Mr. Fayaz Shah is the Manager of Science, Technology & Innovation at Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute, also called CARDI since 2023, where he has the responsibility for coordinating and providing strategic leadership to a multidisciplinary team of scientists and technical staff to implement the Institute’s research, innovation and development programs across 14 CARICOM member states

He is the holder of a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Crop Protection with Distinction in Entomology from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus.

His focus for the past 25 years has been on increasing crop productivity through crop science, reducing crop risk and supporting climate adaptation through promoting sustainable production and technology based solutions. This has led to him introducing and validating new agronomic techniques resulting in increasing cassava yield to 27,000 lbs. per acre to support development of further agro processing flour and starch industries and for improved pest management of the South American Palm weevil in coconuts using an improved pheromone funnel trapping method.

Before joining CARDI Fayaz held various technical and managerial positions in the private and government sectors where he worked specifically on improving the productivity of hot pepper, cassava, sweet potato cocoa and crops produced in hydroponic systems through agronomic field support and capacity building to farmers, farmers’ groups and commercial farms on pests, diseases and soil fertility management and increasing yield for various open field and protected agriculture crops in Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago.

During this time he was able develop and monitor an improved production system which resulted in the Caroni Green Hot Pepper Project in Trinidad and Tobago achieving yields of 20,000 lbs. per acre to support their fresh fruit export to North America while in Guyana he worked with Plympton Farms to mitigate their pest and disease challenges and increase their hot pepper crop productivity.

Mr. Shah continues to be an advocate for science-based productivity and innovation as drivers for competitiveness, sustainability, and growth in Caribbean agriculture.