Biodiversity Urban

1
BiodiversityUrban Rural Development Barbados
StudyA Civil Society Perspectiveby Fay A. Best
Civil Society Forum
In Association with

• Barbados Association of
• Non-Governmental Organisations

2
The ACP Civil Society Forum

• The ACP Civil Society held its 3rd Forum in
  December 2009.
• It brings together national networks, umbrella
  bodies and coalitions of Civil Society
  Organisations from the African, Pacific and
  Caribbean regions.
• It was established within the scope of the
  Cotonou Partnership Agreement as a mechanism for
  Civil Society participation, within the ACP
  Secretariat under the Committee for Political,
  Social and Cultural Affairs.

3
ACP Civil Society Network
THE EXECUTIVE TEAM
The Chairperson of the ACP Civil Socety Forum Mr.
Lawman L. Lynch, Jamaica
Advisor - Legal Affairs Joyce van Genderen-Naar,
Suriname (Based in Brussels)
Advisor Network Political Affairs Roosevelt
O. King, Barbados
4
ACP Civil Society Network

• 6 Regional Chairpersons (4 African regions,
  Caribbean and Pacific)
• 78 National Focal Points
• Interactive Internet Network links all the Focal
  Points
• Network Penetration 70

5
About BANGO

• BANGO was established in 1997 to offer technical
  support and critical services for Civil Society
  Organisations in Barbados and is an advocate for
  CSO involvement in the development and governance
  of Barbadian society.
• BANGO is a National NGO Network and is an
  official channel for the flow of information to
  and from Government and any other organisations
  or agencies wishing to communicate with Civil
  Society or wishing to find particular
  organisations or groupings of Civil Society.
• BANGO opens the door and paves the way for CSO
  participation.

Representing People
BANGO Representatives Chris Halsall (L) and
Douglas Skeete intervening in a utility rate
hearing on behalf of consumers.
Preserving Our Culture
Elton Greaves, Quarter Master of the Barbados
Landship getting down to business in
Bridgetown, to the sound of the Tuk Band the
Engine of the Ship. Unique to Barbados.
6
BANGO has been a member of the ACP CS Forum from
its inception and was also represented in the
planning meeting, held in Entebbe, Uganda in
1997, which led to its recommendation, acceptance
and establishment by ACP-EU Joint Assembly.
7
BARBADOS

• 166 Square Miles
• 273,000 People 90 African descent
• Main Economic Activity Tourism
• Natural Resources None
• Per Capita Income

90 of the population own 10 of the wealth
8
The move from Agriculture

• Traditionally, CARIFORUM countries depended
  heavily on local manufacturing and agricultural
  crops such as sugar, bananas and rice to fuel
  their economies.
• Discovery of oil, bauxite, gold and other
  minerals brought new opportunities to some, while
  others spent the last 50 years developing quality
  tourism products and services.
• The hurricane and flood damage that many would
  have experienced over the past ten years, added
  further pressure for CARIFORM nation, forcing
  them to redirect their economic thrust to embrace
  and develop services sectors such as financial
  and investment services, international and
  offshore business, information technology.

9
GDP Indicators
CARIFORUM States Agriculture Industry Services
Antigua Barbuda 3.8 22 74.3
Bahamas 3 7 90
Barbados 6 16 78
Belize 29 16.9 54.1
Dominica 17.7 32.8 49.5
Dominican Republic 11.3 23.5 65.2
Grenada 5.4 18 76.6
Guyana 31.9 21 47.2
Jamaica 5.2 32.9 61.8
St. Kitts Nevis 3.5 25.8 70.7
St. Lucia 5 15 80
St. Vincent the Grenadines 10 26 64
Suriname 10.8 24.4 64.8
Trinidad Tobago 0.5 47.9 51.6
Haiti 28 20 52
10
GALLERY
11
Environmental Concerns begin to impact CARIFORUM

• Tourism
• Tour operators began seeking a certificate of
  sound environmental management from destination
  resorts. The accepted standard in this respect is
  the Green Globe certification. Barbados now has
  the highest percentage of Green Globe certified
  hotels in the Caribbean (8 certified hotels and
  21 affiliated hotels whereas Jamaica has 7
  certified hotels, 1 benchmarked and 17 affiliated
  hotels)
• Manufacturing
• Barbados Manufacturing Association (BMA) believes
  that the Barbados government needs to adopt a
  policy internally to regard trade and environment
  jointly which would eventually lead to
  manufacturers taking a hard look at the areas of
  their business, which have a negative
  environmental impact. The desired outcome of this
  introspective scan would be that businesses adopt
  environmental management systems, of which it
  would be well understood that the long term
  benefits are
• Reduced cost of waste management
• Reduced cost of distribution
• Monetary and unit savings in energy and materials
  consumption
• Improved corporate image
• A framework for continued improvement in
  environmental management and performance

12
Environmental Concerns begin to impact CARIFORUM

• Agriculture
• Agricultural Development Fund was enacted in 2001
  to support projects and programmes designed for
  the improved development of agriculture including
  sugar production, the cotton industry, livestock
  production, fisheries and horticulture and is
  managed by the Enterprise Growth Fund.
• This fund is led by a Management committee who
  consider, evaluate and approve projects and
  proposal elected by the Minister of Agriculture.
• Since then Biodiversity and Rural Development
  have been overseen and supported by the Ministry
  of Agriculture.

