cwa2026

For two decades, the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) has been the hallmark regional event driving the transformation of regional agriculture. The Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA), established in 1999, is a premier event on the agricultural calendar for the Caribbean region. It is an event hosted by CARICOM Member States and Associate Members and includes key regional meetings, seminars and other regional engagements as well as an exhibition.

CWA is held under the auspices of the Alliance for Sustainable Development of Agriculture and the Rural Milieu, referred to as “The Alliance”. The members of the Alliance are:

- - The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat;
  - The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA);
  - The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations; and
  - The Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI).

CWA is a platform that places agriculture at the forefront of regional integration activities and provides a forum for:

- - key decision makers in the public and private sectors to acknowledge the importance of agriculture and rural life to the economic, social and environmental stability of the Caribbean region; and
  - major stakeholders in agriculture and related sectors have an opportunity to dialogue and forge a common vision for repositioning agriculture and enhancing rural life. Since its inception, CWA has been convened on nineteen successful occasions. The inaugural CWA was hosted by Trinidad and Tobago, while the most recent iteration was held in St. Kitts and Nevis under the theme, “Sowing Change, Harvesting Resilience: Transforming Our Caribbean Food Systems for 2025 and Beyond.” CWA 2025 was successfully convened with approximately 496 participants and over 40 sessions.

The 20th edition of the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) which will be held in Jamaica from September 28 to October 2, 2026, under the theme “The New F.A.C.E. of Caribbean Food Systems”. The theme represents four key pillars to drive resilience, strengthen food systems and increase outputs for regional and international markets, with the acronym representing Food Security, Agri-Business Development, Climate Smart Technologies and Export Expansion.

CWA 2026 will take place within the first year of the 25 by 2025 + 5 Initiative, a critical period for driving resilient and sustainable productivity, advancing e-agriculture solutions, deepening regional integration and enhancing trade in the five years leading up to 2030.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

Highlighting the agenda of CWA 2026 will be

- - The Opening Ceremony and Reception
  - The CARICOM Farmer of the year and the Ministers of Agriculture CARICOM Young Farmer of the Year Awards.
  - Numerous technical sessions, workshops and presentations
  - High-level Ministerial meetings with the Ministers with responsibility for agriculture and fisheries from across the Region
  - Meetings of key regional and international organizations including the:
    - Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Agriculture Ministers Meeting,
    - Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA) Board of Directors Meeting,
    - Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) Board of Governors Meeting
    - Meeting of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) Ministerial Council.
    - Food and Agriculture Organisation Ministerial Meeting
    - Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture Meetings
  - An Exhibition and Trade Show, which will showcase agricultural offerings along the value chain
  - Business-to-Business Engagements
  - Field Trips

PARTICIPANTS

CWA 2026 is expected to bring together over 400 participants from the agriculture and fisheries sectors including representatives from all CARICOM Member States, development partners, regional and international organizations, farmers/producer organizations, academia, international financing institutions, private sector partners, and public sector organisations.

HOSTING CWA 2026 IN JAMAICA

The 20th staging of the CWA marks a major anniversary milestone, symbolizing two decades of regional collaboration in agriculture. Jamaica has long played a prominent role in CARICOM’s agricultural development. Hosting the 20th staging of CWA underscores Jamaica’s commitment, and contribution to the development of agriculture in the region.