Next Generation Sweet Potato Project by Brent Simon and Carol-Faye Bynoe-George

On 29th October, 2024, the “Next Generation Sweet Potato Project Inception Consultation”, was held in Antigua.

The meeting was chaired by Mr. Craig Thomas/IICA National Specialist, who presented welcoming remarks and a background of the project. Virtual remarks were made by Mr. Gregg C.E. Rawlins/IICA Representative in the Eastern Caribbean States, followed by brief remarks from Mr. Melvin Medina/ representative of the FAO.

This was followed by a presentation titled, “Context on local Sweet Potato Sector” by the Mr. Gregory Bailey/Director of Agriculture. In his presentation he voiced his anticipation and optimism for the success of the Antigua chapter of this regional project stating, “It has been in the making for a long time and now we are here, for the penultimate consultation”.

The project was implemented through collaboration among several agencies to include Inter-American Institute Co-operation on Agriculture (IICA), the Ministry of Agriculture, United Nation Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Caribbean Agriculture Research and Development Institute (CARDI), as local farmers and other stakeholders to include the Disability Association.

Where sweet potato is concerned, the director indicated that the lack of availability and access to clean vigorous planting material with desirable traits has been identified as among the restricting factors to the realization of Antigua’s full crop yield potential. He added that, sweet potato holds significant potential as it relates to the developing post harvest value added products, which makes it an ideal candidate towards the substitution of imports of wheat flour, in support of the nations quest to improve food and nutrition security. Mr Bailey indicated that this project provides another platform where key institutions, divisions and units, can converge in a scientific manner towards problem solving.

A presentation was also made by Mr. Bradbury Browne/Irrigation Specialist, who gave the attendees an overview of Sweet Potato Research Experiments mainly done by CARDI in Antigua and Barbuda. He delved into the various steps and phases that sweet potato research in the country has gone through and shared some insight of the benefits that have derived from said research.

Dr. Elizabeth Johnson/IICA International Specialist Crop Production and Innovation, then presented the “Expected results of the Next Gen Sweet Potato Project”. Dr. Johnson, a key figure in the orchestration of the project has spearheaded a number of collaborations with agricultural research institutions, including Louisiana State University, which offers training on advanced pest managing and crop handling specific to sweet potatoes. This partnership has led to exchange visits where Caribbean agricultural workers have travelled to U.S. farms to observe and learn from advancements in the industry.

Dr. Johnson’s commitment to education and sharing helps to ensure that Caribbean farmers have the resources to sustainably produce and introduced different varieties of sweet potato.  These include w the Beauregard and Covington strains, which are widely favoured for their disease resistance and drought tolerance.

The seminar ended with a robust discussion which touched on many issues facing the local industry. The Next Generation project is setting the foundation for resilient and profitable sweet potato production in Antigua, Jamaica and St. Lucia. Not only does it equip famers with pertinent information and essential training but it also positions the region as a major player on the regional platform but hopefully also in the global sweet potato market. As the project progresses, it is destined to make a lasting impact on the Caribbean’s agricultural landscape, fostering greater food security, supporting and affording more opportunities for countless local producers and agro-processors.