Regional Rural Development Briefings A series of meetings

Regional Rural Development Briefings A series of meetings on ACP-EU development issues Caribbean Regional Briefing: Strengthening the Caribbean agri-food sector Grenada, 18 -19 th October 2010 http: //acpbriefings. net

New initiative in 2010: The Brussels Briefings go also regional! Linked to the Brussels Rural Development Briefings organised every two months since 2007 and webstreamed live http: //brusselsbriefings. net

§ Two-day ACP-EU policy-dialogue meetings in each ACP region § Topical issues raised by the region § Targeting regional development community: policy makers, private sector, civil society groups, researchers and practitioners, international organisations

§ This initiative is a multiactors partnership: § CTA (leading organisation) § the EC (DG Development and Europe. Aid) § the ACP Group of Ambassadors § Concord (the platform of civil society organisations) § The regional economic organisations § Other development partners

Holistic approach to rural development § § § § Food security and food crisis Trade and development Environment and climate change Aid effectiveness and rural governance Migration and development Health and safety in agriculture Cross-cutting issues: gender, ICTs for development, research, youth

Objectives of the Briefings § To raise awareness on key challenges § To promote exchange of information and expertise § To feed in the debate by bringing various perspectives § To encourage networking and partnerships

Chair: Dr. André Gordon, Managing Director, Technological Solutions Limited, Jamaica Panel 1: Key challenges for SMEs in the agrifood sector This session will discuss the challenges that the Caribbean private sector faces and the key issues involved on value chains and clusters.

Chair: Professor Claremont Kirton Panel 2: Financial and technical instruments to support the agri-food sector This panel will discuss the existing and potential financing mechanisms in support of the private sector at regional level

Panel 3: Repositioning Caribbean agriculture This panel will look at a number of options of future strategic agri-food sectors to develop which promote integrated approaches and strengthen links between key sectors in the region such as agriculture, tourism and environment.

Online resources Read presentations, consult documents, listen to interviews, view videos, comment before, during and after the meetings at: http: //acpbriefings. net/ (English) http: //acpbriefings-fr. net (French)

Next Brussels Briefing: Geopolitics of Food, 17 th November 2010 Next Regional Briefing: Southern Africa Financing Agriculture, 25 -26 th October