive lens, enhancing food processing and distribution, expanding social protection for agricultural stakeholders, and ensuring equitable access to nutritious food across the Caribbean. This initiative represents a collaborative effort to strengthen food security and promote inclusive growth in the region.
The Value Chains project, led by ITC, seeks to support agri-Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), cooperatives and producers to become more competitive and resilient through value addition, diversification, and commercial alliances at the local and regional level.
The SPS Project, implemented by IICA, aims to increase regional production and distribution of fresh and processed products by addressing sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) barriers to intra-regional trade. This project will work toward harmonizing the legislative framework for regional commodities and improving food safety compliance.
The EU-CDB Regional Food Security Program, led by CDB, will support agri-MSMEs and producers by providing access to finance, fostering innovation, and improving distribution systems to enhance competitiveness and resilience.
Additionally, the Social Protection and Nutrition Project, led by the EU Member State agencies FIIAPP and CPVA, will strengthen the inclusion of food system actors by promoting social insurance schemes and supporting agricultural producers’ access to national social protection systems.
