Business View Caribbean | April 2019

6 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN APRIL 2019 project,” said Best. “A preliminary finding from an ongoing CDB-financed study – the ‘State of Agriculture in the Caribbean’, is the need for modernization of our systems, techniques, and structures to push agriculture to the next level. We know that farming done right can create better lives and reduce poverty in our communities. This project is geared to helping make that happen for Jamaicans, and we are pleased to partner with the government and people of Jamaica on it.” Best also highlighted the project’s focus on creating linkages with other industries, particularly retail, processing, and tourism, adding: “Aligning agriculture and tourism, another major industry in Jamaica, was also a key factor in our support for this project. As it stands right now, the demands of high-value markets within the tourism and retail sectors are largely met by imports. If we equip our farmers with state-of-the-art systems, they can provide high quality, safe, and nutritious products to those markets in a timely and consistent manner.” The project is consistent with CDB’s corporate priority of supporting agriculture and rural development and its strategic objectives of supporting inclusive and sustainable growth. It also aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to end poverty and zero hunger as well as SDG 5 of gender equality and SDG 8 of decent work and economic growth.