The CPHD, in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security, and Rural Development of St. Lucia, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS), is currently (September 2024) hosting its inaugural Training of Trainers (ToT) and Farmer Field School (FFS) initiative. This program is designed to prepare the Caribbean region for a potential incursion of the Fusarium wilt tropical race 4 (Foc TR4) pathogen.
Other key regional partners include the Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA), the Instituto de Investigaciones de Sanidad Vegetal (INISAV), and the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) GmbH.
The training objectives are as follows:
- Strengthen the resilience of banana production systems in the Caribbean: This will be achieved through effective prevention and preparedness measures for Foc TR4, utilizing the ToT and FFS approaches.
- Foster interregional collaboration: By strengthening partnerships, the region can more efficiently prevent and manage Foc TR4.
- Enhance awareness, policies, and strategies: This will promote the development of more resilient banana production systems in the Caribbean.
- Develop national contingency plans: Participants will work together to draft guidelines for national contingency plans to address Foc TR4 in the SLC countries.
