IICA Barbados Courier August 2012

IICA BARBADOS COURIER
Issue # 2
IICA Barbados
COURIER
2nd Edition featuring IICA Barbados
Youth Farm Programme
August 2012
A PUBLICATION OF THE IICA OFFICE IN BARBADOS
Walking the Talk
by Carol Thomas
We are happy to present the second edition
of The IICA Barbados Courier which
highlights the most significant initiatives in
Barbados’ agricultural sector and projects in
progress by the local IICA team. The theme
for this edition is ‘walking the talk’ which
describes how our local technicians and our
partners are translating values into action
and tackling some of the issues for
agricultural development.
IICA is pleased to be a part of this movement
towards a renewed agriculture sector.
Article
Page
Walking the Talk
1
IICA Youth Farm Programme
2–3
Empowering Youth through
Agriculture
Barbados Agri-news
4
5
Caribbean Agritourism Blog
5
Caribbean Plant Health Directors’
Forum
6
Climate Change Corner
6
IICA FonTC Small Ruminant
Commercialization Project
Agriculture has been identified as a key
sector for transforming Barbados’ economy.
In the face of diminishing foreign exchange
earnings from tourism, coupled with a
spiraling food import bill, stakeholders in
public and private enterprise are now
recognizing just how important sustainable
agriculture is for food security.
Putting the new vision for agriculture into
action will take time and tremendous effort.
However a transformation is happening.
Reports from the Ministry of Agriculture
show that local farmers have increased
vegetable production compared to previous
years. There is also a national drive to
increase innovation and technology in
agriculture.
IN THIS ISSUE – APR TO AUG
Carol Thomas gives tips to Brandon Cox
We hope you enjoy reading this edition!
7
IICA BARBADOS COURIER | Issue # 2
2
Creativity. Energy.
Youth in Agriculture
by Roxanne Waithe
The Youth Farm Programme was developed
because not many of our young Barbadian
students of agriculture are pursuing this field
as a career when they leave secondary
school. We need to impress upon school
leavers the notion that ‘Agriculture Science’
is not just another subject that they take to
get a qualification from the Caribbean
Examinations Council …..it is a moneymaking business. Food is ALWAYS in
demand.
The Youth Farm is an eight week intensive
training programme in crop and animal
farming with a focus on essential farming
knowledge, as well as the development of
farm
management
and
business
management skills.
The programme targeted young people
between the ages of 15 to 18 years
specifically past and present agriculture
science students, new or beginner farmers
who want to start a business in food
production, and young experienced farmers
who are interested in gaining certification in
the sector.
IICA Barbados partnered with the Technical
and Vocational Education and Training
(TVET) Council to execute this pilot project.
We also received invaluable support from the
Ministry of Education and Human Resource
Development who did the necessary
outreach to gain participation from the
schools.
For the 2012 pilot training we enrolled 15
candidates from three different secondary
schools. The program provided hands-on
experience in working on a farm combined
with workshops designed to give the
participants the essential skills they need to
practice sustainable farm management.
They learned from agricultural experts, local
mentor farmers and by working with each
other they learned from their peers.
using low cost technologies and to earn an
income after leaving school. The core
training was conducted at the Grantley
Adams Secondary School which has an
established working farm. IICA organized
farm visits for practical demonstrations (farm
labs).
Each participant also had the
opportunity to work on a farm for two weeks
depending on their area of focus/interest as
follows:
SUSTAINABLE FARMING
JOHN HUNTE'S ORGANIC FARM
ANIMAL HUSBANDRY
GREENLAND LIVESTOCK RESEARCH
STATION
ORNAMENTAL HORTICULTURE
The objective was that by the end of the
training the candidates would have gained
knowledge and skills needed to produce food
NATURE CARE GREENHOUSE
YOUNG SUSTAINABLE FARMERS – OUR
CHAMPIONS!
Jabbary, Joshua Murray & Joshua
Deshong erecting greenhouse with help
from technical team
Four students including one female selected
sustainable farming as their area of
specialization in the Youth Farm Programme.
This group excelled during their tenure at John
Hunte’s Organic Farm located in Bawdens, St.
Andrew where they learned land preparation
and planning, the essentials or organic
cultivation, and how to run an irrigation system
using surface water.
The following week they worked at Grantley
Adams School farm where they built a 20ft x
20ft greenhouse from the ground up. These
four students, under the guidance of our
technical officer Damien Hinds and Colin
Wiltshire from the Ministry of Agriculture, built
and prepared the greenhouse for planting in a
matter of 2 days!
