Status of Current Small Grants Programme Projects

Caribbean Policy Development Centre (CPDC), Barbados

Project on strengthening the capacity of small farmers in the Eastern Caribbean to respond to the effects of natural disasters

The project is complete and the final report received.

CPDC and TAM met to discuss making the training manual on climate-smart agriculture available to other countries and NGOs. Both entities will promote the use of the manual throughout the region by other NGOs. Examples of other NGOS that are implementing CCRIF-funded projects which would benefit include LC Foundation, CZITT and Humana People to People Belize.

IAMovement

Trinidad and Tobago

Building Community Climate Resilience with Cost-Effective and Soft-Approach Green Engineering Solutions

The project is complete except for conducting a final farmers workshop. CCRIF and IAMovement continue discussion to determine a date for the workshop, where CCRIF would participate in person and which could be done as part of a larger CCRIF mission to Trinidad, related to the rollout of the LPP.

IAMovement is a proposed host organization for the CCRIF Internship Programme for the first time. Project Director Nikolai Emmanuel was a panellist at the CCRIF Internship Forum, where he shared IAMovement’s work and how this has contributed to building resilience in the region – in order to encourage these young persons to consider going into this area of work.

Groupe des Adolescents Encadrés du Nord-ouest GAENO, Haiti

Story book on climate change and natural disasters for children

CCRIF has begun to prepare the French version of the CCRIF booklet “Hazards, Disasters and Climate Change” and will send to GAENO for training with children.

BVI Red Cross, BVI

Enhanced Vulnerability Capacity Assessment

The situation remains unchanged: BVI Red Cross is to provide CCRIF with a request for a change of scope based on the costs for implementing the drainage solution. 

BVI Red Cross has been attempting to obtain the completed the designs for the drainage solution and engage in discussion with the Public Works Department without success. This has been hampered further by the change in government that took place in April and the new personnel now in place.

Environmental Protection in the Caribbean Foundation (EPIC) St. Maarten – Restoring boat sewage pumpout service in Simpson Bay Lagoon

CCRIF approved the requested extension, to use up to US$3,000 from the remaining project funds of US$3,164, to repair plumbing at a land-based disposal site and to promote the pumpout service. CCRIF requested that they provide a revised schedule of activities and more detailed costs for the repair of the disposal site. This has not yet been provided, as the disposal site changed ownership and it took some time to make an arrangement with the new owners. EPIC also is awaiting the quotation for the repair work, which they should have by June 18.

Carbon Zero Institute of Trinidad and Tobago (CZITT) – Sustainable Agricultural Carbon Sinks

Activities implemented this quarter are shown below. We await reports on how the new activities are contributing to livelihoods in the community.

Planting trees and crops

Moringa trees and crops maintained and new crops planted, after harvesting of previous crops. GIS coordinates of the planted trees were collected and prepared for uploading to the GIS platform.

Creating pond for fish farming

The retention pond widened and deepened

Installation of beehive

Sunflowers were introduced during this period. Bees are attracted to the area and

facilitated setting up a hive. Very rich honey is being produced.

Research and Sustainability Planning

Estimation of carbon being sequestered is supposed to be conducted in association with UWI Engineering Institute. This is on hold until a new lead manager at the Institute is appointed. Figures for agricultural yield are being collected. The sustainable model is being conceptualized.

Humana People to People Belize - Building Community Resilience through Small-Scale Storage Solutions

The project began in January 2023. Project sensitization meetings were held in the target communities and with stakeholders that will contribute to the project implementation. The Project Team identified 33 women who will participate in the project. The project staff has received training/ refresher in composting and biodiversity, these trainings will be replicated in the target communities.

 A training manual, Sustainable Food Production was developed. This is the first manual in a series of three. It has been translated into Spanish since 20 of the targeted women are Spanish-speaking.

Association pour le Développement des Paysans de Mecette –

Climate adaptation through ecosystem restoration via agroforestry and capacity building to increase community resilience, Haiti

The project launch was attended by 154 people (community leaders, local authorities, ADPM committee members, and other ADPM members.

The nursery was constructed; it is a simple hangar made of 18 iron beams, a shade to filter the sun’s rays and protect the young plants. Purchases to set up the nursery included: 10,000 lb of compost, seeds of several tree species (cedar, limon, orange, tamarind, etc…) to ensure diversity; and tools.

Urgence Pour la Réhabilitation et le Développement

To identify and mark landslide sites in the commune of Camp Perrin following the passage of the earthquake of August 14, 2022 to reduce the vulnerability of the population to this risk.

