CARDIcaribbean

🌶️ Exploring Export Opportunities for Grenada’s Pimento Peppers! 🇬🇩🛫

CARDI has teamed up with the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and Forestry (Agronomy and Pest Management Unit) and Simply Pure Agro Processing to explore exporting Grenada's pimento peppers to a major U.S. based supermarket chain. The initiative began with extensive field and farm visits to assess local pepper production across nurseries and farms. Following these assessments, we hosted a workshop on 11 June 2026, bringing key stakeholders together to discuss production challenges, market opportunities, and valuable lessons learned from past experiences.

Our goal is to equip local farmers with advanced skills in pepper production and postharvest management. This will ensure our produce consistently meets the high quality, safety, and volume standards required for international export markets. As preparations advance, we are continuing follow up meetings and working closely with interested farmers to meet yield targets ahead of a pilot export shipment. Take a look through the photos from our recent field assessments and workshop sessions! 📸

Huge congratulations to Grenada Grows Ltd on receiving the Climate Mitigation Project of the Year Award at the Inaugural Climate Smart Summit in Barbados! As a supporting partner, CARDI is collaborating with Grenada Grows to evaluate the biochemical properties and agronomic potential of its compost-based products. This research directly aligns with CARDI's Strategic Plan to advance a more climate-resilient agricultural sector across the region.

So far, the preliminary trial results are highly encouraging. The compost products have demonstrated strong potential as seedling potting media. Seedlings grown in the compost, as well as in various organic substrate blends like coco coir, are exhibiting enhanced growth and vigor. We observed further improvements in seedling development after incorporating Organic Soil Food to stimulate beneficial soil microbial activity. The next phase of our collaboration will expand this research into field trials to assess crop growth, yield, and overall farm performance.

Together, we are advancing green, sustainable, and climate-smart solutions for safer food production systems in Grenada and the wider Caribbean. Check out the photos to look at our ongoing seedling trials.

📅 Save the Date: CARDI Inaugural Agricultural Research and Innovation Symposium 2026 🌾🔬

Regional agricultural advancement takes center stage next month. CARDI invites all stakeholders, researchers, policymakers, and industry professionals to our inaugural symposium, where agricultural scientists from across the region will present exciting research and innovative solutions to strengthen regional food security.

📍 Event Details:
Date: Wednesday, 08 July 2026

Time: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Venue: The Auditorium at the Chaguanas Borough Corporation, Trinidad and Tobago

This symposium offers an excellent platform to explore cutting-edge agricultural science, exchange data-driven insights, and discuss practical innovations built for the Caribbean landscape.

Stay tuned to our page for the official agenda and registration details.

🚀 Digital Innovation Launched for Caribbean Agriculture! 📱🌾

CARDI, in collaboration with AGROSAVIA and with funding from APC Colombia, has officially launched two powerful digital applications tailored for the Caribbean region. Following successful rollout events in Jamaica (15th–16th June 2026) and Guyana (18th–19th June 2026), these tools are now available to transform regional farming.

Both platforms were originally developed for Colombia but have been systematically adapted to support Caribbean agricultural conditions.

📱 Dr. Agro
A mobile diagnostic tool that allows producers to use photos from the app to instantly identify common economic pests, diseases, and nutritional deficiencies in their fields. The app provides effective management and control strategies at different crop lifecycles. This initial phase covers seven key commodities: cassava, sweet potato, dasheen/taro, hot pepper, watermelon, tomato, and cabbage.

🌾 AlimenTro®
A free-access information platform designed for the animal production sector. It provides detailed data on the nutritional identity and proper use of local feed resources, including local grasses and legumes. This platform helps livestock farmers access innovative feeding solutions to cut production costs, improve animal nutrition, and build resilience against rising feed prices and climate change.

Take a look through the photos from the recent training and launch sessions! 📸

🚀 Bringing Digital Innovation to Caribbean Agriculture! 📱🌾

Next week, CARDI, in collaboration with AGROSAVIA and with the financial support of the APC Colombia, will officially launch two revolutionary digital tools for the region: the Dr. Agro and ALIMENTRO applications.

These platforms are designed to bring vital agricultural data and diagnostic tools straight to your mobile device, helping farmers, extension officers, and researchers make informed, data-driven decisions in the field.

📅 Join the Launch & Training Session:
The face-to-face session takes place in Guyana on Thursday, 18th June 2026. If you cannot join in person, the session is fully accessible online as a live webinar! 💻🌐

We welcome the participation of all regional partners, agricultural stakeholders, and tech enthusiasts. Please share this with your networks to help us drive digital transformation across Caribbean agriculture.

🔗 Check the flyer for registration details and log-in links.

🌱 Introducing the Samoana Dasheen to Trinidad! 🇻🇨➡️🇹🇹

An exciting milestone for root crop research! CARDI Executive Director, Ansari Hosein, presented 10 Samoana variety dasheen plants to Dr. Wendy-Ann Isaac, Head of Department and Senior Lecturer in Crop Science and W**d Agronomy at the UWI Faculty of Food and Agriculture Department of Food Production.

These plants have quite a journey! Originally obtained from the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees (CePaCT), this specific variety was grown at the state-of-the-art tissue culture facility at CARDI St. Vincent, before being sent to Trinidad as plantlets for multiplication. 🧬🔬

✨ Why is the 'Samoana' Variety a Game-Changer?
Characterized by its distinct green petiole (leaf stalk), this variety is already a massive hit with farmers in St. Vincent over traditional varieties due to its incredible agronomic traits:
🔹 Climate-Smart: Highly adaptable to diverse climatic and soil conditions.
🔹 High-Yielding: Faster growth rates with superior overall yields.
🔹 Resilient: Reduced post-harvest losses and lower susceptibility to pests and diseases.
🔹 Consumer-Friendly: Significantly reduced cooking times paired with excellent eating quality!

Through this handover, CARDI and UWI are partnering to multiply and evaluate this resilient variety, ensuring our regional farmers have access to the absolute best planting material.

🌱 Advancing Smart Agriculture in Poole! 🚀☀️

Our team recently wrapped up a hands-on training session at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries' facility in Poole, bringing together CARDI officials and the technical experts from Ariaponics!

Staff members were taken through an intensive walkthrough of this specialized greenhouse design, learning how its structure maximizes crop growth and climate resilience. The true highlight of the session, however, was the live demonstration of the innovative, solar-powered fertigation system. 💧🔋

By pairing solar energy with precise nutrient and water delivery, this setup allows for highly efficient, off-grid farming that slashes operational costs and conserves resources.

As you can see in the photos, it was an incredibly interactive session as we continue to work alongside our partners like the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to roll out smart, sustainable technologies to strengthen regional food security!