The Partnership Initiative for Sustainable Land Management (PISLM), has successfully concluded a 2-day stakeholder consultation on Grenada’s sister isle of Carriacou, ahead of implementation of the Carriacou Integrated Land Management (ILM) Project.
The project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented with support from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is preparing the community to commence actions on the ground. These actions include the restoration of degraded areas, in Belle Vue South, and Dumfries; Increasing the access to water for agriculture through the rehabilitation of cisterns at Dumfries and Mt Royal and ponds at Limlair, Dumfries and Belair and improving the capacity of seedling production at Belair Nursery by over 200%.
The stakeholder consultation was led by the ILM project team which comprised Dr Ronen Francis, incoming Executive Director, who is also a Sustainable Land Management Expert; Dr Everson Peters, Consultant; Bernard Mc Intosh, Project Manager; Candacie Thompson, Gender and Environmental Expert, and Tara Francis, Knowledge Management and Communications Expert, with support from Global Information Systems (GIS) technical expert from the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and Forestry Grenada Kenton Fletcher.
The consultation held 29–30 July, served as both an engagement and data-gathering platform, utilising a Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) survey to better understand stakeholder perspectives and readiness.
Considering the impact of land degradation on Grenada’s sister isle, which has been exacerbated in last year’s passage of Hurricane Beryl, PISLM’s Executive Director Dr Ronen Francis, emphasised the urgency of implementation. According to Dr Francis, these “Lands which have sustained generations — corn, pea farmers, peanut producers have become barren, unproductive, and vulnerable — evidence of the impacts of uncontrolled, unsustainable agricultural practices, deforestation and coastal erosion.” “The goal is to help Carriacou rebound by restoring degraded lands and strengthening community resilience,” he added, reaffirming PISLM’s commitment to helping achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN).
Following the completion of this exercise, the Carriacou Integrated Landscape Management Project will implement a public awareness and educational campaign based on the survey, build local expertise, and target local groups, community groups and extension officers. The ILM project aims to restore 250 hectares of degraded land and improve sustainable practices across 635 hectares, focusing on enhancing soil fertility, carbon storage, and climate resilience.
PISLM
