SANREM CRSP Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (SANREM) Collaborative Research Support Program (CRSP) Office of International Research, Education and Development (OIRED) at Virginia TechOIRED USAID

SANREM CRSP Planning Award Application Lead Institution: Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, University of Florida Title: Caribbean Food Systems Vulnerability to Global Environmental Change PI: James W. Jones, Professor, Agricultural & Biological Engineering Department, University of Florida. CO-PIs: Walter Baethgen, Director, Latin America/Caribbean Program, International Research Institute for Climate Prediction, Columbia University; Mike Brklacich, Professor, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Carleton University, John Ingram, Director, GECAFS International Project Office; Arvin R. Mosier, Visiting Professor, Agricultural & Biological Engineering Department, University of Florida; Ranjit Singh, Head of Department of Economics and Extension, The University of the West Indies; Sergio Sepulveda, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA); Adrian Trotman, The Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology

Objectives and Approach for a 4-year SANREM CRSP Project. The thrust of the research for the SANREM Project (GECAFS Caribbean Phase II) will characterise the food systems for three case study countries (Guyana, Haiti, and Jamaica), and deliver an assessment of GEC and socioeconomic stresses on these case-study Caribbean food systems.

Objectives and Approach for a 4-year SANREM CRSP Project. (Continued) The characterization and assessment will explore gender specific issues related to each phase of each food system. These products will underpin the development of a prototype decision support system (DSS) that will be designed to link GEC and national and regional food systems.

To implement these objectives we will first enlist the aid of the country-based USAID Mission offices to locate partners and use GECAFS relations within CARICOM, CARDI, UWI, CIMH, IICA and IFRPI. Working with these partners, we will develop a project to: identify key food systems and their vulnerabilities, develop different scenarios as to the effect of GEC on the Caribbean single market approach and economy, adapt the University of Florida climate risk DSS (Jones et al. 1998; SEC, 2005) to key food systems, and integrate the food production DSS with socioeconomic factors to permit use of DSS to make decisions on adaptation of food systems.

We expect to use this program for training systems scientists by engaging graduate students, emphasis will be placed on recruiting female students, from each country in DSS development, and additional students who will direct their efforts into scenarios development and integrating production DSS with socioeconomic development.

Conditions & Scenarios Current Food Systems Adapted Food Systems Vulnerability & Impacts Feedbacks Adaptation Decision Support Research will be closely coordinated on a regional basis and tied to the international GECAFS project within the overall GECAFS conceptual framework.

GECAFS DSS/Caribbean Workshop National Academy of Science, Washington DC Wednesday 18 & Thursday 19 May 2005 The overall goals for the Workshop were to: 1. Review GECAFS Decision Support System Project Progress 2. Review GECAFS Caribbean Project Progress in Context of DSS Development 3. Begin work on USAID SANREM CRSP Proposal for the Caribbean Region

One of the main goals of the 1 st Workshop was to identify partnerships that were needed to develop a viable project: At the workshop were representatives from Caribbean Regional Organizations: CARICOM, CIMH, CIAT, Cropper Foundation, and IICA

GECAFS/SANREM Caribbean Regional Partners CARDI—Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute CARICOM—Caribbean Community CCCC—CARICOM Climate Change Centre CIAT—International Center for Tropical Agriculture CIMH—Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology Cropper Foundation CRFM—Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism IICA—Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture UWI—The University of the West Indes

GECAFS/SANREM Country Partner Guyana USAID Mission: Winston Harlequin/ Dhanmattie Sohai National Agricultural Research Institute University of Guyana Ministry of Social Services Ministry to Community Development IICA Haiti USAID Mission: Marc-Eddy Martin Quisqueya University: Regine Louis CNSA: Aldrin Calixte IICA Jamaica USAID Mission: Diane Dormer/Karen McDonald Gayle Jamaican Ministry of Agriculture: Richard Harrison/Joseph Lindsay IICA

Agenda for GECAFS/ SANREM CRSP Caribbean Project Planning Workshop CARICOM Headquarters, Georgetown, Guyana June Objectives: 1. Finalize country-based focus of research needs 2. Continue proposal development 3. Agree on work tasks and deadlines

REGIONAL Key Questions To what extent might the regional initiatives (e.g. CSME. FAO Food Security, Common Fisheries Policy) provide mechanisms to interact with impacts of GEC on food security in Jamaica, Guyana and Haiti? NATIONAL Jamaica: To what extent would more profitable rural enterprises (including land & water based) facilitate the development of robust food systems which can cope with and adapt to uncertain futures, including GEC? Haiti: For hillside food systems, what is the balance amongst adapting crops to changed climate and/or enhancing infrastructure for agricultural storage/distribution and/or reforestation on denuded hill slopes that would best increases food system security, stabilize ecosystems and decrease poverty? Guyana: How can diversification strategies be developed to offer new livelihood strategies (including youth & women), buffer the deleterious effects of GEC stresses and minimize environmental degradation?

Improving Caribbean Food Security in the Face of Environmental Stress Decision Maker Mapping Decision Support Scenarios Potential Futures Food Systems/ Vulnerability