[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n an increasingly globalised world, regional partnerships aren’t just a way of building political goodwill, they’re a matter of economic survival. Latin America and the Caribbean have long enjoyed a symbiotic relationship: trading, negotiating and collaborating with the help of institutions such as the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).
In recent years Argentina has climbed out of its post-recession slump to become one of Latin America’s fastest growing economies with GDP growth of 3.5 per cent in 2017. With its rebound gaining momentum, the country is looking to leverage links with its CARICOM neighbours to the north. The Argentine government is actively expanding its reach across the region, re-opening embassies in Barbados and Guyana and establishing a new embassy in Suriname. Saint Lucia welcomed its first resident Argentine Ambassador in 2014.
In 2013 the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation with the Argentine Republic. The agreement listed possible areas of collaboration, including health, education, tourism, trade and investment and agriculture. The latter two were the subject of scrutiny at a recent Regional Cooperation Workshop held in Barbados.
The workshop, which took place in April, looked at strengthening ties between Argentina and the Caribbean in terms of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) development and agriculture. The event, organised through the Argentine Fund for South-South and Triangular Cooperation (FOAR), focused on building capacity through the exchange of knowledge, technologies and best practices. Over 30 officials from nine countries attended the meeting, including Deputy Director in Saint Lucia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Barry Innocent. Representatives from regional bodies such as the Caribbean Development Bank and IICA were also present.
SME DEVELOPMENT
Caribbean SMEs are struggling to get off the ground. Thwarted by a lack of capital, bureaucratic red tape and time-consuming and costly start-up requirements, entrepreneurs in the region are failing to reach their potential.
Argentina wants to help redress the situation by assisting Caribbean economies in developing business clusters and incubators. These will give SMEs and entrepreneurs a space to develop their ideas, passions and talent through exposure to expertise, skills and mentorship. Often, potential start-ups are stymied by lack of resources and knowledge. Providing training for both businesses and policymakers, Argentina can help the Caribbean create a framework for growth.
There is already precedent for Argentine’s involvement in this crucial area. Between 2011 and 2013, the FOAR assisted Saint Lucia with a project to promote SME development. The initiative brought in Argentine experts to train 20 public officials in drawing up SME-friendly policies. The Argentine delegation shared their experiences of Plan Argentina 2020, the country’s strategic development plan, and suggested ways to adapt that template to Saint Lucia’s business environment. The project came to a close with a seminar in November 2013 that laid the groundwork for future technical cooperation.
AGRICULTURE
Agriculture—once a key driver of Caribbean economies, providing jobs and trade opportunities—is on a downward trajectory in the region thanks to limited technical capability, lack of resources and vulnerability to climate change. Argentina can help. The country has made significant strides in engaging family farmers and leveraging the latest technologies to boost production. At the Regional Cooperation Workshop held in April, two particular areas of focus were identified: soil and water conservation and plant quarantine. Policymakers are now drafting tangible projects to tackle these issues.
In March senior members of the Ministry of Agriculture in several Caribbean countries (including Saint Lucia) toured Argentina’s National Agricultural Research Center in the National Institute of Agricultural Technology, where they were given an insight into Argentina’s use of natural resources, climate awareness and family farming. The trip, which was coordinated by IICA, was designed to help the Caribbean work towards food security. “It is both natural and necessary to foster this rapprochement between countries that are vulnerable to climate change and concerned about food security, and an economic superpower like Argentina, whose temperate-climate agriculture is one of the most efficient in the world,” said IICA Director General Manuel Otero. “This affords opportunities to increase cooperation and carry out work in matters related to family farming, associative undertakings, the use of water resources, and resilience.”
SOUTH-SOUTH STRENGTH
Confronted with similar issues, yet diverse enough to learn from each other, Argentina and the Caribbean are natural collaborators.
“Argentina is far away in terms of geography but we are a really close country in terms of friendship,” said Ambassador of the Argentine Republic to Barbados Gustavo Martinez Pandiani, speaking at the recent workshop. “We are trying to have a permanent presence in this part of the world. Our idea is that Latin America and the Caribbean is not just a figure of speech but a geographical and political reality. We are looking forward to fostering stronger ties.”
South-South collaboration of this kind is vital. Developing countries have a lot to learn from each other, particularly when they are at different stages in their development. Argentina and the Caribbean nations have all suffered similar growing pains and can now pool their resources to face common obstacles. Boosting a country’s economic profile is a complex task, involving a range of resources. International aid plays a part but traditional donor-based projects and programmes are not the only piece of the puzzle. Knowledge transfer and technical cooperation gives countries the tools to shape their own path to growth and build sustainable, strategic frameworks.
