The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A Bahamian Cabinet minister was among the featured speakers at a seminar that focused on strengthening food and agriculture resilience in the wider Caribbean region.

The virtual discussion, convened by World Central Kitchen (WCK) on Monday, July 19, featured leaders Michael Pintard, minister of agriculture and maritime resources; Positive Nelson, commissioner of agriculture for the US Virgin Islands; and Ramón “Pirul’’ González, secretary of agriculture in Puerto Rico. It was moderated by Uriyoán Colón-Ramos, associate professor at George Washington University.

The panel brought together key leaders in Puerto Rico, The Bahamas and the US Virgin Islands (USVI) to discuss preparations ahead of this year’s hurricane season. The panelists also discussed how regional governments and organisations can work together to respond to a crisis and to facilitate the recovery process.

Through its Food Producer Network, World Central Kitchen partners with and supports smallholder farmers, fishermen and small food-related businesses that produce or distribute food at a local level by providing funding, training and networking opportunities.

The Food Producer Network was established in Puerto Rico in 2018 in response to the 2017 hurricanes that devastated the island, and has since awarded over $3.4m in grants to food producers affected by natural disasters in the Caribbean and Latin America. In 2020, the programme expanded its efforts in the USVI, The Bahamas and Guatemala.

“For the last four years we have been supporting food producers across the region, and have connected with each of the panelists in unique ways. In our conversations, we learned there is a great opportunity to learn and co-operate amongst the Caribbean islands,” explained Mikol Hoffman, director of World Central Kitchen’s Food Producer Network.

“Community is at the heart of everything we do, and we wanted to convene some of our incredible partners to exchange ideas and create a space for collaboration.”