SECTORAL RECOVERY CAPACITY ASSESSMENT FOR ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA’S AGRICULTURE SECTOR CONTEXT KEY RESULTS The capacity of Antigua and Barbuda’s agri- The Caribbean region is highly prone to disasters, causing destruction of infra- culture sector to implement climate resilient structure and property, loss of income, and costs as individuals and businesses work and inclusive recovery projects in a timely, around disruptions. Disasters jeopardize sustainable development and economic efficient, and effective manner is evaluated growth prospects and have a disproportionate impact on the poor. Indeed, the as moderate. economic damages and losses related to natural hazards in the Caribbean repre- sent a yearly average of 3.6 percent of the regional Gross Domestic Product.1 Strengths: Fast and inclusive recovery efforts in the aftermath of disasters can • Progress has been made in national and lower social and economic burdens and allow a more rapid recovery sectoral policy and legislation to enable of development levels2. With climate change and the prospect of more recovery frequent hydrometeorological disasters, resilient recovery planning and investments have become a priority for the region. This involves assessing Constraints: and building the capacity needed to ensure the fast and efficient restora- • Limited enforcement of legislation tion of services, economic activities, and infrastructure. relevant to disaster risk management, particularly in terms of building codes and Sectoral Recovery Capacity Assessment (SRCA), developed by the gender integration Canada-Caribbean Resilience Facility (CRF)3 and the Caribbean Disaster • Insufficient knowledge and skills to design Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), analyzes the capacity of key and implement a resilient and inclusive sectors for efficient and coordinated recovery and provides recommen- recovery project portfolio dations to improve recovery processes along three main axes: Governan- ce, Competencies and Resources and Tools. Results are part of CDEMA’s • Low level of adoption and use of tools Comprehensive Disaster Management Audit tool. for mainstreaming resilience into sectoral projects THE AGRICULTURE SECTOR IN ANTIGUA • Insufficient resources and tools available for recovery AND BARBUDA: • Contributes 2.2 percent to GDP and accounts for 1.8 percent of employment (2020)4. • Of the 440 km2 of total land surface, 90 km2 are devoted to agriculture, or THE SRCA FOR ANTIGUA approximately 20 percent5. AND BARBUDA’S • Three quarter of the population live in rural areas3. AGRICULTURE SECTOR • Is highly exposed to natural hazards, including coastal and river flooding, and With the objective of assessing the ca- vulnerable to climate change. pacity Antigua and Barbuda’s agricul- • The sector is heavily influenced by the intermittent cold and warm phases of the ture sector to plan, design, implement, El Niño-Southern Oscillation. monitor, and evaluate climate resilient and inclusive recovery projects, the SRCA was implemented in the country’s ag- riculture sector under the leadership of the 1 Rozenberg, J. et. al (2021). 360° Resilience: A Guide to Prepare the Caribbean for a New Genera- Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Barbu- tion of Shocks. World Bank, Washington, DC. 2 Hallegatte, S., Rentschler, J. and Walsh, B. (2018). Building Back Better: Achieving Resil- da Affairs (MoAFBA) and the Civil Defense ience through Stronger, Faster, and More Inclusive Post-Disaster Reconstruction. World Commission (CDC), with the support of the Bank, Washington, DC. CRF, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency 3 The Canada-Caribbean Resilience Facility (CRF) is hosted by the Global Facility for Disas- ter Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) at the World Bank Group. Management Agency (CDEMA). 4 World Bank Development Indicators. (2020). Antigua and Barbuda. Online resource available at: https://data.worldbank.org/country/AG 5 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2018). FAOSTAT Antigua and Barbuda. Online resource available at: https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#country/8 RECOVERY CAPACITY INDEX (RCI) FOR THE 11 KEY ELEMENTS ASSESSED SELECTED RECOMMENDATIONS TO SUPPORT READINESS FOR RESILIENT RECOVERY IN ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA’S AGRICULTURE SECTOR6 Institutional readiness Resilient infrastructure Policies • Create a pipeline of targeted investments in grey and green defense infrastructure on coastal and riverine areas • Integrate resilient and inclusive recovery considerations into to protect against the impacts of climate change (including the national and sectoral policy framework by reviewing and SLR) and extreme weather events. updating the National CDM Policy and Strategy, completing and approving the National CDM Legislation, elaborating • Develop an investment plan that prioritizes infrastructure a Development Policy and a CDM Plan for the agriculture projects of high relevance for the agriculture sector, particularly sector and a new Medium Term Development Strategy and those promoting climate-resilient infrastructure systems, finalizing Antigua and Barbuda’s National Adaptation Plan. including water supply systems, to support the continuity and operability of crop production after major adverse events. Knowledge and tools • Create a technical assistance plan with a range of risk • Raise awareness, at strategic and operational levels, of the reduction interventions to help farm and agriculture facility added value of acquiring and sustaining DRM and inclusive owners climate-proof and protect key assets, including recovery capacity for the sector’s development through machinery and equipment, from extreme weather events. awareness-raising campaigns and events for public officers. • Assess Antigua and Barbuda’s hydro-meteorological • Build and sustain the required knowledge and skills for infrastructure and elaborate an investment plan for its resilient recovery through recruiting specialized staff in areas update, acquisition of modern forecasting and climate specific to DRM, the institutionalization of training in DRM, services delivery technologies, and strengthening of early gender, and disability inclusion for public and private sectoral warning communication systems to ensure they reach the stakeholders, and the improvement of public recruitment exposed and most vulnerable communities. protocols, among other measures. Data and information for risk-informed decision-making Finances • Estimate and include a contingent annual recovery allocation • Strengthen the use, management, and generation of risk- in the MoAFBA’s budget and recovery-relevant data and information across the agriculture sector, particularly within the MoAFBA, ensuring • Create new and enhance access to existing financial hazard and risk maps created or updated by partner mechanisms for resilience and recovery, including insurance organizations are available and easily accessible to all. for farmers and small- and medium-sized enterprises linked to agriculture value chains • Create a plan to finance software updating and maintenance at the MoAFBA to facilitate project management operations. 6 Detailed recommendations are provided in Annex 1 of the Sectoral Recovery Capacity Assessment report.