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What is The 25 x 25 Initiative?

Simply put, The 25 by 25 Initiative is: Our goal to reduce the Caribbean's food importation costs by 25% in the year 2025. 

How do we intend to do this?
With your help of course!

We intend to remind you of how great The Caribbean's food is:
  • Authentic flavors
  • Exquisite taste
  • Rich cultural heritage
  • Fresh and organic ingredients
  • Farm-to-table freshness 

Also the benefits of supporting local farmers and producers:
  • Strengthening local economy
  • Supporting local farmers and artisans
  • Preserving traditional culinary traditions
  • Reducing carbon footprint through shorter supply chains
  • Ensuring food security and sustainability

Join the movement for sustainable food choices!
Make a difference with every meal!
Be a part of the local food revolution!
Take control of your food sources!
Commit to a healthier, tastier future!

ARE YOU READY TO COMMIT?

The Documentary

Support the realization of The 25 by 25 Initiative by donating towards the production of our groundbreaking documentary. Your contribution will serve as a powerful tool for awareness, serving both as a marketing medium and an invaluable source of information.

Through this documentary, we aim to shed light on the urgent need to reduce food imports in the Caribbean by 25% by 2025. Your donation will help us bring attention to this crucial issue, advocating for policy changes and inspiring individuals and communities to take action.

Join us in shaping a sustainable future for the region, as your support will enable us to create an impactful documentary that leaves a lasting legacy. Donate now and be a part of our mission to transform the Caribbean's food landscape.

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The Documentary

We are ONE CARIBBEAN; despite which Island you occupy, we are a Unique cluster of flavor and our health and food security should be our #1 PRIORITY because a healthy person contributes to a healthy nation.

What is the 25 by 25 Initiative?

CARICOM governments has now set a target to reduce food imports and the incidence of NCD’s by 25% over the next 5 years and to also significantly reduce the level of leakage of tourist expenditure.

We are a “not for profit for development organisation” with a mandate and a mission to  promote growth and development of the agribusiness sector through programmes and projects that leads to the  reduction of food imports, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the repatriation of tourist expenditure.
 

Who we are
The 25 by 25 Initiative

Do you know that CARICOM countries ;
 
    Are among the most food insecure countries, with many countries producing less than 15% of their food          needs and  that governments have set a target to reduce food imports (aprrox. US$5 B) by 25% by 2025            but that is unlikely to be achieved.
 
    Have the highest incidence of NCDs in the western hemisphere and NCD’s are responsible for 76.8% deaths      in 2016, (particularly pre-mature  death among people ages 30 to 69) and high levels of disability. NCDs are      largely due to our high consumption of imported foods which consist of high levels of sugar, salt, saturated      fats, preservatives, simple carbs and low fibre.
 
    In 2012, set a target to reduce NCD’s deaths by 25% by 2025 and that we are not on the road to achieving        this target.
 
    Are among the most tourist dependent countries, but only between 15% to 30% of the expenditure                  remains in CARICOM, with a high percentage of the repatriation of the expenditure due to imported foods        and governments are committed to significant reduction in this leakage.
 
Have had launched 6 different regional plans to reduce food imports since 1975 Regional Food Plan (RFP), 1975, the Regional Food and Nutrition Strategy (RFNS) of 1983, Caribbean Community Program for Agricultural Development (CCPAD)1989, Regional Transformation Programme for Agriculture (RTPA) 1996.The Jagdeo Initiative (JI) in 2004.and Common Agricultural Policy (CCAP) and the Regional Policy for Food and Nutrition Security (RPFNS) in 2011, and that they all have been unsuccessful.
 

 

Lack of political will and failure to effectively engage the people in the implementation of the plans.

CABA 25 by 25 Mandate
This time however the governments seem to have the will and has asked the private sector to take a lead role in partnering with them in the development and implementation of the plan.
 
CABA has been mandated to ensure that Micro Small and Medium Size Enterprises (MSME) play a major role in achieving these goals.
 
The Caribbean Development Bank has indicated that MSMEs represent between 70-85% of Caribbean businesses and contribute between 60-70% of Gross Domestic Product and account for an estimated 50% of total employment.
 
FAO has also indicated that in the Caribbean, small farmers provide between 30 and 40% of the region’s agricultural GDP.
Thus, MSME participation is an absolute necessity.
 

Why these problems persist.

The CABA 25 by 25 Plan
 
  1. Secure widespread public commitment to the target, by encouraging consumers to sign up to and pursue        personal/self-commitment to replacing 25% of  their current individual consumption of imported foods,            with local and regional foods.
 
  2. Promoting household participation through our  business system that supports household food                        production (farming & processing) linked to community “food exchange facilities” where excess                        household production can be exchanged or sold.
 
  3. Proactive support for the establishment of commercial farming communities/clusters/agro parks based on        comparative advantages, climate smart, technology driven, integrated multi-crops/livestock production            systems, leading to organic or near-organic more sustainable production eco-systems.
 
  4. Promoting farmers linkages to markets  through supply contracts with packinghouses, agro-processors,            exporters and access to wholesale and retail markets for small farmers and MSME agro-processors.
 
  5. Advocating for governments investments in infra-structure ( particularly in water management), R&D,                technical advice, affordable financing and appropriate policies, particularly trade.
 
  6. Promoting linkages of agricultural production to other sectors including  health and tourism, particularly          agro-recreational tourism.
 
  7. Promoting the establishment of a Caribbean Agribusiness Fund and Investment promotion and protection        mechanism.

 
To carry out our mandate, we need everyone to join us in this effort. It's all hands-on deck as we work towards creating a more sustainable future for the Caribbean.
 

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