Against a backdrop of growing global economic uncertainty and escalating climate threats, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission has joined forces with the Government of Grenada to host a landmark regional gathering: the 2nd Youth and Women in Agriculture Symposium. Held between 1 and 3 September 2026 at the Radisson Grenada Beach Resort in St George, the three-day event has emerged as a critical turning point in the Eastern Caribbean’s decades-long fight for food security and self-determination.
More than 150 stakeholders gathered at the symposium, bringing together passionate young producers, women agricultural leaders, and differently-abled advocates from across all OECS member states. Unlike traditional policy conferences that end with unfulfilled promises, this meeting prioritized turning discussion into binding regional commitments on trade integration and structural agricultural reform. Aligned with its core theme – *Youth and Women Driving Agricultural Transformation: Sowing Resilience, Reaping Prosperity* – the symposium directly confronted the most pressing vulnerabilities holding the region back.
Currently, the Caribbean imports the vast majority of its food supply, costing the region a staggering US$658 million annually. This economic drain has pushed regional leaders to reframe agricultural self-reliance not as a niche industry goal, but as a non-negotiable pillar of national and regional sovereignty. Opening the symposium with a keynote address, Honourable Lennox J Andrews, Grenada’s Minister for Economic Development, Planning, Cooperatives, Agriculture, Lands and Forestry, the Blue Economy and Marine Affairs, called for a permanent end to the outdated narrative that frames agriculture as a “sector of last resort.”
Andrews argued for a fundamental shift in how regional societies view youth and women in agriculture, noting they should be recognized not just as manual laborers, but as skilled, innovative leaders of agricultural technology and agribusiness. “The agriculture of today goes far beyond planting and harvesting,” Andrews said. “It is about agribusiness, technology, protected agriculture, precision drones, artificial intelligence, and digital marketing. It is about turning a farm into a business and a business into a sustainable enterprise. When we invest in a young farmer, we are not simply helping one individual. We are investing in a household. We are investing in rural communities. We are investing in food security. And ultimately, we are investing in the future of our nation.”
Andrews also highlighted the tangible policy progress Grenada has already made, including the Youth Enterprise in Agriculture pilot project developed in partnership with the Caricom Development Fund, and the national Land Bank Project, which secures agricultural land via long-term lease arrangements for young and aspiring new farmers.
In his keynote address, OECS Commission Director General H E Dr Didacus Jules framed the symposium’s urgency within the context of cascading global and regional shocks: ongoing post-pandemic global supply chain disruptions, skyrocketing international shipping costs, and repeated climate disasters such as Hurricanes Ivan and Beryl that have repeatedly devastated regional crop production. Jules challenged regional governments to move beyond performative inclusion of marginalized groups and implement concrete structural changes, particularly in three key areas: land tenure security, access to affordable credit, and cross-border market integration.
“In a fracturing world, the capacity to feed ourselves is the most concrete expression of sovereignty available to a small state,” Jules said. “A sector does not renew itself; it is renewed by people who choose it. When more than 100 young people volunteered to spend three days discussing agriculture, the question of whether our youth are interested in farming was answered; they were simply waiting to be asked. When we put our young people in a room together, they do not merely network; they trade, and that shows commitment and seriousness.”
The event highlighted the critical financial and strategic support provided by international partners, most notably the European Union, whose 11th European Development Fund RIGHT (Regional Integration through Growth Harmonisation and Technology) programme has funded the bulk of the OECS’s ongoing agricultural development work across the region. Addressing delegates virtually, Chiara Tardivo, Team Leader for Global Gateway Climate and Energy Investments at the EU Delegation to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean, and the OECS, reaffirmed the bloc’s long-term commitment to regional agricultural transformation.
“We believe that with climate resilience innovations in agriculture, we can help overcome the high food import bills and better address environmental challenges,” Tardivo said. “We would like to reaffirm our commitment to working with the OECS and Caribbean islands, placing young people, women and youth at the centre of the transformation process.”
Welcoming attendees to the opening of the symposium, Natalie Williams, Permanent Secretary in Grenada’s Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and Forestry, centered the often-overlooked historical contributions of women to Caribbean food systems. “The question is, who will carry this world forward?” Williams said. “As the farming population ages, we must look to women and youth to lead the next generation.”
By the close of the symposium, delegates and leaders agreed on a clear, action-oriented mandate centered on four core strategic priorities. First, participants committed to the formal institutionalization of the OECS Agriculture Forum for Youth and Women, establishing a permanent active governance structure and clear policy mandate to guide ongoing work. Second, delegates agreed to launch a co-managed OECS-IICA information portal that will provide centralized, accessible data on land markets, available grant funding, and technical guidance for small producers across the region.
Third, participating ministers agreed to prioritize addressing systemic barriers to land access, committing to offer crown lands via transparent, long-term lease arrangements that can be recognized as collateral by commercial lending institutions. Fourth, leaders committed to advancing structural inclusion, requiring that all future agricultural training programs, funding instruments, and new technologies are proactively designed to accommodate and include persons with disabilities.
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