(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) As Minister charged with the responsibility for Environment, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Fisheries, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the Nature Island of the Caribbean.

You are here to celebrate with us the 10th Caribbean Week of Agriculture under the theme ‘Caribbean Food and Nutrition Security – the Nature Island Experience’.

Our own experience in Dominica has taught us that there can be no true food security without paying attention to the preservation of the environment. Harmful agricultural practices do not only affect soil natural properties and nutrients, but also has implications for other components of our environment primarily our bio-diversity. Our many years of extensive banana production and the need for aerial spraying to control yellow sigatoka had the effects of reducing some of our birds and insect species. We have had contamination of our rivers through harmful practices by careless farmers who empty chemical receptacles in streams and rivers. In fisheries we have suffered the effects that harmful fishing practices can have on our coral reefs and other marine life.

This joint opening ceremony, which focuses on Climate Change, is very current given the fact that we are presently in the hurricane season. This country Dominica, suffers severely from repeated hits by hurricane and other whether phenomenon, which are more unpredictable, frequent and intense. Since 2007, we have been affected by one major hurricane, two tropical storms and approximately six months of droughts. Just last week we were affected by our worst flood in history. The realities of climate are upon us.

For small island states, like Dominica, this poses a particularly difficult challenge given our small and fragile economies. There is very little fiscal space and therefore monies already programmed for new and futuristic development endeavours are to be diverted to undertake restoration, repairs and general rebuilding. So our country and our people are stuck in a whirlpool.

This is why I make this special appeal to those of us gathered here to pay more attention to the effects that Climate Change is having on our people not just in agriculture but in housing, employment, income and the general quality of life. This Nature Island of the Caribbean, in spite of its limited resources has made many sacrifices in the presentation of the environment and securing a decent livelihood for its people. We are the Nature Island not just because our mountains are tall and beautiful, but they are covered with lush green beautiful forest inhabited by Siserrou and Jaco parrots and some of the most captivating wildlife species of the region. This sixty percent forest cover benefits from close to four hundred inches of rainfall in some areas.

As a result, we are blessed with over three hundred rivers and many fresh water species. Our rivers provide for recreation, sanitation, food and most recently our Eco- tourism Nature Island Experience.

These many natural attributes for which we are proud must now be leveraged to allow us as a country to contribute to and benefit more fully from discussions on Climate Change. If we are to preserve our wild, fresh and marine water life, our forest and generally our bio-diversity, persons who make a living out of those must be provided with alternative forms of livelihood. Therefore, we must benefit from Carbon credit facilities and funding under the REDD+ funding mechanism which will allow us to create new opportunities for our people, especially the poor and vulnerable, who are affected each year by tropical weather systems.

This is why I think unless we address this matter of Climate Change and its effects on our people and their livelihood we could be stuck in a whirlpool forever. Vulnerable countries like Dominica must be helped to quickly build economic resilience through economic diversification, technical innovation and application and market penetration.

We cannot continue with business as usual. We are to press forward with agricultural research and its application similar to what CARDI, IICA and the Ministry of Agriculture are doing with green houses. We must also undertake work in new crop varieties with great market potential. But there is a need to improve pest and disease management in some of our crops to improve yields and bring higher benefits to farmers. And here I can reference bayleaf rust which is severely affecting bayleaf farmers in my constituency and has caused revenue loss of above fifty percent in some areas. As has been established by farmers the severity of the disease is directly related to weather conditions and variability. Time is not on our side.

Agro-processing not just in the bay oil industry must be frontal if we are to ensure food and nutrition security. Here in Dominica our numerous fruits and vegetables can be processed to provide healthier alternatives to many of the imported snack packs that are fed to ourselves and our children on a daily basis. If we are to overcome many of our non-communicable diseases we must do what is right for our people. We must protect them from harmful practices and commodities. Our food and nutrition security ethos must emphasis very strongly the quality of the food we eat and overall a healthy lifestyle.

The Ministry of Environment, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Fisheries has advanced the Organic Dominica Concept aimed at transforming Dominica into an environmentally sound organic island, creating an enabling Environment for Sustainable Development and Economic Growth.

The objective of this strategic development is to facilitate the transformation of Dominica into an Environmentally Sound ‘Organic Island’, using ecosystem management principles as a guide. More specifically it will provide the basis for:

• Establishing a sound and sustainable basis for low-carbon economic development;  Sustainable utilization of the environmental and natural resource base (i.e. forests, biodiversity, land , water, etc.) of the country as a basis for sustainable development;  Supporting the conditions for increasing investment and private sector initiative and enhancing supply capacity, competitiveness and economic growth in Dominica;
   
• Establishing Dominica as a world leader in the production and processing of organic agricultural products, thereby creating new employment opportunities in the sector, including for the country’s trained and qualified specialists;
   
• Establishing Dominica as a leader for high-end natural resources and health tourism destination thereby increasing revenues and employment opportunities from the tourism sector;  Facilitating the development and implementation of eco-innovation initiatives, particularly in renewable energy and forest/bio-diversity;
   
• Implementing key elements of Dominica’s Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, and Dominica’s Natural Implementation Plan Persistent Organic Pollutants;
   
• Establishing an agricultural export market based on products that are free from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) thereby giving support to Dominica commitments under the Cartagena Protocol on Bio safety;
   
• Improving rural development through the establishment of improved natural resources management, in particular, sustainable land management practices that support organic production, including the establishment of a composting program that will reduce the introduction of harmful substances into rivers and soil;
   
• Establishment of a governance structure (i.e. legal and institutional framework) to support an ‘Environmentally Sound Organic Dominica,’ including mechanisms to ensure adherence to relevant international environmental, labour and health standards.

Ladies and gentlemen, all, I wish you a wonderful stay in the Nature Island of the Caribbean.

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