The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has partnered with St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Ministry of Agriculture to wrap up a seven-day technical initiative focused on strengthening the Caribbean nation’s coconut value chain, anchored by hands-on training in coconut cultivation science and production practices. This mission forms a core component of the FAO’s regional project titled *Building Effective Public-Private Partnerships for Production and Marketing of Sustainable Agricultural Products*, and is part of the organization’s broader Coconut Value Chain Pilot Programme targeting small island developing states.
Prior market assessments identified coconut as a high-priority agricultural commodity for St. Vincent and the Grenadines, with massive untapped potential for value addition and expansion into new regional and global markets. The technical training was led by FAO senior fruit tree crop specialist Abel Rebouças Sao Jose, who leveraged proven, successful strategies from well-established coconut industries in major producing countries including Brazil and the Dominican Republic. The curriculum covered critical industry areas ranging from commercial production systems and nursery management to orchard rehabilitation and integrated pest and disease control.
During the mission, Rebouças outlined persistent bottlenecks holding back the country’s coconut output. To reverse current trends, he noted that two core actions are required: expanding total cultivation area by offering targeted incentives that make coconut farming a profitable and attractive enterprise for smallholders, and boosting crop yields on existing agricultural land. “This means rolling out high-yielding improved varieties, developing certified nurseries that produce seedlings with strong genetics and full phytosanitary certification, and scaling adoption of evidence-based good cultivation practices,” Rebouças explained. “Even incremental gains in average yields can translate to a meaningful increase in total national coconut production.”
Training sessions were rolled out across two major farming clusters in the country, starting with the windward cluster centered in Orange Hill. There, 43 local farmers and agricultural technicians covered topics including coconut soil and climate requirements, improved varieties and hybrid cultivars, propagation techniques, nursery establishment, orchard layout, plant physiology, nutrient management, and pest and disease control, paired with in-field practical demonstrations to reinforce learning. The program then moved to the leeward cluster in Barrouallie, where 30 Ministry of Agriculture staff and smallholder farmers completed the same core curriculum, plus additional modules on commercial farm management.
The training also integrated on-the-ground insights from local industry stakeholders. Sophia Searles, a leading local coconut product manufacturer, emphasized that economic opportunities for coconut producers extend far beyond the sale of raw unprocessed nuts. “As domestic manufacturers expand into high-value added coconut products, from copra to coconut oil and consumer packaged goods, we need a consistent, reliable supply of quality raw material,” Searles explained. “This creates a tangible opportunity for farmers to integrate themselves further up the value chain and capture greater profits. Capturing these gains will require expanded support for new planting and orchard rehabilitation, improved access to suitable land and agricultural inputs, and stronger, more transparent linkages between smallholder producers, manufacturers, and retail markets.”
Building on FAO’s recent successful work strengthening soursop value chains in neighboring Belize and Grenada, Rebouças also added an abbreviated technical training module on soursop botany and good agricultural practices during the mission. The session introduced participants to evidence-based best practices for orchard establishment, crop maintenance, pruning, and hand pollination, all designed to boost soursop productivity and improve fruit quality for market sales.
To ensure the initiative reached beyond commercial farming clusters and formal agricultural staff, the mission team organized a community outreach day on August 29, which brought together 14 representatives from grassroots organizations including Helen’s Daughters, Eco-home Garden Limited, and Rejoin Fruit and Farm. This activity extended the technical training on coconut cultivation to grassroots groups and small-scale independent growers, giving small producers access to the same knowledge and resources available to industry technicians and large commercial producers. The outreach effort aligns with the shared commitment of FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture to a broad, community-centered approach to agricultural sector development.
Looking ahead, Jefferson Jaikissoon, Agricultural Value Chain Specialist and project coordinator for the initiative, emphasized that the week-long mission is more than just a one-off training event. “This work is about laying the foundational groundwork for a stronger, more globally competitive coconut value chain in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” Jaikissoon said. “All recommendations generated from this mission will directly inform the national Coconut Value Chain Upgrading Strategy, including our farmer-led national coconut replanting initiative.”
As the next phase of the Coconut Value Chain Pilot Programme, a national coconut replanting exercise will be implemented in partnership with the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) through November 2026. Building directly on the technical training delivered during this recent mission, the initiative will support farmers across the country to re-establish productive, high-yield coconut orchards, adopting the improved varieties and sustainable cultivation practices outlined by Rebouças to boost the long-term productivity and profitability of the nation’s coconut sector.