Global CFaH Showcases Community-Led Food Systems at the 70th CARPHA Conference
The Global Community Food for Human Nutrition and Planetary Health (Global CFaH) project was proud to participate in the 70th Annual Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) Health Research Conference from April 22- 24 in Guyana. The CARPHA Annual Health Research Conference is the largest health research conference in the English-speaking Caribbean and the longest-running health research Conference in Latin America and the Caribbean region. Together with researchers, policymakers, and practitioners from across the region, the conference created an important space to explore how innovation can strengthen health systems in meaningful and sustainable ways.
Held under the theme “Innovations in Health,” CARPHA 2026 was the perfect opportunity to amplify the Global CFaH Project’s work on community-led food systems. Through an interactive booth and ongoing engagement with attendees, members of the Global CFaH Caribbean team, alongside representatives from Caribbean partner organisations Richmond Vale Academy and Helen’s Daughters, shared how the project is working across settings through research and community-based interventions to strengthen food systems using locally grounded, agroecological approaches. This presence highlighted the strength of Global CFaH’s regional partnerships, demonstrating how collaboration across countries supports knowledge exchange and the co-creation of solutions while remaining rooted in community realities.
The Global CFaH Interactive booth created a space to connect research with practice, sharing how research translates into improved diets, increased local food production, and stronger community resilience. Interactive activities invited participants to reflect on food systems in the Caribbean, sparking conversations about food production, import dependency, and the role of local systems in shaping health outcomes.
Food systems are not separate from health. They are foundational to it!
In addition to its interactive presence, Global CFaH contributed to the scientific programme through three research presentations delivered by project researchers, Catherine Brown and Divya Bhagtani (on behalf of Khadija Patel). These included work on dietary assessment tools in the Caribbean, community-led food system interventions, and the relationship between household food production, diet, and health outcomes in small island settings.
Catherine Brown presenting “A tale of two interventions: co-creation and implementation of context-driven interventions to support local food production and consumption in two Caribbean countries”
Divya Bhagtani presenting “Adaptation and Implementation of Intake24 for Caribbean Populations: St. Vincent and the Grenadines Pilot Study” (on behalf of Khadija Patel)
Additional research presented included “Household food self-production and diet, wellbeing, and hypertension in a small island developing state: a cross-sectional study”.
Participation in CARPHA forms part of Global CFaH’s wider efforts to strengthen the visibility and impact of its work across regional and international spaces. Alongside engagements such as recent presentations at the UK Parliament, the conference reflects growing recognition of the role that community-led, agroecological approaches play in advancing both human and planetary health. These platforms are critical for ensuring that evidence generated through the project informs policy, practice, and future investment in sustainable food systems.
Global CFaH remains steadfast in its aim to strengthen connections between research and its impact on communities, and decision-making spaces to advance food system solutions that are locally relevant, regionally significant, globally informed and aligned with our commitment to planetary health.
To learn more about Global CFaH’s work across all project countries, including recent updates and insights, click here to read the latest newsletter.