Pledges to Deepen Cooperation at 2025 Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) to Support Goal of 25% Reduction in Food Import Dependency
Argentina is solidifying its position as a key partner for achieving food security and agricultural innovation in the Caribbean region. Attending the 2025 Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA), held this October in St. Kitts and Nevis, as a specially invited country, Argentina expressed its intent to significantly strengthen agricultural cooperation with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). This commitment has drawn attention as it implies the provision of strategic technical support to the Caribbean region’s '25 by 2025' strategy, which aims to reduce food import dependency by 25% by the year '25.
Agricultural Powerhouse Argentina Offers Customized Expertise to the Caribbean
Argentina, a global leader in agricultural innovation—including animal genetics, biotechnology, and seed development—as well as a major producer and exporter of agricultural goods, presented specific cooperation plans at the CWA to contribute to the sustainable development of the Caribbean region.
The Argentine delegation expressed its readiness to provide practical assistance needed by the Caribbean’s Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to build resilience against climate change and reduce import dependency. The areas of cooperation are focused on the Caribbean region's current issues, including modernizing the dairy industry, strengthening plant health systems, managing soil and water resources, and utilizing agricultural digital technologies. The Argentine delegation was warmly received by the region, emphasizing that "Argentina is ready to support the Caribbean in advancing smart agriculture, sustainable value chains, and food security."
Key Driver for Achieving the '25 by 2025' Goal
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has been pursuing the '25 by 2025' initiative, originally aiming to reduce food import dependency by 25% by 2025, a target which has recently been extended to 2030. Argentina reaffirmed its commitment to serve as a strategic partner in this plan's success by providing technical assistance, training, and practical know-how that align with regional priorities.
Argentina has already been operating knowledge-sharing programs with Caribbean nations since 1992, mediated by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). Over the past decade alone, more than 20 projects have been implemented, with 255 Argentine experts and 172 Caribbean specialists collaborating in areas like crop production, fisheries, and climate monitoring. A notable success story is the API-Caribe program, launched in 2019 with IICA and Caribbean partners, which contributed to strengthening the beekeeping sector, essential for pollination and food systems. Cooperation has also covered other areas, including supporting traditional fishing, converting fish waste into feed, and projects on managing natural disaster and drought risks using satellite data.
The Argentine delegation, led by Deputy Secretary of International Economic Relations Fernando Brun and Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Manuel Chiappe, pledged to continue collaborating and innovating to support the Caribbean region's goals for food sovereignty and rural development. The CWA, which has served as the Caribbean region's main agricultural forum since its inception in Trinidad and Tobago in 1999, is a platform where government leaders, farmers, the private sector, and development partners convene to foster investment and innovation in the agrifood system. Argentina's participation is regarded as having opened a new horizon for sustainable future cooperation between the South American agricultural powerhouse and the Caribbean nations.
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