The 19th Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA 2025) officially opened on 29th September, 2025, at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort, with government leaders and regional stakeholders urging stronger commitments to food security, innovation, and climate resilience.
The event, held under the theme “Sowing Change, Harvesting Resilience: Transforming Our Caribbean Food Systems for 2025 and Beyond”, is set to highlight agriculture’s role in shaping the region’s sustainable future.
Delivering the keynote address, Deputy Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. Geoffrey Hanley, described agriculture as the “heartbeat of the Caribbean story” and underscored its central role in food sovereignty and sustainable development. “The truth is simple: if a country cannot feed itself, it is not truly free,” Dr. Hanley declared, linking food and nutrition security to the broader pillars of the Federation’s Sustainable Island State Agenda, including renewable energy, climate resilience, and economic diversification.
He noted that the government has been introducing technologies such as hydroponics, agroponics, climate-smart farming, and aquaculture to modernise the agricultural sector. “Agriculture is not only about technology and investment. It is about people. It is about inspiring more of our young men and women to see agriculture not as something their grandparents did, but as something they can do to build a future for themselves,” he said, encouraging youth to pursue agribusiness and innovation.
Dr. Hanley also emphasised the urgency of reducing the region’s dependency on imports, citing the CARICOM “25 by 25” initiative to cut the food import bill by 25% by the year 2025. “On average, Caribbean countries import more than 80% of what we eat. That is vulnerability we can no longer afford,” he warned, highlighting efforts in St. Kitts and Nevis to increase production of fruits, vegetables, meat, and fish, while improving land and water access for farmers.
Acknowledging the challenges facing the sector, from hurricanes and droughts to rising costs and market access, Dr. Hanley praised the resilience of Caribbean farmers and fishers. “Agriculture tested us before, and it will test us again. But we are resilient people, and together we will find solutions each time,” he affirmed.
The Caribbean Week of Agriculture, initiated by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), provides a platform for governments, farmers, and regional bodies to share best practices, strengthen cooperation, and advance food and nutrition security. With agriculture central to the region’s social and economic stability, CWA 2025 is expected to deliver a renewed push toward sustainable transformation across the sector.
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