Dominica

Challenges

Low agricultural productivity and declining export competitiveness are among the major challenges impacting agriculture. There are several contributing factors related to production management and the decline or disappearance of producer groups and cooperatives. However, an overarching issue is the innate vulnerability of the sector to frequent and destructive climate hazards, such as hurricanes, storms and floods. On the hand, periodic droughts can also have devastating impacts on agriculture and associated livelihoods. When impacted by hazards, these vulnerabilities are amplified resulting in significant damage, loss and lengthy recovery periods, as expressed in the consistently declining performance of the sector over time.

Despite current work on initiatives like National Agriculture Information Management System (MAIMS) and the market access application – CERES, Dominica is still without a fully functional comprehensive data and information management system that meets the needs of the sector.

Strengthening data and information management systems will support decision-making, production planning, market access initiatives and overall agri-business competitiveness.

The financial and human resources necessary to implement programs in support of the sector is significantly limiting their impact and sustainability.