On November 20-21, the Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS) will host the 22nd Annual convening of Invest Caribbean Agri-business Forum. The FARM THE FUTURE Roundtable Dialogue will focus on “Harvesting the Agri-business Value Chain”.
Held virtually this year, the Forum aims to provide participants with a platform to explore challenges and opportunities emerging for the agribusiness sector, including opportunities to establish sustainable and profitable partnerships especially in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
This year’s event will be opened by Mr. Brian Langrin, Executive Director for the Caribbean, at the Inter-American Development Bank. Mr. Langrin who hails from Jamaica, assumed the Chair for the five-country directorate representing — the Bahamas, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, in August, following the departure of Ambassador Selwin Hart of Barbados.
With the annual food import bill for the Caribbean projected to increase to between US$8-10 billion by 2021, an agribusiness sector that can cater to rising food demands is essential to the food security and poverty alleviation of the region’s 15 million people.
According to Dr. Claire Nelson, Founder of the Institute of Caribbean Studies, a SMART agribusiness sector can help to fast-track regional and national efforts to enhance livelihoods for farming communities; improve access to employment and enhance productivity in poor earning areas, especially given the loss in export earnings with the downturn in the tourism sector.
The Forum will provide an opportunity for leaders, investors, financial institutions, acadeia, donors and development partners, to examine the agribusiness value chain, from refined products to logistics, distribution, and investment.
The Forum is FREE. Registration can be found at https://www.smartcaribbean.
Invest Caribbean will be followed by the 27th Annual Caribbean American Heritage (CARAH) Awards, which were instituted in 1994 by the Institute of Caribbean Studies in order to demonstrate the contributions that Caribbean immigrants make to the United States. The 2020 Honorees include: Dr. Swinburne Augustine, Microbiologist and Immunologist; Nicholas Brathwaite, Technology Venture Funds; Michele Jawando Public Policy Expert and Social Justice Advocate; Rt. Hon. David Lammy, Labour Member of Parliament for Tottenham, England; Hon. Don Wehby, CEO, Banking and Investment Services; and Andrea McKenzie, artist. For more information, please visit: Official Home – Caribbean American Heritage Awards.
ABOUT THE INSTITUTE OF CARIBBEAN STUDIES
The Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS), founded in 1993, is a non-partisan, non-profit, 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to policy analysis and advocacy and education on issues that advance the interests of Caribbean Americans. ICS is the Campaign Chair and Lead Advocate for the Commemoration of June as National Caribbean American Heritage Month and has received several commendations in the US Congressional Record as well as the White House Champion of Change.
Contact: [email protected]
