APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED FOR WORLD BANK FUNDED ST VINCENT FOOD INSECURITY PROJECT
Operators within the agriculture and fisheries industries encouraged to apply for assistance to combat food insecurity in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG)
Farmers, fisherfolk, home gardeners and persons providing farm labour services within the agriculture sector are invited to continue applying for assistance from the SVG Food Insecurity Project – which is being implemented by the Government, through financing from the World Bank.
Interested persons are asked to complete and submit their application forms by September 29, 2023. Agricultural and Fisheries Officers can aid applicants with completing forms, which must be submitted with supporting documentation (Farmers’ ID, National ID card, NIS card and proof of land ownership/tenure i.e. deed, lease/rental agreement). Forms can be obtained from all regional agricultural offices, Extension Officers, the Fisheries Department and the Ministry of Agriculture Head Office at Richmond Hill (Kingstown).
Eligible investments, which can be applied for, include:
Home Gardening (home garden kits and training)
Livestock and Poultry (live animals, day-old chicks / eggs, livestock production kits, animal feed, artificial insemination services, training)
Crop Production (seedlings, crop production kits, irrigation systems, water tanks, greenhouses, agricultural machinery, training)
Fisheries (safety grab-bags, installment of ice holds, live bait wells, installation of fixed/retractable canopy, fisher handlers training, Boat Captaincy training – levels 1 and 2, drop-line technique and on-board fish handling training)
For more information, applicants are urged to contact the Ministry of Agriculture (456-1410; [email protected] / [email protected]) or the Economic Planning Division (457-1746; [email protected]).
At a sum of US$10 million, the SVG Food Insecurity Project is funded through the overarching regional programme Unleashing the Blue Economy of the Caribbean (UBEC), under its Contingent Emergency Response Component (CERC).
The Project aims to mitigate the negative impacts on SVG’s agricultural and fisheries industries, which have been caused over the years by the April 2021 volcanic eruptions, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, climate change, tropical storms and droughts.
The Project’s objectives include: increasing food production and availability to residents and a growing visitor population; improving economic and physical access to food by vulnerable groups; improving productivity, resilience and sustainability of the SVG production system; and improving the quality and competitiveness of fish, fruits and vegetables through targeted food safety investments.
The four (4) components of this Project are:
Component 1 – Crop Production (building production capacity to increase the supply of fresh fruits and vegetables)
Component 2 – Livestock Production (to increase the supply of animal protein through investments that will increase productivity/production and reduce days-to-market)
Component 3 – Fish Production (to expand the capacity of fisherfolk, through investments, to harvest in deeper waters – indirectly reducing the strain on near-shore resources)
Component 4 – Project Management (to ensure effective implementation, monitoring of activities and evaluation of the project)
The Project is being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation, Industry and Labour and the Economic Planning Division (Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Information Technology).
