TT-T1096 – Establishment of the Trinidad and Tobago Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (US$227,648) (2019-2024)

Counterpart: Ministry of Trade and Industry; Trinidad and Tobago Laboratory Accreditation Service (TTLABS)

Objective: Strengthening the institutional capacity of the Trinidad and Tobago Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (TTASCA) by developing the legal and regulatory framework for its establishment.

Results: The project achieved all its intended outputs and outcomes:

• Drafted a regulatory Impact Assessment & Legislative brief to inform new TTASCA legislation. A Draft Bill was submitted to the Ministry of Trade and Industry in 2022, for onward submission to the Attorney General’s Office (via the Chief Parliamentary Counsel) to be accepted by cabinet and debated in Parliament.
• Training was delivered to 120 potential accreditation staff on the various standards for lab accreditation (ISO 17020, 17011, 17025, 15189).
• Virtual tours were conducted of similar accreditation facilities overseas
• Change management plan & branding strategy were prepared to support the transition from TTLabs to TTASCA
• 8 workshops were held on topics such as Geographical Indication (GI) and Euro Market Acceptance; and Accreditation as a Tool for National Trade Competitiveness
• A survey of national and regional labs (Southern and Eastern Caribbean) which could become potential TTASCA customers was conducted, and a Customer Relationship Management solution was developed so that TTASCA can engage and follow up with potential clients
• The project supported UWI’s Cocoa Research Centre to pursue accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 as TTASCA’s first client. ISO/IEC 17025 is the standard that enables laboratories to demonstrate that they operate competently and generate valid results, thereby promoting confidence in their work both nationally and around the world.

TT-T1102 – Promoting Organic Production and Marketability of Trinidad and Tobago Cocoa and Chocolate (US$257,343) (2020-2024)

Counterpart: ExporTT and 14 private sector entities in the cocoa and chocolate sector

Objective: To enhance the productivity, quality, and access to external markets, of Trinidad and Tobago’s organic fine cocoa and chocolate products, and thereby contribute to the sustainable growth of a sector that will generate foreign exchange, higher incomes and employment opportunities for farming communities and within agro-processing firms that are primarily women-owned

Results: The project developed a blueprint for cocoa nursery and clonal garden and helped to establish three nurseries across the country. It carried out biostimulant trials with young cocoa plants to examine the effectiveness of the Algas Organics product to substitute chemical fertilizers. It held a series of training workshops on organic production that benefited more than 150 beneficiaries, built a containerized cocoa bean storage facility to benefit multiple farmers and mobilized additional financing for solar panel equipment. It trained over 25 producers in post-harvest optimization, successfully certified organic 4 cocoa producers and traders, tested 10 cluster member cocoa quality and developed flavor profiles for them. It developed strategic marketing plans for 3 chocolate companies in the cluster and for the not-for-profit organization: the Original Trinitario Cocoa and Chocolate Foundation (OTC), which is a product of this cluster project. The project also allowed cluster members to participate in several trade fairs, including the DC Chocolate Festival to promote OTC products. The project helped develop sustainable packaging for cocoa and chocolate products through a partnership with a packaging company and provided training on supply chain management and business planning. Finally, the project successfully piloted a fully traceable digital value chain, using the ORIJIN software with 4 OTC members.

The courses developed by the project are stored in the OTC platform. OTC is meant to be a resource for farmers with a public resource section and a private resource section for members only, thus helping to raise resources to maintain collective initiatives for this cluster. https://www.otctt.org

TT-T1103 – Promoting the Blue Economy for Sustainable Economic Recovery in Tobago (US$96,102) (2021-2023)

Counterpart: Tobago House of Assembly, Office of the Chief Secretary

Objective: To mainstream the Blue Economy in the context of economic recovery efforts in Tobago. This initiative is framed to respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak and seeks to generate inputs for informed decision making in Trinidad and Tobago regarding alternatives for a sustainable recovery. It intends to create an environment for economic innovation and diversification following the Blue Economy approach.

Results: The project financed the following outputs: a blue economy assessment for Tobago and action plan, three workshops with key stakeholders to disseminate this product with public and private sectors, NGOs and Academia, and six pilot interventions focused on helping entrepreneurs test products and services such as the use of sargassum for spa products, the creation of niche ecotourism services, blue economy public awareness events and initiatives geared at creating single-use plastic alternatives.

During this project, the Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly convened a working group which involved some of the primary Divisions such as the Division of Food Security, Natural Resources, the Environment and Sustainable Development and the Division of Infrastructure, Quarries and Urban Development, Tobago. The working group has benefitted from enhanced knowledge and understanding of the Blue Economy and its potential for Tobago.

Video of panel discussion on the Blue Economy disseminated: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCRbzYT9ywk

RG-T3322 – Technology Extension Services (TES) in the Caribbean (US$810,740) (2019-2024)

Objective: To support public institutions to pilot a Technology Extension Services (TES) delivery system in the Caribbean that will support increase in productivity and innovation in the private sector.

Technology Extension Services is a form of innovation policy that sought to accelerate the pace at which Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) “catch up” with more advanced firms by transferring cutting-edge technology. This Caribbean-wide project worked with agri-business, manufacturing, and tourism firms.

