ctivities, and the adverse effects of land degradation and water pollution into the coastal areas. All projects and activities developed will be undertaken in a practical and hands-on manner and collaboratively by farmers groups located in respective watersheds, while being actively supported by dedicated national liaison officers and project implementation teams.
The main activities identified by stakeholders in the countries include (i) training to improve capacities and the development of demonstration plots for good agricultural practices, (ii) establishment of agroforestry-systems, (iii) reforestation of degraded areas, (iv) implementation of water conservation measures (including rainwater harvesting and storage techniques), and (v) land capability assessments to inform land use optimization and (vi) investments in alternative livelihood solutions.
To complement the national planning workshops and foster collaboration among key regional agencies concerned with agriculture, forestry, water and rural development, a focus-group regional agency meeting was held on July 10 at CARPHA's headquarters in Trinidad.
Participating agencies included the Caribbean Farmers Network (CAFAN), the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI), the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Inter- American Institute for the Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), and the University of the West Indies (UWI).
The objective of this focus-group meeting was to exchange experiences and expertise in the field and to assess prospective partnership opportunities with the CATS Programme. CATS-1 is aiming to foster strong partnerships and generate valuable synergies between stakeholders whose livelihoods depend on the conservation and sustainable use of fragile and vulnerable marine and terrestrial resources and ecosystems, and the organisations both at the national and regional level that provide support in this regard.
In short, it is a joint endeavour to develop, implement, and share best practices to support agricultural diversification and improved management of forests and water resources to support sustainable and prosperous agricultural and rural development, while conserving the Caribbean's precious natural resources by maintaining healthy environments and healthy peoples.