Climate-smart farming boost with $8M project

Barbados is poised to make strides in climate-resilient agriculture through a US$4 million (BDS$8 million) project spearheaded by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Subregional Office for the Caribbean.

Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the project which aims to enhance climate-resilient technologies and strengthen the country’s agri-food system is set to begin in 2026.

The project is designed to improve various climate-resilient agricultural practices, including protected agriculture, solar-powered irrigation systems, and closed-loop systems for production, said FAO Climate Change Officer Jacinto Buenfil.

Buenfil, who made the announcement during the launch of the FAO’s Unjust Climate Report, said: “As part of the initiatives that we do in the FAO Subregional Office for the Caribbean, we support countries to access climate and environmental finance. Out of this work, we are developing a project for Barbados that aims at scaling up climate-resilient technologies and supporting the overall agri-food system in Barbados.

“We just recently submitted a concept note – in the GEF jargon called the PIF, Project Identification Form – and that is approved…. That means the funds are set aside for Barbados.”

Buenfil told reporters that upon approval, his office has a little over a year to develop the full proposal and then identify the partners that will work with them to bring the project before the GEF council.

“Then from there, we actually start the implementation. So we are aiming for execution starting around 2026,” he added.