The radio spot was created and aired on broadcast radio (as opposed to online) to raise awareness about the dangers of landslides among farmers and other community members.

Data about landslide sites were collected and sites were selected for inclusion in the project. The sites are selected according to their level of danger and the number of people who live or frequent the area of the site. In addition, the sites along the national road #7 were given high consideration, because this road is a main transportation route within the Grand'Anse Department. After the analysis, approximately 35 sites were selected. Signs were designed for these areas.

Association Sociale des Femmes Engagées pour le Développement Rural (ASOFEDER)

Project to strengthen and protect watersheds in the 4th Mahotière section through agroforestry interventions and soil conservation and mitigation works

Training was conducted to teach the best seedling production techniques to young men and women of the 4th Communal Section Mahotière. The objectives were to educate young people, women and men on the importance of preserving nature, encourage them to plant trees and strengthen their capacities on the best techniques for the production of seedlings in the nursery and planting trees.

Community nurseries were set up with fruit and forest trees adapted to the area. These nurseries are operational and the population is involved in transplanting trees for the benefit of their community. About 8,000 trees were planted in the following areas: Bauchant, Calbacier, Mahotiere, Passe Quart à Bois. Trees will continue to be planted throughout the duration of the project.

A comment from ASOFEDER:

“Carrying out such a project in the targeted area was not easy following the socio-political crisis of the country, but the municipality of Port-de-Paix is calmer given its geographical position [about 220 km from Port-au-Prince in northwest Haiti] despite the increase in the inflation rate on the market and the difficulty to obtain equipment such as wheelbarrows, rakes, shovels, hoes ... We had to employ certain strategies to have them. In spite of everything, we managed to make this project happen.”

The Centre for Biosecurity Studies, UWI, Cave Hill –

Understanding the Impact of Climate Change and Wildfires in Barbados

Funds were provided to the project leader in March 2023 after some administrative delays by The UWI.

Progress this period:

The Centre is currently in the process of acquiring 4 drones and supporting equipment. The equipment arrived in Barbados on June 14 and CBS will send out letters to the pertinent agencies to facilitate the hand over of the drones and the installation of the remote air pollution sensors. Then the training on use of the drones will follow.

To date CBS has trained 240 staff members from the Barbados Water Authority and 115 staff members from the Barbados Fire Service. They will continue training of remaining 145 persons including approximately 100 Barbados Defense Force officers and 45 persons from other allied government agencies during June 15 - July 31, 2023.

A symbolic grant-signing ceremony with CCRIF and the Cave Hill Principal and the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences could be held during the next CCRIF mission to Barbados, when scheduled.

The Centre has asked to be a host organization for the 2023 CCRIF Internship Programme.

LC Foundation

Enhance Farmers’ Capacity to Adapt to Climate Change and its Impact on Farming in The Bahamas

The project coordinator was ill for some time (and recovering from the death of her mother) and at one point – and resumed duties in March. On April 28, she wrote to CCRIF, indicating that they wished to discontinue the project. Upon discussion with TAM about the positive things that the project had accomplished, they decided that they would not discontinue the project and informed CCRIF on May 3.

Subsequently, LC Foundation requested a change in the use of funds (US$10,000) for the 5-day conference originally proposed for the project – to support the participation of 10 farmers at the 34th West Indies Agricultural Economics Conference 2023 being hosted by BAMSI (Bahamas Agricultural Marine Science Institute). TAM advised them that this would not be possible due to the reasons below.

The original event would have been a 5-day workshop for 500 farmers held in New Providence, accompanied by an exhibition that focused on the impact of climate change on agriculture. At the end of the five days, it would have produced a local action plan for agriculture in The Bahamas. The BAMSI conference is an agricultural economics conference, without an emphasis on climate change or a focus on developing the action plan with farmers – which is the focus of the project funded by CCRIF. Therefore the BAMSI conference would not meet the need of the project. Also TAM was concerned about the number of farmers that would benefit from the conference. As initially envisaged for the project, this was 300. If the funds allocated to the 5-day workshop to this conference were used to support the participation of 10 farmers, the goal would not be met. LC Foundation participated in the conference and interacted with those farmers who attended. TAM will work with LC Foundation to look at how farmers can be brought together in smaller groups to accomplish the original intent of the project.

CCRIF provided copies of the CCRIF children’s book to LC Foundation and they have disseminated it to schools in the islands they are working with. (More details are provided in the section on Component 4).

Paget Farm, St. Vincent and the Grenadines - Drainage Network System

OECS to provide an update

Sandy Bay Relief

OECS to provide an update.