For Immediate Release   June 17, 2010 …Inter-American Co-operation and Agriculture (IICA) Caribbean Regional Technical Agenda’s Coordinator, Dr. Vincent Little, has taken a tripartite approach in examining the current situation  as it relates to the outlook for Agricultural Risk Management  in the Caribbean.

High on the agenda, were natural and man-made sources of risk, the fact that the region is listed among the top 10 disaster proneness index of the region and the expected increase, of the already high financial cost associated disasters.

Dr. little,  while speaking at the three day’s  Regional  Agriculture Symposium on Disaster risk management  currently, underway at the  Jolly Beach Resort & Spa, explained that within Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Low Lying Coastal States (LLCS), “…more than sixty-eight (68-percent) of losses are to the social and productive sector, sixty (60-percent) of the population resides in the coastal zone and seventy (70-percent) of where all economic activities takes place within two miles of the coastline.”

The Co-ordinator for IICA’s Caribbean Regional Technical Agenda, said these disaster events, has dealt the region’s gross domestic product, significant blow.

Records have shown that the Caribbean has experienced a total of 86 major hurricanes between the periods 1970-2008.

Dr. Little gave a breakdown of the major hurricanes,  category three –five, which showed an increase in the trend,  and more frequent, in hurricanes, between the categories of three and five,  beginning at fifteen from 1970 -1979, seventeen from 1980 -1989, twenty –five from 1990-99 and twenty –nine from 2000-2008.

Now, with the extreme susceptibility of the region to disaster, Dr. Little has predicted that the economic cost to the sector are expected to rise, with the increased capital accumulation in the sector, strengthened inter-sectoral linkages, increased persistent poverty, continued demographic growth and shifts and increased probability of occurrence of severe weather events.

With respect to risk, hazard and vulnerability, RHV, Dr. Little, outlined the current situation affecting the sector, he examined the broad areas of Institutional Framework, technical Actions. 

Institutional capacity building in this regard, Dr. Little noted is critical, as it “seeks to enhance the culture for arm at regional, national, and community level, develop the information infrastructure, an office of chief agricultural risk officer , develop educational and training materials, develop arm toolkits  develop and implement communication/ public awareness programmes.”

Dr little added however, that preparedness, preparedness, response and mitigation capacity should be   enhanced.

He suggested ways such as design and implementation of risk transfer measures, incorporate hazard information and disaster risk management measures in the planning process, develop protocols and establish resource facility, improve national and local capacity and develop capacity for damage and loss assessments.

So far, Dr. Little indicated that the technical Advisory Committee (TMAC), in collaboration with Caribbean Institute Meteorology Hydrology (CIMH), conducted the following activities geared towards the mitigation and transfer of risk in the sector.

Dr. Little listed, drought and flood analysis and monitoring, seasonal precipitation forecasts, agro climatic studies, flood plain mapping and development of early warning systems.

The symposium which runs from June 16-18, is geared towards the strengthen the capacity of policymakers and technicians, development bankers, private insurance, technicians and producers in the planning , innovation, development and management of a sustainable insurance scheme for the Caribbean region.

Onika.campbell@gmail.com

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