Trade & Regional Commerce
Strengthening the region's food system
The Caribbean has the capacity to produce far more of what it consumes—yet roughly 80% of food is imported.
The issue is not the absence of systems. It is that existing systems are not sufficiently supported or coordinated at a regional level.
Production decisions are made with limited visibility into broader demand. Agricultural cycles are not aligned across farms. Soil conditions are not consistently monitored or shared. Logistics systems operate, but without full coordination across islands, routes, and supply.
What exists works—but not together.
Food security is a coordination challenge
Agriculture, logistics, trade, and distribution systems operate independently, without a shared layer that aligns:
- What is grown
- Where it is needed
- How it is moved
This track focuses on building systems that strengthen, connect, and enhance these existing layers—improving coordination across the full food cycle.
The Caribbean is the testbed
Small island states represent distributed but active food systems with clear opportunities for improved coordination.
Strengthening how these systems work together can reduce import dependency, improve resilience, and enable the region to operate more like a unified market.
The Caribbean is the testbed.
What to build
Build systems that support and connect production, logistics, and distribution:
Farm-to-Market Intelligence
Systems that connect agricultural supply with regional demand—giving producers visibility into where food is needed most.
Crop Planning & Yield Forecasting
Forecasting tools that align planting decisions with projected demand and environmental conditions across regions.
Soil Monitoring & Agricultural Intelligence
Platforms that track soil health, land use, and growing conditions to optimize crop cycles and agricultural output.
Regional Planting Coordination
Systems that align planting schedules across farms and islands to reduce oversupply, prevent shortages, and stabilize markets.
Freight Matching & Route Optimization
Matching freight capacity with agricultural supply in real time, optimizing shipping routes across islands.
Port & Logistics Coordination
Coordination layers for port operations, customs processing, and inter-island freight movement.
Supply Chain Visibility & Tracking
End-to-end visibility systems that track food from farm to market across the regional supply chain.
Food Distribution & Inventory Optimization
Optimization systems for food distribution, warehouse management, and inventory across island markets.
Data layer
Teams will work with publicly available datasets. The challenge is not access—it is coordination across systems that were not designed to work together.
Data may be sourced from ministries of agriculture, regional institutions, WFP, FAO, and global agricultural datasets.
How AI works in this track
AI is not replacing existing systems. It is strengthening and coordinating them.
Teams may build systems that:
- Align planting decisions with regional demand
- Forecast yields and shortages before they occur
- Optimize soil use and crop cycles
- Match freight capacity with supply in real time
- Improve routing across shipping networks
- Provide visibility across the food system
The goal is to make existing systems work together more effectively.
What strong teams do differently
Strong teams
Strengthen systems.
Weak teams
Build marketplaces.
The bar is not listing supply. It is whether your system improves outcomes:
- More predictable yields
- Better use of agricultural land
- More efficient logistics
- Improved coordination across markets
- Stronger regional food security
We are not looking to replace systems.
We are looking to strengthen and connect them.
Food security depends on how well systems work together.
Improving coordination across production, logistics, and distribution unlocks:
- Reduced reliance on imports
- Stronger regional resilience
- More stable agricultural output
- More efficient supply chains