BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — Caribbean agriculture ministers have discussed plans for advancing a capital-first approach to food systems transformation, positioning the sector as a viable and strategic asset class for investment across the region.

The one-day high-level Food Systems Investment Forum on Tuesday, organised by the United Nations Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, was held under the theme “Mobilising Equity Capital for Resilient Food Systems in the Caribbean” and was attended by senior representatives from across the Caribbean, international financial institutions, private investors, and development partners.

A statement issued following the event said the United Nations (UN) launched an official “Deal Book” that highlights US$320 million in investment-ready opportunities across the region’s food systems. It said that this product is designed to continue the deal-making commenced during the forum and to catalyse partnerships between investors and enterprises.

In his address to the forum, the United Nations Resident Coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Simon Springett, speaking on the topic “From Policy to Capital Deployment”, underscored the urgent need to bridge the financing gap in Caribbean food systems and unlock new sources of private capital.

He said that Caribbean food systems remained under pressure, with capital flows misaligned, financing still dominated by loans or grants and patient equity largely absent. At the same time, he noted that private investment was also being directed into other sectors like real estate, and not into the productive food economy.

Springett urged governments to strengthen enabling environments and encouraged investors to recognise the emerging pipeline across agriculture, fisheries, processing, and logistics.

“The opportunity is here. Capital exists. But they are not connected in a structured and meaningful way. This forum is designed to change that…through a different kind of conversation — one that starts with capital: how investors assess risk, what makes a project bankable and what actually unlocks deals,” he said.

Chairman of International Asset Management and Managing Partner of the CaribGROW Fund, John Morris, noted that Caribbean businesses with proven revenue, experienced management and defensible market positions can deliver genuine returns.

“The challenge is not the opportunity, the challenge is capital,” he noted, drawing on the New York Knicks basketball team in the United States as an analogy.

Morris described capital markets as a team sport, where success requires diverse actors working together. He credited multilateral institutions, development finance, regional banks, and governments for laying the foundations, but underscored that equity remains the missing ingredient.

“Equity is where ownership, wealth creation and wealth retention live,” he said, warning that without it, businesses struggle to scale and remain vulnerable to foreign acquisition.

“We take minority stakes, so families retain control and wealth stays in the region,” he added.

Barbados Minister of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Security, Dr Shantal Munro-Knight, noted the shared sense of purpose among participants.

“This is an acknowledgement that we have come here to do something big and that is important. I also see in the room, people of like minds who I do not have to convince of the importance of the conversation, and the importance that dialogue around food systems has moved beyond just production.”

Framing food systems as one of the most significant economic and development opportunities for the Caribbean, Munro-Knight urged both governments and investors to recognise the transformative potential.

“If you want an equation that answers one of the most fundamental challenges facing this region, our food security, while also enabling social and structural economic transformation, then you’re in the right place at the right time,” she said.

Drawing parallels to the Bridgetown Initiative, she stressed that “meeting the moment” requires innovative partnerships that treat Caribbean voices as equals at the table and rethink how capital is structured and delivered.

“Food systems are about big things, logistics, agro-processing, cold chains, digital transformation, [and] technology in agriculture. These are investable opportunities, big investable opportunities,” she said as she called on private sector partners to walk alongside governments.

“We’ve come to the table, meet us with your capital,” she said.

The one-day forum was designed to move beyond traditional dialogue by facilitating direct engagement between investors and governments, presenting investment-ready opportunities and advancing transaction development and partnerships.

Participants engaged in investor roundtables, thematic sessions and bilateral meetings aimed at accelerating capital deployment and scaling resilient food systems initiatives. By focusing on equity capital, blended finance and market-driven solutions, the forum sought to unlock the full economic and resilience potential of Caribbean food systems while advancing progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).