The Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C) participated in a panel discussion titled “Bridging Water and Food Security: Sustainable Water Management for Caribbean Agriculture” on the second day of the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association’s (CWWA) High-Level Forum on Water, held as part of the 35th Annual CWWA Conference and Exhibition in Grenada.
The panel was facilitated by Dr. Ronald Roopnarine, Deputy Dean and Senior Lecturer at The University of the West Indies, Agricultural Sciences and Sustainability. Panelists included Shaun Baugh, Programme Manager, Agriculture and Agro-Industry Development, CARICOM Secretariat; Ignatius Jean, Executive Director, CAWASA; Natasha Joseph, Project Development Specialist, Grenada Development Bank; and Dr. Roxanne Graham-Victor, Regional Coordinator, GWP-C.
The discussion explored the interconnected challenges of water security, agricultural development and climate change, with emphasis on sustainable and climate-resilient water management practices.
Speaking on the importance of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), Dr. Graham-Victor emphasised the need to balance competing water demands while supporting agricultural productivity.
“Water security, agricultural development and climate resilience cannot be addressed in isolation. IWRM encourages us to manage our limited water resources more holistically, recognising competing demands across sectors. At GWP-C, we’ve supported innovations such as IRRIGOPTIMAL in Grenada, where artificial intelligence, soil moisture monitoring and weather data are used to support more informed irrigation decisions and improve agricultural water-use efficiency,” she noted.
Drawing on her experience leading the revision of Grenada’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) 2025–2030, Dr. Graham-Victor also highlighted how integrated planning can strengthen national resilience, noting that water management is embedded not only within the NAP’s dedicated Programme of Action on Water Availability, but also across food security, ecosystem resilience, infrastructure and disaster risk reduction.
GWP-C’s participation reaffirmed its commitment to advancing integrated water resources management, promoting innovation and strengthening partnerships that support water security and climate-resilient agriculture across the Caribbean.