Climate Impacts and Resilience in Caribbean Agriculture (CIRCA)

1. Climate Impacts and Resilience in Caribbean
Agriculture (CIRCA): Assessing the consequences of
climate change on cocoa and tomato production in
Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica
Kevon Rhiney, UWI (Mona Campus)
Aidan Farrell, UWI (St. Augustine)
Pathmanathan Umaharan, Cocoa Research Centre, UWI (St. Augustine)
Michael Taylor, Climate Studies Group UWI (Mona)
Anton Etzinger, International Centre for Tropical Agriculture
CARIBSAVE & CDKN RESEARCH PARTNERS WORKSHOP
July 23-24, 2014
Courtleigh Hotel & suites, Kingston Jamaica

2. Background
• Project will provide valuable information on the likely impacts of
climate change on crop production in Jamaica and Trinidad.
• Combining data on climate change scenarios with data on crop
production for two target crops (cocoa and tomato).
• The ability of these crops to respond to climate change will be
assessed through the use of a ‘climate proof screen’.
• This project will enhance regional capacity to screen cultivars
for resistance to heat and drought stress and will empower
regional stakeholders and policy makers in making informed
spatial decisions about which cultivars to prioritize with respect
to long-term agricultural investment.

3. Project Goals
Short Term:
• increase dialogue between cocoa and tomato growers and
researchers within the region.
• increase the capacity of regional organisations to advise
farmers and plant breeders on how best to meet the challenge
of climate change.
• provide research tools, technical capacity and a knowledge-
base that can be further harnessed in future.
Long Term:
• identify more resilient cultivars that are higher yielding under
erratic and suboptimal growing conditions
• findings will also be used to inform the design of national
climate compatible policies and risk communication strategies.

4. Project Structure

5. Expected Outputs
• Scientific papers [Targeted to the international plant science
community as well as researchers interested in climate
change and food security issues]
• Policy Brief [Targeted at agriculture policy makers]
• Technical report/User Manual [Targeted to agricultural bodies
and plant breeding companies working in the Caribbean]
• Reporting/Validation Workshop [Targeted for farmers and
national agricultural bodies]