2013

Agriculture
Agenda
March 16th 23rd
Tues 18th Thur 21st Training Course on Economic Analyses of Invasive Species in the Caribbean St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

Events that directly and indirectly impact agricultural development

FYI!
This training course, the first of three, aims to teach project managers and professionals working in the area of invasive species management methods to develop, conduct, and present economic analyses of invasive species eradication or control. The training will provide the methodology and tools for participants to conduct their own cost-benefit analyses in the field. It will include a mix of facilitated classroom learning sessions and hands-on practical experience. Emphasis will be placed on how to estimate economic and environmental benefits of managing invasives at the project level. Participants are expected to leave the course with the experience of completing an economic analysis on an invasive species of their choice. The training course will be conducted by Landcare Research NZ and is supported under the GEF/UNEP funded project: Mitigating the Threat of Invasive Alien Species in the Insular Caribbean. For further details contact: Naitram Ramnanan (N.Ramnanan@cabi.org) Organized and hosted by the Government of Mexico in collaboration with the UN system, this consultation, titled "Post-2015 Development Agenda and the Energy Future We Want for All," is a part of a series of regional meetings to discuss links between energy and the post-2015 development framework. It aims to facilitate dialogue with stakeholders from Latin America and the Caribbean region. The meeting will focus on the sustainable development and use of energy resources within the post-2015 agenda viz development issues/priorities such as promoting universal energy access; increasing energy efficiency; increasing the use of renewable energy; and the energy-sustainable development nexus (including cross-cutting issues such as water, food security, climate change and gender inequalities). For further details of the event visit: http://www.worldwewant2015.org/file/318675/download/346670 The International Day of Forests will be observed for the first time on 21 March 2013. This inaugural pronunciation follows from the establishment of Forest Principles and the specification of milestones, principles and objectives for broader collaboration on the conservation and sustainable use of forest resources. These are principally aimed at strengthening the political commitment and action at all levels to implement effectively sustainable management of all types of forests and to achieve the shared global objectives on forests. Agriculture is closely linked to forests through the interaction with native fauna and flora, the protection and stabilisation of watersheds and slopes, as well as in the utilization of forest resources (e.g. agroforestry). For more details contact: unff@un.org For more info, see: http://www.un.org/esa/forests/ This symposium is aimed at providing a forum for stakeholder sensitisation on the regional plan of action for the modernisation of the agriculture sector with a focus on diversification. The regional plan proposes actions in, inter alia, banana production and marketing, the role of the public sector in supporting market-oriented agribusiness development in the banana industry, education and capacity building of stakeholders across the value chain and disaster risk management. While discussions on technical challenges and opportunities for banana will feature prominently, the symposium also invests in strategies to support selected diversified crops. For more details, contact: Ms Una May Gordon unamay.gordon@iica.int The objective of this International Year is to raise awareness, both on the potential for increased cooperation, and on the challenges facing water management in light of the increase in demand for water access, allocation and services. The Year will highlight the history of successful water cooperation initiatives, as well as identify burning issues on water education, water diplomacy, trans-boundary water management, financing cooperation, national/international legal frameworks, and the linkages with the Millennium Development Goals. The emphasis on cooperation also reflects the need for more integrated planning on water use across productive sectors. This is especially true for agriculture which is expected to one of the major consumers of water in the coming years. It also will provide an opportunity to capitalize on the momentum created at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), and to support the formulation of new objectives that will contribute towards developing water resources that are truly sustainable. For more details contact: Lucilla Minelli l.minelli@unesco.org For more info, see: http://www.unwater.org/watercooperation2013.html

Wed 20th - Thur 21st

Thematic Consultation on Energy with Partners from Mexico, Central & South America and the Caribbean Merida, Mexico

Thur 21st

International Day of Forests Worldwide

Thur 21st Fri 22nd

Windward Islands Agriculture/ Banana Enabling Environment Symposium Bay Gardens Resort Saint Lucia

Fri 22nd

World Water Day 2013 Worldwide

Whats on the Agenda? Let us know! Please share information about your events to keep all stakeholders informed and updated on time to Diana.Francis@iica.int and/or carapnet@gmail.com

Caribbean Regional Agriculture Policy Network supported by IICA, the CTA and agricultural professionals in the Caribbean