Dominica: Roland Royer highlights success of World Bank Emergency Agriculture Livelihoods Project

Roseau, Dominica: The Agriculture and Fisheries Minister of Dominica, Roland Royer, in his latest press conference, highlighted the World Bank Emergency Agriculture Livelihoods Project, which was initiated with an aim to reimburse the damages inflicted on the agriculture sector, as an aftermath of the furious Hurricane Maria. As per Royer, the Government of DominicaR  made numerous interventions under the project for the betterment of Dominican farmers.

Royer noted, “We took a multi-pronged approach when we, under the project, invest to ensure that the sector is back on its feet. So the first intervention was the reduction of vulnerabilities and risk.”

From 2018-2020, the Government of Dominica funded direct support, and cash support to farmers at the value of 18.8 million to approximately 4,000 farmers and fishers. With this support, the farmers were able to afford and pay and to pay for the essential services and supplies required for survival. Moreover, the incidence of migration and abandonment of farms were also significantly reduced.

While the second approach was the Resumption of Production, about which Royer added-: “That’s where we provided seeds, seedlings, planted material, and tools that were distributed among over 1000 farmers. During that period in livestock, we provided cheeks for boiler farms, piglets and kids for small ruminants, cetera, to ensure that the stocks were there so that the farmers could go back to production.

And, of course, we supported with inputs, feeds, fertilizers, and other farm tools, small equipment to encourage and production. And lastly, I’m the, Or the strategy I intervention made in, under that program to rebound was to restore governance and infrastructure. That’s where we invested heavily.”

Further, he remarked the programme is successful. Roland Royer stated that “We have seen an impact, and we’ve heard reports from. So the quality of some tools that they received, you know, but, generally, I think the project is going well and the farmers are satisfied with what they have, have received. There were some delays, but we are catching up.”