Faculty of Food and Agriculture

About this Programme

Caribbean islands are extremely vulnerable to both natural and anthropogenic disasters. Limited land space, lack of economic diversity, geophysical location and colonial hegemony have resulted in many of the islands firmly placed in cycles of crisis management rather than risk management. With the recent regional impacts of climate change and the international recognition of the heightened vulnerability of life and livelihoods in Small Island Developing States of the Caribbean, significant focus and resources are being attributed towards enhancing disaster and climate resilience across all sectors. Agriculture has been highlighted as one of the most vulnerable sectors, while environmental degradation combined with the effects of climate change results in repeated occurrences of natural disasters (floods, droughts, and landslides) ultimately impacting a myriad of other sectors.

This Major is designed to address the gap in formal tertiary level education as it pertains to disaster risk management and climate resilience in the Caribbean Region. Special focus is placed on the agricultural and environmental sectors to facilitate the incorporation of modern frameworks and concepts into management plans. The programme also provides an understanding of disaster risk and vulnerability assessments to equip students with technical capacity to conduct, analyse and apply disaster management strategies. Community based approaches and the integration of indigenous knowledge into disaster risk management schemes have also been included ensuring that persons are exposed to their importance and relevance in modern management disaster risk management strategies.

This dynamic programme can be combined with other Faculty majors, such as Agricultural Technology and Environmental and Natural Resource Management.

**Applicants qualify for CCRIF SPC Scholarships.

Potential Careers
• Environmental Health and Safety Specialist
• Emergency Management Consultant
• Disaster Risk Specialist
• Climate Change Analyst
• Risk Reduction Analyst
• Crisis Management Specialist
• Response and Recovery Coordinator
• Environmental Restoration Planner

Programme Breakdown

Entry Requirements

To engage in this programme, you must satisfy the following specific subject requirements: