Nestled in a remote and mountainous area of the Atlantic coast of Dominica, Kalinago Territory is home to the indigenous Kalinago people, who have inhabited the region historically. The roughly 3,000 people living in the region share communal ownership of the Territory, comprised of mostly poor-quality land that is susceptible to soil erosion and deforestation, which in turn have destroyed many of the area streams. It is among Dominica’s poorest regions.
In an effort to strengthen the livelihoods and resilience of the Kalinago people, the Government, with support from the India-UN Fund, launched an integrated programme designed to strengthen sustainable agricultural production and practices; implement community reforestation programmes to protect livelihoods and water catchment areas; develop a comprehensive gender-sensitive tourism strategy and Kalinago brand; and boost institutional capacities of the Kalinago Council for inclusive decision-making and planning.
The 18-month project is being facilitated by UNDP in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Rural Modernization and Kalinago Upliftment and the Kalinago Council, with the support of the Ministry of Blue and Green Economy, Agriculture and National Food Security and the Ministry of Tourism, International Transport and Maritime Initiatives.
“The coining of the project here is very, very clear. It tells us something we have discounted a lot in the conversation about the Kalinago people: they are resilient, they have been able to sustain themselves for millennia and a project like this only magnifies it.”
? Hon. Cozier Frederick, Minister for Environment, Rural Modernization and Kalinago Upliftment, in launching the programme.
Deforestation is a critical issue confronting Kalinago Territory, and as such, the Government is providing support to demarcate some of the major activities important to the areas of livelihood of the Territory such as agriculture, tourism and social forestry so as to provide a management structure to decrease the risk of further deforestation. These activities include the planting of 2,000 trees donated by the Forestry Division and planted by the Kalinago Territory community under the National Employment Programme and the construction of 15 community greenhouses.
In terms of agriculture, the project provides equipment and materials to support the final construction and implementation of a Climate Smart Agricultural Research Station. This included providing technical expertise for product development and the marketing of cassava and value-added cassava products, a traditionally important crop in Kalinago culture. Small grants were also provided to support Kalinago farmers with cassava cultivation and product development.
In an effort to boost tourism, the partners designed a gender-sensitive tourism strategy for Kalinago Territory focusing on three areas: an indigenous tourism route/experience in the Territory that supports both culture and long-term business potential; a gender-sensitive tourism infrastructure plan; and a Kalinago tourism brand package.
Strengthening the ability of the Kalinago Council to implement and manage is essential to making the integrated programme work efficiently. To this end, the programme supports the exchange of experiences and best practices by the participation of the Kalinago Council in regional and international forums and conferences on indigenous peoples. In addition, it supports digitizing the Council archives to secure a historic record of its work.
