Youth empowerment, innovation and collaboration took centre stage at the 2026 IICA Grenada Accountability Seminar, held under the theme “Advancing Youth Development in Agriculture.”
The event brought together youth participants, government officials, agricultural stakeholders and development partners to discuss opportunities and strategies for strengthening youth engagement in Grenada’s agricultural sector.
Convened at the Grenada Cricket Stadium on 20 May, the seminar provided an opportunity for the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) to report on its activities, achievements and ongoing support to Grenada’s agricultural development agenda.
Addressing participants, IICA Representative in the OECS Gregg Rawlins, outlined IICA’s 8-pillar strategy for youth engagement and empowerment in agriculture across the Eastern Caribbean, with a focus on strengthening youth networks, expanding access to training and technology, supporting agri-entrepreneurship and creating enabling policies for youth participation.
Rawlins noted, “In Grenada, we look forward to working to establish a youth in agriculture network as a follow-up to recent OECS initiatives focused on youth and to collaborating with the Ministry and other partners to drive implementation of the strategy.”
Minister for Agriculture, Lands and Forestry Hon. Lennox Andrews, highlighted Government’s commitment to positioning young people as key drivers of agricultural transformation through modernisation, climate-smart agriculture, entrepreneurship and value addition. He outlined plans to improve youth access to land, financing, skills development and innovation. “For skills development, our extension officers and youth desk offer short courses in crop and livestock production, protective agriculture and good agricultural practices,” he said. “The Fisheries Division trains young fishers in handling safety and value-added activities and with support from our partners such as IICA and CARDI, our youth has received training in climate smart agriculture, water management, resilient varieties and use of climate information.” The minister further disclosed plans for Government to acquire 102 acres of land that will be subdivided and made available to young people interested in agriculture.
Highlighting support available to young people, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Youth and Sport Senator Seville Francis detailed several programmes aimed at helping youth access agricultural resources, training and business development opportunities. She stated, “Young farmers who are registered with extension services or included on the farmers registry can access support such as seeds, planting materials, fertilisers, irrigation equipment, technical advice and market linkages.“ She added that “Through the Grenada Development Bank and the wider MSME support initiatives youth with viable business plans, may also access financing and entrepreneurial support for agricultural ventures.”
The seminar created an open and interactive platform where young farmers and agrientrepreneurs were able to directly engage policymakers and development partners on issues affecting their participation in the sector. A youth dialogue led by Youth Farmer Bevon Charles on the challenges and opportunities facing young people in agriculture, encouraged discussions highlighting access to land and financing, as well as opportunities in technology, innovation and value addition. Discussions also explored opportunities in digital agriculture, hydroponics, climate-smart technologies, drone applications, protected agriculture, and value-added processing as emerging areas capable of attracting more young people into the sector.
Additionally, Project Manager of the Grenada Young Entrepreneurs in Agriculture and Agribusiness Project Cindy Lewis also presented on efforts to increase agricultural production through financial support for farmers and certification opportunities for youth agricultural workers. Another key outcome of the seminar was renewed momentum toward establishing a national Youth in Agriculture Network that would serve as an advocacy and collaboration platform for young people within the sector.
This activity is already being advanced under the CDF Young Entrepreneurs in Agriculture Project and would be further supported by IICA.
Participants received updates on several ongoing IICA Grenada initiatives by Technical Specialist at IICA Grenada Gregory Delsol. These initiatives included the construction of a solar sea moss drying facility and the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C) Alliance Water Conservation and Improved Irrigation Project. The opportunity was also taken by the coordinators of the Caribbean Climate Responsive Agriculture Forum (CCRAF), who were on the island for their CCRAF on the ROAD activities, to recognise active participants in the Beginner to Business (B2B) three-part webinar series.
Stakeholders agreed that sustained collaboration among Government, regional institutions, youth groups, development partners and the private sector will be critical to creating a more inclusive, resilient, and innovative agricultural sector capable of attracting and keeping the next generation of agricultural leaders in Grenada. Participants emphasised that empowering youth within agriculture is essential for ensuring long-term food security, innovation, and resilience within Grenada’s agri-food system.
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