CARICOM’s Programme Manager for Agriculture and Industry, Mr. Sergio Garcia, contends that agriculture, with its many roles, is the way forward for the Caribbean region and he is also advocating another push for regional agriculture – the linkage of agriculture to the tourism sector, agro-tourism.
The concept of agro-tourism is a direct expansion of ecotourism, which encourages visitors to experience agricultural life at first hand; and it is a form of niche tourism that is considered a growth industry in many parts of the world.
Garcia, in an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle, said, “There is tremendous opportunity in the Caribbean to link agriculture to tourism, not only horizontally, but also  vertically; in other words, how do we sell agricultural commodities into what I call our transient market.”

TRANSIENT MARKET
The Agriculture and Industry Programme Manager explained that concept of a transient market is essentially a country’s export market coming to the country.
“When tourists come to us, they do not come to have a MacDonald’s or what they are used to, they want something indigenous…we have to learn how to use our cuisine-based attractions and link it up to our local production,” he said.
Garcia stressed that marketing has to be strong and there must be strong partnerships in order to make agro-tourism a successful venture.
“We have to treat agriculture as a business and make it work for us and capitalise on the opportunities that are there,” he posited.
Garcia maintained that the success of the agriculture sector, the success of the Caribbean region, depends on both short-term and long-term interventions.
“We have to think outside the box,” he said.
He suggested the establishment of a company in a country where a particular product is grown and then shipped to another country for processing, for example Trinidad and Tobago, where energy is more affordable.
“This is what we call production integration,” he said, “You find which countries have advantages and link up the food chain,” Garcia said.
He maintained that there are many avenues to be explored and many opportunities the Caribbean region can capitalise on – all in the interest of moving the region forward.

FOOD SECURITY
However, while the benefits of advancing agro-tourism is beneficial, the general consensus among agriculture sector stakeholders is that in order to take advantage of the vast opportunities in agriculture, focus must first be placed on countries themselves becoming food-secure.
Once food-secure, countries can advance an array of innovative initiatives to capitalise on the opportunities in the sector.

“The average person spends a large percentage of his salary on food…what we are saying is that for too long we work and face crisis like a fireman…we need to form linkages to make use of our territorial planning,” he said.
Here is where initiatives like the Jagdeo Initiative come in, and Garcia contends that the advancement of such initiatives is dependent on strong leadership at the individual country level.
The Jagdeo initiative was conceptualized in 2003 and at the 25th CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in 2004, regional leaders agreed that there is  need for such a strategy and endorsed the process that would bolster  agricultural development. It has been endorsed throughout the Caribbean for its thorough analysis of the state of agriculture, its hard look at internal and external factors, and for deepening the discussion of fundamental areas that need improvement, reform and initiation.
Garcia stresses the region needs to change the agriculture paradigm by:
* Placing more emphasis on cross-border investment;
* Increasing trade in the region;
* Eating local;  and
* Reducing trade barriers, among other initiatives.

TRADE BARRIERS
The reduction of trade barriers is crucial to the advancement of agriculture in the Caribbean; case in point with Guyana, which is food- secure and a net exporter of food, yet because of trade barriers, the region’s food import bill from outside the region is some $4B.
According to Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud, in a prior interview, the Caribbean’s import bill of billions is what he described as sinful.
“This must be reversed,” he posited.
Persaud noted that Guyana’s reality today is one of abundance and accessibility to food by all the people – a result of sensible planning and the implementation of appropriate policy interventions.
“Guyana is the leading food producer and will continue to offer its support in aiding the region. In fact, our Grow More Food Campaign has the supply for the region, once countries remove the barriers,” he said.
He contends that Guyana is food-secure, a status Guyana is seeking to maintain, and without food security, citizens are deprived of the fundamental right to live fulfilling lives – a result of the constant engagement and support to national agriculture.
“Our commitment to national agriculture has been outstanding as compared to the rest of the Caribbean region,” Persaud said.
This commitment was lauded by CARICOM’s Agriculture and Industry Programme Manager, who reiterated that the region needs to change its agriculture paradigm.
“Agriculture generates profits to the producer. The second benefit of agriculture is that if it is done right, it contributes to environmental conservation. The third benefit is the social role, because agriculture allows for better governance at the grassroots level and a better family structure,” Garcia said.
“There are many pluses to advancing agriculture,” he contends.