 As St. Lucia strives to secure its food supply, key stakeholders of pesticide use and regulation gathered to evaluate the effectiveness of the country's existing pesticide regulations. The meeting was organized in collaboration with the Forden Agriculture Organization, FAO, and the Ministry of Agriculture under the African-Caribbean and Pacific ACP, MES, three capacity building related to multilateral agreements. Experts discussed the findings of an assessment that was conducted last year to review the legislation on pesticides in the country with a focus on improving pesticide management and recommending changes to the regulations. National Project Coordinator of the ACP-MEA's three project, Lishan Monroe's, in highlighting the significance of the project's implementation to St. Lucia, insists that providing the necessary technical assistance and training to improve pesticide regulation and management is key to addressing the weakness in pesticide governance. This phase of the project focuses on sustainable agriculture and biodiversity conservation and use. Pesticide is inextricably linked to biodiversity health. When we manage our pesticides, we also contribute to the health of our ecosystems and our abundance of biodiversity in St. Lucia. We know it has been well documented that the indiscriminate uses of pesticide leads to detrimental impacts on the environment, loss of habitats, and killing off of biodiversity in the front of the flora and what not. And this is an area where St. Lucia needs improvement. This is why pesticides were selected to be one of our key focus areas under the project. Director of Agricultural Services, Dr. Aurea King-Snack, in emphasizing the importance of balancing agricultural productivity with environmental protection, says sustainable agricultural practices are crucial for safeguarding the health of our communities and preserving the natural resources which sustain our livelihoods. There is great concern regarding adhering to labels, use and disposal of these pesticides and their containers. Even more alarming is the fact that pesticides are considered one of the most popular contributing factors in suicide and poisoning in children. We all saw what occurred in our neighboring islands of Martinique and Guadalupe, where a pesticide link to cancer was spread on banana crops for many, many years, and now nearly all adults in the population have traces of it in their blood. Notwithstanding the damages and the prevalence of the danger sorry, and the prevalence of pesticides in and around the home, there are many easy and very practical ways in minimizing the exposure, such as integrated pest management systems and as simple as keeping our surroundings clean. The assessment of pesticide regulation in St. Lucia underscores the need for ongoing efforts to strengthen regulatory frameworks and improve compliance with pesticide regulations. Through continued collaboration and support from organizations like the FAO, the Agriculture Ministry continues to work towards a safer and more sustainable agriculture sector. From the Communications Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture, I am Anitia Antoine reporting.