The Gilbert Agricultural and Rural Development Center (GARD Center) has been awarded a grant from CCRIF SPC (formerly the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility) for a project to train communities in the use of Vetiver grass to support livelihoods and protect agricultural lands. The CCRIF grant of US$21,195 (EC$57,226.50) will help to improve environmental management and alleviate poverty in Antigua and Barbuda.
Vetiver grass is a tropical grass that is known for having an extremely deep and durable root system and can be used as an ecosystem-based adaptation strategy to reduce erosion and recharge groundwater along steep hillsides and riverbeds. Additionally, the leaves and roots of the Vetiver grass can be used for weaving into mats and baskets and this aromatic plant can be processed to make items such as soaps and candles.
This project will build the capacity of farmers in how to plant and maintain the vetiver grass as well as Agriculture teachers at 10 secondary schools and their students in the use of Vetiver grass as an ecosystem-based adaptation strategy. Under the project, women from several communities also will receive training in making baskets, mats and other craft items and scented products by-products such as essential oils, soap, pillow mists, and insect repellents.
June Jackson, Executive Director of the GARD Center, indicated her appreciation of CCRIF’s support in providing resources for the implementation of this important project in Antigua and Barbuda.
CCRIF is the world’s first multi-country, multi-peril risk pool based on parametric insurance, and is considered the Caribbean and Central America’s development insurer. CCRIF provides insurance coverage for tropical cyclones, excess rainfall, and earthquakes and for the fisheries, electric utilities and water utilities sectors to Caribbean and Central American countries. Through its Small Grants Programme, CCRIF supports NGOs and community-based organizations such as the GARD Center to implement disaster risk reduction projects.
