USAID features the Dominican Organic Agriculture Movement (DOAM) as one of its Eastern Caribbean success stories:
With USAID’s assistance, “DOAM was able to proceed with the creation of local organic standards that are guiding our framers, training programs, public policy positions and allowing DOAM to develop beneficial relationships with other funding institutions,” explained DOAM Board Secretary Donna Klarin. “USAID’s support continues to be instrumental to the development of sustainable organics on the Nature Island of the Commonwealth of Dominica.”
When it started in 2006, DOAM was not much more than a good idea. Now the local organization has a small office and staff in the town of Roseau and is increasingly able to influence the way Dominicans till their land and more importantly protect its amazing biodiversity while developing a sustainable industry. Because organic agriculture is a fast growing niche market, Small Island States such as Dominica see certification as a great way to capitalize on that growth potential.
Receptive to DOAM’s success, an increasing number of producers are interested in production practices that are more in harmony with the ways Dominicans used to traditionally work their land. Organic farming also maintains the resilience of the land to hurricanes, torrential rain, and other natural disasters common to the Caribbean. As its influence grows, DOAM is also helping the Government of Dominica meet its commitment to having a national agriculture industry free of chemical inputs by 2015.
Read more at the USAID website. Find out more about DOAM at doamdominica.org.
Previous related posts on Green Antilles: Organic agriculture in Dominica and Organic Dominica.
