In response to that forecast, the Caribbean Policy Development Center (CPDC) has started a climate-friendly intelligent agriculture project, involving 90 representatives from three countries in the area over the next 18 months.

According to CPDC Executive Director Gordon Bispham, the aim of the program is to support sustainable livelihoods and to reinforce that agriculture is a serious business.

‘In this productive activity we can apply specific technologies and methodologies, not only to be sustainable, but to be profitable,’ he said.

Bispham commented that young people and women will be a focus of the smart agriculture project, because with their inclusion in the sector, they can find their livelihood and make a contribution to the national economy.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), drought can affect the peasantry in several ways, reducing crop yields and productivity, and causing premature death of livestock and poultry.

‘Drought is the most common cause of severe food shortages in developing countries, so this is a key issue for Caribbean food security,’ said FAO Regional Coordinator for the Caribbean, Deep Ford.