Outcome/Results Area

Increase the capacities of smallholder farmers, MSMEs and institutions in value addition at origin, food safety and product development, contributing to the improved competitiveness of the Caribbean coconut sector through the implementation of the Alliances for Action (A4A) approach.

Project Objective

To improve coconut smallholder farmers’ competitiveness in coconut value chains through more sustainable production and commercialization performance and to boost integration into formal markets and value chain competitiveness.

Project Description

The local and global market for coconuts and coconut by-products is thriving. However, a major hurdle to overcome is the lack of coordination and cooperation among stakeholders along the value chain required for sector modernization. There is an urgent need to strengthen the organisation of domestic value chains to address some of the major obstacles facing the sector and promote commercial-driven development of the sector to capitalize on existing market opportunities.

ITC has implemented the “Coconut Industry Development for the Caribbean Project” (Coconuts I) in Jamaica in partnership with the Scientific Research Council (SRC). This project enabled alliances among value chain operators and support institutions to engage relevant stakeholders and promote resilience. The SRC engaged smallholder farmers and MSMEs in building their capacities, operational efficiency improvements, food safety, good agricultural/manufacturing practices, value addition and product development. Through “Coconuts II”, ITC and SRC will scale up A4A interventions to create and reinforce producer organizations and support services to improve coconut producer and enterprise performance, leading to growth and compliance with market requirements.

Collaborators:

• Scientific Research Council (SRC)
• International Trade Centre (ITC)
• Coconut Industry Board (CIB)
• Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI)