Dominica government shares updates about agriculture and climate resilience project

The government of Dominica on Monday, January 13, 2025, held the first of a series of press conferences to provide updates on several ongoing projects across the country. 

The press meet saw the government sharing updates on the Dominica Emergency Agricultural Livelihoods and the Climate Resilience Project, and the Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project with a special focus on the East Coast Road and the status of the progress of lot 2 – a section of road stretching from Castle Bruce to Hatton Garden, through the Kalinago Territory.

The Emergency Agriculture Livelihoods and Climate Resilience Project aims to restore agricultural livelihoods and enhance climate resilience of farmers and fishers who were affected by Hurricane Maria in Dominica in 2017.

Government Press Secretary Dionne Durand-Smith said these projects are among those which have been designed to enhance Dominica’s climate resilience, improve infrastructure, and strengthen agricultural livelihoods.

The government was represented at the conference by several top ministers and bureaucrats, including Roland Royer, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Blue and Green Economy; Jullan Defoe, Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Blue and Green Economy Jullan Defoe; Ryan Anselm, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Blue and Green Economy; Minister of Housing Melissa Poponne-Skerrit; Minister for Education; and others. 

Kendall Johnson, Consultant Engineer, East Coast Road Project, was also present. 

Agriculture Minister Roland Royer reveals findings 

In his address, Royer said Hurricane Maria had severely devastated Dominica’s agriculture sector and the country secured a financial package of US$25 million (EC$67.5 million) from the World Bank in April 2018 to address the challenge. 

He said the ambitious Emergency Agricultural Livelihoods and the Climate Resilience Project was designed not only to contribute to restoring agricultural livelihoods and enhancing the climate resilience of farmers and fisherfolks affected by Maria but also to provide an immediate and effective response to eligible emergencies.

Royer said the project has four components: Restoration of productive base for the recovery of agricultural livelihoods; Restoration of key productive infrastructure and institutional strengthening; Project management and coordination, and contingency emergency response. 

The agriculture minister said the project has achieved significant milestones during its journey. In April 2020, the project activated its first contingency emergency response component allocating USD$3.6 million to strengthen food security and health systems amidst COVID-19 pandemic. 

In April 2023, a second response component was activated directing US$ 8 million to addressing food security which was provided as a loan.

By January 2024, the project spent 70 per cent of the revised budget of US$36.6 million or EC$ 98.8 million, Royer said, adding the project’s results have been impactful, like the restoration of several acres of farmland besides building several facilities and training personnel.

Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Jullan Defoe speaks

Defoe touched upon the fisheries aspect saying their welfare is also key since several coastal communities depend on them for livelihood. He said more than 70 per cent of fishers’ personal assets such as boats and engines were devastated by Maria while critical infrastructure such as locker rooms was also affected. 

Defoe cited how national and international players contributed to the restoration and rehabilitation of the effected infrastructure. The Japanese government, for instance, helped in rehabilitation the Roseau Fisheries Complex at a cost of over US$10 million. National organizations such as Samaritan’s Purse also contributed by helping fisher organizations with tools and equipment and rehabilitation of buildings. 

The official said under the project, focus has been given on using energy-efficient equipment like boat so that the emissions are reduced and fishers can reduce their operational costs. Also, five boat builders were sent to India for training under a naval architect to enhance their boat-building skills. 

Ryan Anselm, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, speaks

He said the Dominica government took a loan from the World Bank to support the restoration of the agriculture and fisheries sector, prioritizing food security and climate resilience. Anselm said a massive portion of Dominica’s crop-producing capacity was destroyed and the government spent EC$18 million to support farmers in terms of fertilizers, inputs and planting materials. 

Anselm added that the project also aimed 20 per cent of women since the government believes that their involvement is required for the progress of the agricultural sector. The permanent secretary added that the programme resulted in recovery of 70 per cent of the entire acreage and they were back in the market with crops and vegetables. 

Recognizing that people need protein after hurricanes, he said the fisheries sector becomes all the more important due to this reason and the government spent EC$4.6 million to quickly restore livelihood of fisherfolks.  

Kendall Johnson, Consultant Engineer, East Coast Road Project, shares insights 

Johnson said the government took a loan from the World Bank for the rehabilitation of East Coast roadwork. In May 2020, a contract amounting to EC$127 million was awarded to contractors for civil works which started in November the same year. The rehabilitation of the roadworks takes place along two main segments – lot 1 which is 10 kilometres (till Castle Bruce) and lot 2 measuring 20 kilometres (from Castle Bruce to Hutton Garden via Kalinago Territory). 

The project aims to improve resilience to disaster events and implement adaptation measures, Johnson said. They include slope-stabilization interventions, rehabilitation of roads, bridges and retaining walls besides rehabilitation and reconstruction of drainage systems. Five bridges and 168 culverts of various sizes are also being replaced while works such as improvement of road pavement, putting up road markings and construction of bus stops are also being done. 

Johnson said the deadline for completing work for lot 1 was May 2022 and for lot 2 was November 2022. But the dates had to be revised to June 2025 due to factors such as adverse weather and additional work related to the project objectives. He said the Dominica government approved an additional EC$108 million to support the extra work, raising the project ceiling by 85 per cent to $235 million over the initial contract. 

The consultant engineer said while 95 per cent work for lot 1 was completed, it stood at 88 per cent for lot 2.