August 18, 2026
The Caribbean’s agriculture sector is set for one of its biggest regional gatherings in years, with more than 70 technical sessions, networking opportunities and a major exhibition and trade show planned for the 20th Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) in Jamaica from 27 September to 2 October 2026.
Since the launch of the CWA 2026 in May, the programme has evolved into five days of activities being organised by the CARICOM Secretariat, the Government of Jamaica, regional partners and other stakeholders.
The event will be held in the parish of Trelawny, with activities starting on Sunday, 27 September, with field trips. The opening ceremony will take place that afternoon at the Ocean Coral Springs Resort.
Under the theme ‘The New F.A.C.E of Caribbean Food Systems’, the technical sessions will focus on transforming the Region’s food systems and accelerating Vision 25 x 25 + 5 with discussions covering topics such as nutrition-smart and real food solutions; food as medicine; repositioning the root and tuber industry; competitive root crop research; fisheries and aquaculture; biogas and organic fertiliser; hydroponic fodder systems; financing agriculture and mobilising private capital; ruminant production resilience; women-led agri-business; and food security and cultural identity.
Technology-focused sessions will examine digital agriculture, including digital extension, and digital trade layer; applied artificial intelligence and citizen science; climate resilience and climate-smart technology.
Youth perspectives will feature prominently through a panel discussion, and in sessions including AgriYouth Rising – Cultivating the New F.A.C.E of Caribbean Agriculture; youth e-agriculture; and youth agricultural land access policy.
Several ministerial forums, including a special meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development on Agriculture, will be held during the week.
The 20th CWA is supported by regional and international partners, including the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute, Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism, CARICOM Private Sector Organisation, Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency; Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations World Food Programme, The University of the West Indies, and the Agriculture Alliance of the Caribbean.
For the programme, registration and additional information on the 20th Caribbean Week of Agriculture, visit www.cwa2026.caricom.org
Video: https://vimeo.com/1216144076?fl=tl&fe=ec
ABOUT THE CARIBBEAN WEEK OF AGRICULTURE
The Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) is the premier event on the regional agricultural calendar. It is a roving event hosted by CARICOM Member States and Associate Members and includes seminars, key meetings, a special meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development and an exhibition.
CWA was conceptualised by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) as a facility to place agriculture and rural life on the front burner of regional integration activities and in doing so enable:
- key decision-makers in the public and private sectors to better acknowledge the importance of agriculture and rural life to the economic, social, and environmental stability of the region; and
- major stakeholders in agriculture and related sectors to have an opportunity to dialogue and forge a common vision for the repositioning of agriculture and the enhancement of rural life.
CWA is convened under the auspices of the Alliance for Sustainable Development of Agriculture and the Rural Milieu (The Alliance). Since the inaugural meeting in 1998, the two main collaborating agencies were IICA and the CARICOM Secretariat.
In 2002, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute joined IICA and CARICOM to establish a core group which functions as the Secretariat of The Alliance. Since then, the four agencies have collaborated on the management and logistics for the convening and servicing of meetings of The Alliance as well as the myriad of activities during the CWA. The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation which was a joint international institution of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States and the European Union from 1983 – 2020, was a major partner and sponsor of the CWA activities from 2003.
The first CWA was held in Trinidad and Tobago in 1999. St. Kitts and Nevis hosted the 2025 CWA under the theme ‘Sowing Change, Harvesting Resilience: Transforming Our Caribbean Food Systems for 2025 and Beyond’. In 2026, Jamaica will host the CWA. The theme of this milestone 20th edition is ‘The New F.A.C.E of Caribbean Food Systems’.