Results: This project build the capacity of CARIRI, the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute, to carry out technology extension services in Caribbean businesses. CARIRI’s joint venture partner Instituto Tecnológico Hotelero (ITH) provided capacity building to CARIRI on how to provide TES in the tourism sector, while the Centro de Extensionismo Manufacturero CETMA de la Universidad de Concepción provided capacity building to CARIRI on how to provide TES in manufacturing and agro-processing. CETMA also trained BSOs from across the Caribbean to scout opportunities for TES that would be derived to CARIRI and performed an independent evaluation of the project. CETMA also provided TES to some ExportBarbados and ExporTT clients.

The project funded 75 technology audits and assessments for MSMEs throughout the Caribbean, with 50 of the firms also benefiting from partial implementation.

Trinidad and Tobago firms that received TES services:

In this project, 6 Trinidad and Tobago firms benefitted from technology audits and partial implementation of their assessment plans. The firms received technical assistance in the form of specialized and customized training on digital technologies identified in the audits.

– Carbon Zero Institute of Trinidad and Tobago (CZITT)

– Smart Foods

– The Herbarium Ltd.

– Trinidad and Tobago Fine Cocoa Company

– Woodplus Ltd.

– Woods-Man Caribbean Ltd.

RG-T3677 – Design and Implementation of a Regional Ag-Tech Pilot Project for the Caribbean (US$ disbursed for Trinidad and Tobago) (2020-2023)

Counterpart in Trinidad and Tobago: CropMate

Objective: To improve the capacity of public and private sector actors to collaborate in the design and implementation of commercial Ag-Tech solutions (viable technologies and the associated business models) for contributing to the improvement of agriculture sector productivity in the Caribbean.

Results: The project completed a gender-sensitive ag-tech maturity assessment to gather evidence of the types of ag-tech solutions that are sustainable and valued by farmers, agro-processors and other stakeholders in the Caribbean. The report took a deep dive into three key value chains: Fruits and Vegetables, Sauces and Spices and Coffee and Cocoa. The report then assesses sector strategies within Jamaica, Grenada and Guyana while providing an Ag-tech adoption factor assessment with recommendations to foster Ag-tech adoption.

A Regional Ag-Tech challenge was designed and implemented. There were 7 online training sessions held for challenge participants on: Design Thinking, Business Model Canvas, Problem-solution fit, Solution-market fit, Pilot definition, Proposal presentation, Developing a pilot with Agile methodologies. A Scale Up Methodology Training was hosted for the Ag-Tech Challenge Winners. A workshop geared at regional stakeholders to build capacity for the development of future challenges was also hosted. The learning involved the transfer of the lessons learned during the Ag-Tech challenge for similar future projects, including the program scope, challenge definition, participation encouragement, incentive design, participant selection, and participant mentoring. Overall, 11 webinars were delivered, 361 private sector individuals were trained, and 6 pilot interventions were implemented.

In Trinidad and Tobago, this project provided technical assistance to a team of entrepreneurs from Tobago, The Bahamas and St. Lucia to develop the CropMate solution.

CropMate is the talking plant which provides information on soil moisture, nutrients and salt levels. CropMate is a smart farming device which when placed in the soil tells farmers exactly what their crops need. The device pairs with smartphones or tablets and speaks to the farmer to give real time information and interventions to restore crop health. Born out of the need to help farmers cope with the increasing unpredictability of weather and to help them optimize water use and improve plant health in times of drought, CropMate offers timely, accurate and easily accessible information directly from plants and the soil to help farmers plan for rain, conserve water, and reduce crop loss. CropMate speaks audibly to farmers in clear, unambiguous language to indicate exactly what the plant requires. This is an important feature considering the literacy levels among regional farmers for whom this solution is designed. CropMate was able to validate all of their hypotheses through the pilot which support the product claims and value proposition. The results of the pilot intervention revealed the need for greater emphasis on marketing and training to older farmers in the use of CropMate. At the start of the scale up phase, the CropMate device could only test for moisture and temperature, it now tests for soil moisture, temperature, pH, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. In addition, the CropMate app now includes premium features which allow for monthly/yearly payment subscriptions to be received from users.

RG-T4008 – Strengthening the Implementation Capacity of Caribbean Blue Economy Clusters and Value Chains – ($99,425 for Trinidad and Tobago) (2022-ongoing)

Overall Objective: This regional project provides implementation support to 3 Caribbean Blue Economy clusters that were identified and recommended for financing under a 2020 Blue Economy Cluster Call (See RG-T3815). It is also providing support to 1 additional cluster that participated in the call. In Trinidad and Tobago, the project supported a feasibility study for the mariculture of red snapper.

Counterparts in Trinidad and Tobago: CARIRI and a group of private sector businesses

Objectives of the Trinidad Mariculture Cluster: to evaluate the feasibility of deep-sea mariculture in Trinidad and Tobago

Results: The project financed a feasibility study for the mariculture of Southern Red Snapper in Trinidad and Tobago. The report evaluated the climate and environmental suitability of mariculture, recommended which species and sites should be prioritized using GIS and ground-truthing, recommended which kinds of cages to utilize, provided detailed designs for both proof of concept and commercial scale farms, including mooring systems, net maintenance protocols and support services, examined national policies to verify whether the project was feasible from a regulatory perspective and which regulations needed to be complied with (Certificate of Environmental Clearance and other permits), provided detailed guidance for a proof of concept phase and plans for a commercial scale, guidelines for environmental impact management, risk management from natural disasters, disease outbreaks and technical failures, and analyzed domestic and export markets, price trends, and market demand to propose a detailed financial model including capital and operational costs, revenue expectations and sensitivity analysis. The conclusion of the feasibility analysis is that the project is viable with an Internal Rate of Return of 21.3%, but it requires careful management of costs and market risks.