Antigua and Barbuda is deepening its commitment to agricultural resilience as part of a regional initiative focused on sweet potato production and the preservation of critical crop genetic resources. According to Antigua News Room, the country is among five Caribbean nations actively engaged in the Next Generation Sweet Potato Production in the Caribbean Project, which also includes Barbados, Saint Lucia, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The project is implemented by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) in collaboration with the national Ministries of Agriculture of Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica, and Saint Lucia, along with the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI).
Recent training activities brought together 73 agricultural professionals drawn from academia, technical missions, and the public and private sectors. Conducted in collaboration with the International Potato Center (CIP), the online theoretical and practical sessions focused on the identification, morphological characterization, and cataloguing of sweet potato varieties. The broader initiative aims to improve crop genetic diversity, strengthen seed systems, and enhance climate resilience in sweet potato production across the region.
Participants completed five virtual sessions covering the 30 internationally recognized descriptors used to identify key plant traits — including leaf shape, vine characteristics, and root features — before applying that knowledge in practical field exercises across four of the participating countries.
In Antigua and Barbuda, officials noted that approximately 73 sweet potato accessions are currently documented. An additional 19 varieties are expected to be introduced through the project via collaboration with CIP, further expanding the country's genetic base.
The project is equipping agricultural professionals with the skills needed to identify and preserve valuable genetic resources, while also supporting farmers in adopting high-performing, climate-resilient varieties. These combined efforts are expected to contribute to improved food and nutrition security across all participating countries.
Funding for the initiative is provided through the Benefit-sharing Fund of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, facilitated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with co-financing from the European Union.
The four-year project continues to foster regional collaboration and knowledge sharing, building a strong community of practice to support sustainable sweet potato production throughout the Caribbean.