13
The Global Economic Crisis brought the
community back to the soil.

• Agriculture and the environment continue to
  influence key decision-making processes.
• Barbados import bill continues to climb to
  support its growing populations and visitor
  demand, as local production cannot accommodate
  the market need. Herein lies the opportunity.
• With the increase in the price of oil there
  followed the increase in energy costs, then raw
  goods and materials, transportation and shipping,
  and hence food costs.
• Barbadians finally began to pay attention to what
  was going on around them because of one simple
  fact, the cost of living increased significantly.
• The challenge was overcoming the apathy Barbadian
  community had toward developing and supporting
  agriculture and the preservation and protection
  of the environment.

14
Back to Basics

• Government and Civil Society began focusing much
  of its efforts over the two years on encouraging
  persons to return to agriculture on a commercial
  and residential scale.
• This campaign runs in tandem with the need to
  protect our environment and natural resources,
  and the capacity to handle the transient traffic
  from our tourism sector.
• Local efforts are focused on ensuring Barbados
  can feed its population and at the same time
  maintain healthy lifestyles from safe drinking
  water to healthy diets.
• The community that for over 30 years ago moved
  away from agriculture, is now forced to once
  again get their hands dirty the old fashioned
  way tilling the soil.

15
The challenges of Mother Nature

• Barbados topography and geology have presented
  this island-state with numerous challenges from
  the soil composition to the share size of the
  island, by limiting what can or cant be done and
  where.
• Over the last 25 to 30 years public concern was
  raised over the amount of solid waste generated
  in Barbados and the limitations related to its
  disposal. The Mangrove Landfill was running out
  of space, and the Government was challenged to
  find an alternative location that would not
  negatively impact on the population or the water
  table.
• Over a decade ago Barbados was classified by the
  UN Commission on Water as a "water scarce"
  country.

16
Finding solutions

• The then Ministry of Energy and the Environment
  documented the impacts on the land and the causes
  of land degradation in the island which they
  attributed mainly to the sugar industry, and its
  resultant dramatic decline in soil fertility and
  an increase in agricultural drought .. which
  contributed to a steady decline in sugar yields
  per hectare in Barbados. - Government of
  Barbados (2001) Barbadoss First National
  Communications to the United Nations Framework
  Convention on Climate Change. Barbados Ministry
  of Physical Development and Environment. p. 17
• In its Second Communication to the UNCCD, the
  Ministry isolated four main factors which
  contribute to land degradation as follows
• the clearance of land for construction
• the lack of maintenance and almost complete
  breakdown in the formerly extensive system of
  check-dams in gullies used to direct surface
  water into the underground aquifer
• the use of non-specific herbicides and
• the replacement of the cane hole planting system
  by cross contour ploughing and furrowing. -
  Government of Barbados (2002) Second National
  Report to UNCCD. Barbados Ministry of Physical
  Environment and Environment. p v-vi

17
Finding solutions

• From these factors one can conclude that the
  approach to land degradation must be holistic and
  integrated, incorporating environmental, physical
  planning and socioeconomic considerations.
• The Environmental Situation in Barbados is one in
  which there are signs of deterioration. It is
  within this context that Barbados requires a
  holistic and integrated approach to environmental
  issues as part of its sustainable development
  process. With the multiplicity of well written
  reports, there is now a need to move from
  rhetoric and the written word to action. -
  Barbados Country Programme Strategy (2006 2009)
  GEF Small Grants Programme (Barbados and the
  OECS) Environmental Situation, pages 14 to 16
• There is also a shortage of land space in the
  urban communities, which becomes increasingly
  more acute as the population increases and
  housing becomes a national priority.

18
Finding solutions

• The Ministries of Agriculture, Health and the
  Environment have all touted that land use has
  become so intense that more and more chemicals
  are being used to accelerate the growth of
  produce in as short a time as possible. These
  chemicals are being absorbed by the population
  creating health concerns. - Barbados Country
  Programme Strategy (2006 2009) GEF Small Grants
  Programme (Barbados and the OECS) Environmental
  Situation, pages 14 to 16
• Thus the Sustainable Organic Farming and Rabbit
  Rearing Project was developed as an educational
  tool for children, in an effort to show the
  interdependence of plants and animals in a
  confined space, and create an appreciation for
  the future development of farming.

