Saint Lucia Advances Its ‘Green Revolution’ Agenda

Saint Lucia is committed to enhancing food security and sustainability within its agricultural sector.

Saint Lucia’s Minister for Agriculture, Lisa C. Jawahir, recently initiated a high-level Technical Mission with IICA and CATIE to transform the nation’s agricultural food systems, aiming to align operations with the Government’s Green Revolution Agenda. This collaboration, stemming from Minister Jawahir’s earlier engagement with IICA’s Director General, seeks to modernize the agricultural sector through institutional strengthening, crop innovation, and capacity building.

The week-long mission involved strategic planning, workshops, and field visits to develop tailored recommendations for Saint Lucia, positioning it as a regional leader in sustainable agriculture and food security.

The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA) emphasizes accountability and innovation as essential drivers of this transformation, promoting sustainable practices, digital tools, and transparent governance.

These initiatives aim to strengthen food security, enhance farmer resilience, and support climate-smart agriculture. By fostering collaboration among stakeholders and leveraging technology, Saint Lucia is building a more efficient and inclusive agri-food system.

A recent forum, themed “Advancing Saint Lucia’s Green Revolution,” focused on resilience, innovation, and food security. This seminar assessed industry progress and reinforced strategies for planning, implementing, and reporting on agricultural interventions.

Key discussions highlighted the importance of accountability, transparency, and effective reporting in achieving meaningful and sustainable results. The process includes examining intervention outcomes, assessing impacts, identifying areas for improvement, and demonstrating how technical cooperation contributes to national development.

“This important annual event provides an opportunity for us to reflect on our work, assess our progress within the agriculture sector, and strengthen our planning and reporting processes,” stated Gregg Rawlins, Representative of the Eastern Caribbean States/IICA Delegation.

He emphasized that these components are fundamental for achieving meaningful and sustainable results. Rawlins noted, “As institutions entrusted with supporting agricultural development, we have a responsibility to ensure that resources, expertise, and investments committed to this sector are utilized effectively and deliver tangible results.”

IICA also presented its 2030 Mid-term plan, outlining priorities for technical cooperation across key areas: science, technology, innovation, regional integration and agro-business; agricultural aid focusing on security and food safety; and enhancing natural resources and resilience.

Agriculture Minister Lisa Jawahir highlighted the importance of stronger coordination in technical cooperation and measurable outcomes that align with the ministry’s Green Revolution agenda.

“What is particularly significant is the increasingly strategic nature of our partnership,” Minister Jawahir stated. “We are moving beyond individual projects to foster institutional alignment, coordinated technical cooperation, and measurable outcomes that directly support the ministry’s agricultural priorities.”

The Minister further articulated that in July, the engagement with the high-level IICA delegation and the Tropical Agriculture Research and Higher Education Centre demonstrated the tremendous value of this collaborative approach.

“It allowed us to identify opportunities for technical collaboration, institutional strengthening, and accelerated development of priority agricultural value chains,” she added.

Minister Jawahir further emphasized that the engagement helped establish practical pathways for advancing the industry’s Green Revolution and its template, especially in agricultural innovation, climate resilience, technological modernization, food security, and human resource development.

The forum played a crucial role in advancing Saint Lucia’s food security goals, emphasizing effective planning and reporting as vital to identifying areas for improvement. It reinforced the importance of shared collaboration in building a more productive, resilient, and inclusive agricultural sector in Saint Lucia.