SECTORAL RECOVERY CAPACITY ASSESSMENT FOR SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES’ AGRICULTURE SECTOR (I NCLUS IVE OF TH E FISH E R IE S A N D FO R E ST RY S U B S E CTO R S ) CONTEXT KEY RESULTS The capacity of Saint Vincent and the Grena- The Caribbean region is highly prone to disasters, causing destruction dines’ agriculture, fisheries and forestry sector of infrastructure and property, loss of income, and costs as individuals and to implement climate resilient and inclusive businesses work around disruptions. Disasters jeopardize sustainable de- recovery projects in a timely, efficient, and ef- velopment and economic growth prospects and have a disproportionate fective manner is evaluated as moderate. impact on the poor. Indeed, the economic damages and losses related to natural hazards in the Caribbean represent a yearly average of 3.6 percent Strengths: of the regional Gross Domestic Product.1 • Recovery is a priority for the sector and subsectors as the Post Disaster Needs Fast and inclusive recovery efforts in the aftermath of disasters can Assessment (PDNA) elaborated for the La lower social and economic burdens and allow a more rapid recovery Soufrière volcanic eruption has become of development levels2. With climate change and the prospect of more the main development strategy for the frequent hydrometeorological disasters, resilient recovery planning and MAFFRD in the aftermath of this event. investments have become a priority for the region. This involves assessing and building the capacity needed to ensure the fast and efficient restora- tion of services, economic activities and infrastructure. Constraints: • Incipient competencies, operational ca- Sectoral Recovery Capacity Assessment (SRCA), developed by the pacity, skills and resources available with- Canada-Caribbean Resilience Facility (CRF)3 and the Caribbean Disaster in the sector to undertake resilient and Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), analyzes the capacity of key inclusive recovery projects. Particularly in sectors for efficient and coordinated recovery and provides recommen- terms of the technical capacity required dations to improve recovery processes along three main axes: Governan- to systematically integrate disaster risk, ce, Competencies and Resources and Tools. Results are part of CDEMA’s gender and disability considerations into sectoral operations and conduct entire Comprehensive Disaster Management Audit tool. project cycle management activities. • Low level of communication and coordina- THE AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FORESTRY tion between the agencies in charge of sub- SECTOR IN SAINT VINCENT AND THE sectors at the MAFFRD limit an adequate GRENADINES: prioritization of recovery projects, leaving major needs uncovered. • Has declined in economic importance in the past 20 years but remains crucial to rural livelihoods. • Few capacity building opportunities • Contributed 6.5 percent to GDP in 2020 and accounts for about 10 per- cent of employment4. • Fisheries employ about 2,500 people THE SRCA FOR SAINT VIN- • Forests cover 73.2 percent of the total land area CENT AND THE GRENADINES’ • Is highly exposed to natural hazards, tropical storms, landslides and AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND volcanic eruptions. FORESTRY • Agriculture was the productive sector most affected by La Soufrière With the objective of assessing the capac- volcano eruption, suffering USD 85 million in damages and losses (50 ity of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ percent of which were in crop agriculture and 45 percent in forestry)5 agriculture, fisheries and forestry sector to plan, design, implement, monitor, and evaluate climate resilient and inclusive 1 Rozenberg, J. et. al (2021). 360° Resilience: A Guide to Prepare the Caribbean for a New recovery projects, the SRCA was imple- Generation of Shocks. World Bank, Washington, DC. mented in the country’s agriculture, fisher- 2 Hallegatte, S., Rentschler, J. and Walsh, B. (2018). Building Back Better: Achieving Resil- ience through Stronger, Faster, and More Inclusive Post-Disaster Reconstruction. World ies and forestry sector under the leadership Bank, Washington, DC. of the The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, 3 The Canada-Caribbean Resilience Facility (CRF) is hosted by the Global Facility for Disas- Fisheries and Rural Development (MAFFRD) ter Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) at the World Bank Group. and the National Emergency Management 4 World Bank Development Indicators. (2022). Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/country/VC Organisation (NEMO), with the support of 5 Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. (2021) La Soufrière Volcanic Eruption Sector the CRF and CDEMA. Reports RECOVERY CAPACITY INDEX (RCI) FOR THE 11 KEY ELEMENTS ASSESSED SELECTED RECOMMENDATIONS TO SUPPORT READINESS FOR RESILIENT RECOVERY IN SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES’ AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FORESTRY SECTOR6 Institutional readiness Data and information for risk-informed decision-making • Develop a consolidated national data (including risk data) Policies platform and information knowledge management system • Finalize, approve and implement the National Disaster Man- • Generate hazard and risk maps, including multi-hazard maps agement Policy, Strategy and Action Plan and the Comprehen- sive Disaster Management Country Work Program (2022-2026). Resilient infrastructure • Review the National DRM legislation and update building Develop an investment plan for the agriculture sector that priori- codes, guidelines and related enforcement regulations. tizes infrastructure projects of high relevance for reducing climate • Finalize the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ Agriculture, For- risks, including water supply systems. estry and Fisheries Concise Multi-hazard Disaster Management Plan and develop a Strategic Plan for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, to guide development and recovery activities in the Finances coming years, beyond the PDNA. • Establish clear mechanisms for direct access to the existing Contingency Fund for rapid sectoral disaster recovery Knowledge and tools • Create new and enhance access to existing financial mech- • Recruit specialized staff in areas specific to disaster risk manage- anisms for resilience and recovery, including insurance for ment and gender and disability integration farmers and fishers. • Institutionalize training in disaster risk management, recovery, gen- • Develop a plan to finance software updating and mainte- der and disability inclusion for public officers nance at the MAFFRD to facilitate project management op- erations. • Integrate DRM, gender and disability inclusion knowledge as requisites in public recruitment protocols • Assess the national hydro-meteorological infrastructure and elaborate an investment plan for its update, including ac- quisition of modern forecasting and climate service delivery technologies and strengthening of early warning communi- cation systems. 6 Detailed recommendations are provided in Annex 1 of the Sectoral Recovery Capacity Assessment report.