Dominica’s Agriculture Minister highlights resilience efforts at COP29
The Commonwealth of Dominica is working hard to improve the resilience and sustainability of its agriculture as it waits for wealthier nations to fulfill their financial aid commitments under the Paris Agreement.
Roland Royer, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and the Blue and Green Economy, stated at COP29 that the country was pursuing that objective with assistance from the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and other global institutions.
Royer underlined the significance of the nation’s agricultural industry, which employs 6,000 farmers. Since a large portion of Dominica’s output has been shipped to nearby islands for decades, Royer said, “the resilience of our agriculture sector is crucial not only for Dominica but for the entire Caribbean region.”
At COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, Minister Royer participated in events at the IICA-run Home of Sustainable Agriculture of the Americas exhibit. Despite their low carbon emissions, he emphasized how vulnerable the region’s developing nations are to harsh weather. “We emit virtually no carbon or other greenhouse gases, like other developing nations in the region, but we are very vulnerable to more frequent and extreme weather events,” Royer stated.
Royer addressed his audience about the devastating effects of Hurricane Maria in September 2017, which severely ravaged Dominica. He demanded assistance from the world community, especially developed nations, adding, “Even though we are not responsible for climate change, we had to rebuild not only the agriculture sector but the entire country, and we had to do it with our resources.”
The minister also emphasized Dominica and IICA’s 40-year partnership. Regarding technology transfer, farmer assistance, and enhancing the quality of life for rural people generally, IICA has been a close friend of Dominica for the past forty years. Additionally, IICA has given women in the villages a lot of assistance and encouraged young people to pursue careers in agriculture,” he stated.
Royer told IICA about his experience attending a training course in Costa Rica in 2019.
“I think this program inspired me to stay in the industry and work for improvement. Organizations are crucial for farmers to gain expertise and become more competitive. We therefore appreciate IICA’s assistance over the previous four decades and look forward to our continued collaboration,” he said.