ADOPT Caribbean: Soil Health for Climate Resilient Agriculture

CCRAF at CWA 2026: Translating Caribbean Knowledge and Experience into Climate Action

The Caribbean Climate Responsive Agriculture Forum (CCRAF) will be at the 20th Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) 2026 in Jamaica, continuing its mission of translating knowledge into action and bringing practical Caribbean experiences in climate-smart agriculture into an important high-level regional space.

On Wednesday, September 30, 2026, from 12:00 PM to 1:15 PM Jamaica time, CCRAF and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) will convene the in-person technical discussion “ADOPT Caribbean: Soil Health for Climate-Resilient Agriculture” at the Ocean Coral Spring Resort, Trelawny, Jamaica.

Healthy soils are fundamental to resilient agricultural systems, food security, climate adaptation and sustainable rural livelihoods. Across the Caribbean, however, soil degradation, declining fertility, erosion, drought, flooding and other climate-related pressures are increasing the vulnerability of farmers and food systems.

The session will draw on experiences and lessons from ADOPT Caribbean: Soil Health for Climate-Resilient Agriculture, an initiative implemented by IICA, funded through the New Zealand Government’s Climate Smart Agriculture Initiative, as part of its contribution to the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA). The initiative was implemented in Guyana, Jamaica, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines to strengthen climate-smart agricultural practices, improve soil health management and build capacity for agricultural greenhouse gas monitoring.

Through demonstration plots, technical exchanges, capacity building and stakeholder engagement, ADOPT Caribbean has explored practical approaches including alternate wetting and drying in rice systems, composting and organic amendments, mulching, minimum tillage, cover cropping and improved nutrient management.

Bringing together other experiences from across the Caribbean

Importantly, the CWA discussion will broaden the exchange by also highlighting experiences and lessons learned from two additional projects implemented by IICA that were funded through the New Zealand Government’s Climate Smart Agriculture Initiative, as part of its contribution to the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA).

Advancing Climate Smart Agricultural Practices in Dominica and St. Lucia to Increase Production and Mitigate Greenhouse Gas Emissions, which brings experiences from efforts to advance climate-smart agricultural practices while addressing production and agricultural GHG emissions; and CAP-BAHAMAS: Growing a Stronger Goat and Sheep Sector, bringing an additional perspective from the Caribbean livestock sector.

Together with ADOPT Caribbean, these initiatives allow the conversation to draw on experiences spanning Guyana, Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, Saint Lucia and The Bahamas and different agricultural production systems.

At CWA 2026, the discussion will therefore move beyond individual projects to consider the bigger regional picture: What have we learned? What is working? How can lessons be adapted across countries and production systems? And how do we translate this growing body of Caribbean knowledge and experience into action at scale?

This is at the heart of CCRAF’s knowledge-to-action mission — creating spaces where farmers’ experiences, science, evidence, technical knowledge, policy and partnerships come together to support practical action for a more climate-resilient Caribbean agricultural sector.

The discussion will contribute to regional dialogue on soil health, sustainable land management, climate-smart agriculture, agricultural GHG monitoring, resilient livestock systems, innovation and opportunities for scaling climate action. ADOPT Caribbean itself was designed to foster regional dialogue and collaboration among policymakers, researchers, farmers, extension officers, development partners and regional institutions.

Attending CWA 2026? Join CCRAF and partners as we connect experiences from across the Caribbean and move from knowledge to action — from lessons learned to solutions scaled.

Learn more at the CWA 2026 website.