Agriculture Front & Centre at CWA 2025

Agriculture tek centre stage this week as St. Kitts and Nevis host the 19th Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA 2025), under the theme “Sowing Change, Harvesting Resilience: Transforming Our Caribbean Food Systems for 2025 and Beyond.”

Hon. Samal Duggins, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources, didn’t hold back in his opening remarks. He remind the region that agriculture cyan just be treated like a side hustle anymore — it is “the lifeblood of our people,” the engine that feeds families, drives down the food import bill, creates dignified jobs for youth and women, and builds real resilience against global shocks.

Duggins admit plain what everybody already know: for too long agriculture been pushed behind tourism and services, seen as “a last resort” instead of a pillar of sovereignty. He call that out as a mistake, stressing that farmers and fishers, the “true heroes of food security,” deserve more recognition and support.

The Minister point to steps already happening in St. Kitts and Nevis: investing in bananas, plantains, coconuts and pineapples; scaling climate-smart practices; expanding agro-processing; and putting youth and women at the centre of the transformation. But he warn — no island can do it alone.

That’s why he highlight the importance of regional solidarity and global South-South collaboration, noting the new ties SKN is building with Nigeria. He describe it as more than just trade, but a “bridge across the Atlantic” — sharing knowledge, technology, and opportunities in agro-processing and climate-smart farming.

Duggins close with a challenge to all present: “Let us not leave here with only communiques and closing statements. Let us leave with commitments rooted in the soil, reflected on our oceans, and lived in the homes of our people.”

CWA 2025 will run through the week, bringing together leaders, experts, and stakeholders to map the way forward for a more food-secure Caribbean.