Agricultural representatives from English-speaking Caribbean countries visit Malaga's Axarquía

Members of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) who represent governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica and Saint Kitts and Nevis, along with organisations that promote the leadership of rural women and youth visited the Axarquía area of Malaga province on Friday 24 October as part of a three-day visit to Andalucía.

The group came as part of EU-CaN: Nurturing Futures Together project, which aims to strengthen sustainable agri-food systems and the social economy in eastern Caribbean countries through knowledge exchange with European regions.

This project is funded by the European Commission and coordinated by the Foundation for the Internationalisation of Public Administrations (FIAP), an organisation within the Spanish Cooperation system, which promotes cooperation between more than 120 countries in Europe, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

During the Axarquía day the group visited a subtropical fruit company in Vélez-Málaga, the Monte Faco vineyard and the village of Moclinejo, where they tried local traditional dishes and sweet wine and were joined by the mayors of Almáchar and El Borge, Antonio Yuste and Raúl Vallejo.

The secretary general for agriculture of the Andalusian regional government, Manuel Gómez, welcomed the group at the start of the three-day visit on Wednesday 22 October. He said, "Andalucía particularly identifies with this vision, as it has demonstrated that sustainability and competitiveness are only possible if we fully incorporate women and young people into the heart of agricultural and fisheries policies."

He went on to say that Andalucía "advocates agricultural innovation to revitalise rural areas and strengthen food security". The group also visited Cadiz and Seville as well as spending time in Madrid.