Page 13 - Agric Info Mag 2018 - 01

The Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Transformation, Forestry, Fisheries, In-
dustry and Labour in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organiza-
tion of the United Nations continues the implementation of FAO funded
Technical Cooperation Project – Development of National Land Banks for
improved Food and Nutrition Security and Land Administration in St. Vin-
cent and the Grenadines. To this end, Ms. Stefanie Elder-Alexander, Land
Administration Specialist is currently in the state undertaking a Technical
Assistance Mission. The Mission will run from the 14th – 20th January
2018.

The objectives of the mission include:
1. An examination of the systems of land records for both state and private lands to examine existing mecha-
nisms for record storage and sharing
2. Hold technical discussions with officials from Land and Surveys, Land Registry, Extension and Advisory

Services and other relevant agencies to review possible institutional frameworks for implementation of
the land banks
3. Support the Land and Survey Department to define the pilot land bank site
4. Discuss with associated stakeholders regarding land bank operations and system queries to be developed
5. Review the Database Management System in operation to draft specifications for the development and
management of the land bank database.

This technical assistance mission follows an Inception Workshop held on the Project on the 10th November
2017.

The project is expected to establish a pilot land bank, prepare an institutional framework and operational
guidelines for the establish-
ment and operation of a na-
tional land bank. Databases
with an inventory of rural
lands, including idle and un-
derutilized state lands, with
relevant information on plot
sizes, soil type, slope, exist-
ing land use, infrastructure

and crop possibilities among
other initiatives would be de-
veloped to ensure the suc-
cessful implementation and
sustainability of the land
L-R: Dr. Colleen Phillips, FAO National Correspondent, bank.
Stephanie Elder-Alexander, Land Management Specialist and
Ryan Nanton, National Land Bank Project Coordinator.