19
The Project Goals

• To demonstrate an integrated and a sustainable
  approach to organic farming in land scarce
  conditions in an urban environment.
• It is hoped that through this project that the
  pupils would be able to
• demonstrate the inter-relationship between
  sustainable land management (become aware of the
  environment, its issues, and efficient soil use)
  and healthy life styles
• develop life skills (business, technology, money
  management etc) and
• provide sustainability in the St. Pauls
  community
• But it must also
• ensure or contribute to environmental
  sustainability
• reduce poverty and
• build capacity?

20
The Objectives

• Objective 1 Land degradation and organic farming
  - To adapt and demonstrate how organic farming
  methods can be utilised in urban areas where land
  space is limited .
• Outcome Basic skills and knowledge of organic
  farming developed among 500 students, their
  parents and the nearby community.
• Objective 2 Learning and research - To provide a
  way of educating the pupils in manner that
  integrated all aspects of the schools curriculum
  (information technology, science, health,
  language arts, mathematics and sign language),
  and help pupils to acquire skills such as project
  management and teamwork. Pupils would learn
  research skills, as the data gathered will be
  documented in a workbook.
• Outcome Sustainable farming methods and skills
  integrated into the curriculum for student and
  parent learning.

21
The Objectives

• Objective 3 Healthy living aspects - To improve
  the health of students by increasing the dietary
  intake of vegetables and lean meat, by teaching
  nutrition education and conducting a pre-and
  post-KAP (knowledge, attitude and practices)
  study.
• Outcome The schools community shows a greater
  knowledge of the nutritional benefits of organic
  farming, as well as an increased consumption of
  vegetables and lean meat.
• Objective 4 Public education To create a
  demonstration project for the community and other
  schools as a means of education and projection
  replication.
• Outcome Public is more aware of the benefits of
  the project by the dissemination of information
  and experiences gleaned by the students and the
  community.

22
St. Pauls Primary School Sustainable Organic
Farming and Rabbit Rearing Project
23
Success Indicators

• For this project to succeed there was a need for
  a sufficient number of competent volunteers who
  are willing to give of their time to ensure that
  the project is a success.
• Where there are no skills available, based on the
  project needs, they were developed thereby
  ensuring that we not only have develop
  sustainable livelihoods but build capacity.
• For this Project to succeed it must be
  sustainable. This required the we
• Build project ownership
• Strengthen the School
• Enhance the Schools Curriculum
• Human Capacity Building
• Ensure participation and transparency
• Expand partnerships
• Nurture a business approach (micro-enterprise
  business plans and marketing)
• Improve the policy environment (micro-macro
  connection)

24
Civil Society Leading the way in Biodiversity and
Urban Development
Project Title CSO
Conservation of the genetic Makeup of the Barbados Black Belly Sheep and Improvement of the Marketing Opportunities of the Industry Barbados Agricultural Society
Organic Seedling Cultivation with the Less-Abled People and Bio-Control in Barbados BAWDENs Community Group
Sustainable Organic Farming and Rabbit Rearing Project St. Pauls Primary School
Offsetting Carbon Dioxide Emissions by Creating Carbon Sinks and Alternative Livelihoods Youth Development Services
Reef Balls A solution to Coral Depletion and Community Livelihoods in Oistins, Barbados Barbados Marine Trust
Building Capacity for an Effective Sustainable Development Network among CBO and NGOs in Barbados The Barbados Environmental Community Network
The Promotion and Provision of Chemical Free Backyard gardening among persons with diabetes Diabetes Association of Barbados
The Development of Grassroots Video Production Unit in Barbados Counterpart Caribbean _at_ the Future Centre Trust
Aquaponic and Organic Farming in Bairds Village, Barbados Bairds Village Aquaponics Association
25
Civil Society Leading the way in Biodiversity and
Urban Development

• Please see
• http//bit.ly/dz13mV
• Thank You!

26
Barbados Country Programme Strategy

• Impact
• Land and water pollution reduced through the use
  of sustainable farming techniques
• Outcomes
• A cadre of skilled organic farmers managing and
  developing their sites
• Community informed and educated on the benefits
  of organic farming
• Soil and Water pollution reduced
• Farmers standard of living is on the increase.

27
Barbados Country Programme Strategy

• Barbados is signatory to a number of
  environmental conventions. In addition, there are
  a number of local legislation and policy
  documents set the framework to ensure an
  environmental focus.
• One of the main sources of funding for CSO
  projects is the Global Environmental Facility
  Small Grants Programme.
• This document was prepared with involvement of
  key stakeholders from government and civil
  society.
• It is within this context that the CPS focuses on
  two priorities Sustainable Farming and
  Conservation Areas. These two areas can fit into
  one or more focal area, and would contribute to
  SGP goals of environmental sustainability,
  poverty alleviation and community empowerment
  i.e. capacity building.
• These are supported further by four themes
• Capacity Building of NGOs
• Public Awareness and Education
• Sustainable Livelihoods and
• Gender Equality

28
QUESTIONS?