As island communities continue grappling with rising food costs, climate change, and an overwhelming dependence on imported food, regional leaders will gather in St. Thomas in September to explore what a stronger Caribbean food system could look like.
Hosted by Virgin Islands Good Food (VIGF), the second Island Food Systems Summit will take placeย Sept. 9โ13, 2026, with Sept. 9 and 13 designated as participant travel days. Summit programming will be held Sept. 10โ12.ย Based at the University of the Virgin Islands Sports and Fitness Center, the summit will also include field experiences and community visits across St. Thomas and St. John. The gathering will bring together farmers, fishers, policymakers, educators, researchers, nonprofit leaders, youth advocates, funders, and food entrepreneurs from across the Caribbean and beyond.
Held under the theme โGrow. Gather. Galvanize.,โ theย three-day summit programย is designed to foster regional collaboration while equipping participants with practical strategies to strengthen local food production, improve food access, and build more resilient island communities.
The theme reflects the summitโs commitment to moving beyond conversation and into action. Participants will โGrowโ through hands-on field experiences and community learning, โGatherโ to exchange knowledge, cultures, and innovations from across the region, and โGalvanizeโ new partnerships and practical commitments that strengthen Caribbean food systems long after the summit concludes.
For the Virgin Islands, conversations surrounding food security have become increasingly urgent in recent years. The territory imports the vast majority of its food, making it especially vulnerable to shipping disruptions, inflation, natural disasters, and global supply chain challenges. Hurricanes Irma and Maria, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic and recent spikes in food prices, underscore the importance of developing stronger local and regional food networks. Rather than viewing those challenges in isolation, VIGF sees an opportunity to work alongside neighboring islands facing many of the same realities.
โOur islands may be separated by water, but many of our food system challenges are shared. Whether youโre farming in the Virgin Islands, fishing in Dominica, or working on food policy in Puerto Rico, weโre all asking similar questions about resilience, sustainability, and how we create healthier communities. This summit is about learning from one another and building solutions together,โ said VIGF Executive Director Sommer Sibilly-Brown.
The gathering builds on the inaugural Island Food Systems Summit, held on St. Croix in 2024, which brought together participants from throughout the Caribbean, Hawaiสปi, Alaska, and the continental United States. Organizers say the relationships formed during that first summit demonstrated the value of creating a dedicated space where communities could exchange ideas, strengthen regional networks, and develop long-term partnerships.
This yearโs summit expands on that momentum by creating opportunities for participants to build practical collaborations around local food production, procurement, education, entrepreneurship, research, and policy.
The program will include keynote presentations, collaborative workshops, panel discussions, networking events, implementation labs, mutual aid and field experiences, farm and community site visits on St. Thomas and St. John, and action-planning sessions focused on translating ideas into meaningful change.
โWe donโt want people to simply attend a conference and go home with a notebook full of ideas. We want them to leave with new relationships, new collaborations, practical tools they can apply in their own communities, and a renewed sense that together we can build food systems that reflect the strengths, cultures, and ingenuity of our islands,โ said Sibilly-Brown.
VIGF also hopes the summit will inspire broader community conversations about food sovereignty. While many of the discussions will focus on policy and systems change, organizers emphasize that everyone has a role to play, whether by supporting local farmers and fishers, reducing food waste, mentoring the next generation of agricultural leaders, or investing in community-based solutions.
Throughout the summit, participants will explore strategies for strengthening regional food production, improving market opportunities for farmers and fishers, increasing institutional purchasing of locally grown food, supporting youth leadership, advancing food policy, and building stronger partnerships across island communities.
โThe future of food in the Caribbean isnโt something that will be decided by one organization or one government. It will be shaped by the partnerships we build and the choices we make together. Thatโs what this summit is really about,โ said Sibilly-Brown.
Organizers encourage farmers, fishers, educators, students, policymakers, nonprofit leaders, researchers, food entrepreneurs, funders, and community members who care about the future of Caribbean food systems to participate. Whether attending to learn, share expertise, develop partnerships, or invest in regional solutions, participants will become part of a growing movement working toward a more resilient and food-secure Caribbean.
Registration for the Island Food Systems Summit is now open. Additional information, including registration details, the full schedule, sponsorship opportunities, and speaker information, is available atย www.islandfoodsummit.com.