This team won the hearts of farmers, technical
officers from the Ministry of Agriculture,
teachers, and IICA with their boundless energy
and enthusiasm.
John Hunte with Adrianna, Jabbary & Joshua drawing a
crop plan
IICA BARBADOS COURIER | Issue # 2
3
Young Livestock Farmers Aplenty
There is no doubt that livestock farming has
a future in Barbados because this option was
the most heavily prescribed elective for the
youth farm programme. A total of nine
students chose animal husbandry and the
opportunity to work at the Greenland
Livestock Research Station also located in
Bawdens, St. Andrew.
These students, some of who have livestock
of their own, worked with small ruminants
specifically goats and the Barbados black
belly sheep. Their learning included daily
care and maintenance of the animals, proper
feeding and record keeping techniques. The
young livestock farmers worked hard baling
hay, cleaning pens, worming goats and got
into the retail side of the business helping to
prepare the animals for sale and slaughter.
Some of the young farmers expressed an
interest in going into small scale production
of layers and rabbits. For the next cohort IICA
plans to ensure that they have this exposure.
Top left:
Taking a
break
Top right:
Goat hoofs
to clip
Left: Jamal
and his kids
On tour – Kendal farm
TVET Council sweetens the experience with NVQ certification
One of the main issues discussed during the planning stages of the Youth Farm
Programme was that of recognition and certification for our young participants. At the end
of the day it was important for us at IICA to know that the students walked away with more
than just an unforgettable experience. The Barbados TVET Council made certification
accessible for the student participants by involving their assessors for the National
Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in Amenity Horticulture Level I. This qualification is for
farm workers, landscapers and grounds men, golf course attendants, greenhouse
employees and plant shop assistants.
Of the fifteen students who enrolled in the programme, twelve successfully met the
national occupational standards for this certification through performance based
assessments. Three students, including the two female students who selected ornamental
horticulture as their area of specialization, did not complete the Youth Farm Programme.
The other twelve students were assessed in areas that covered best practice in planting
and maintaining plants, occupational health and safety, agricultural equipment
maintenance and developing effective working relationships. These twelve students will
become the first students within the Barbados secondary school system to be awarded a
National Vocational Qualification in Amenity Horticulture Level I.
Backyard Garden Practical Lesson
The liaison officer from the TVET Council, Paul Puckerin, worked closely with IICA’s
technical team to execute the assessments. He revealed that according to their research,
many locally employed persons do not possess attitudes that are up to standard. For this
reason TVET invested in the Youth Farm Programme because it gives the participants the
opportunity to practice employability skills; those soft skills that are so important to
functioning effectively on the worksite such as punctuality, problem-solving abilities and
how to work as a team.
Based on students’ testimony during their final individual presentations, all of them learnt
at least one of the soft skills mentioned by the TVET officer.
Classroom session in progress
IICA BARBADOS COURIER | Issue # 2
4
Nadine’s Say:
Empowering Youth through Agriculture
by Nadine McCall
At this point I would like to highlight how
discussion is important because it
underscores issues that have immediate and
profound impacts on the lives of the
marginalized and influences public action
while promoting agency. Through dialogue,
Barbadians could encourage that dynamism
of taking on the role and responsibilities of
citizenship, especially for those young people
who are distant and far removed from policy
formulation and advocacy.
Upon completion of my graduate studies, I
interned at IICA in Barbados which is focused
on contributing to the efforts of poverty
reduction, development enhancement and
sustainable and competitive agriculture
through
technical
cooperation
and
innovation.
On weekdays, two technical experts from the
IICA Barbados Office (Damien Hinds and
Roxanne Waithe) and I facilitated classes for
students ranging from ages fifteen to
seventeen. The students came from three
public schools in Barbados: Grantley Adams
Secondary School, St. Georges Secondary
School and St. Lucy Secondary School.
Every day we met with these students for our
Youth Farm School Programme.
The aim of the Youth Farm School
Programme was to facilitate and encourage
these young people in developing an interest
in agriculture as a career choice. It sought to
heighten
awareness
and
activeness
regarding local agricultural production and to
demonstrate the sector’s income earning
potential using sustainable agricultural
farming methods as well as encourage
entrepreneurship and agribusiness ventures
amongst rural youth.
The substantive training which was provided
during the programme helped to build
capacity in agriculture among the youth by
teaching them skills such as how to use low
cost agro-technologies. In addition, the
training promoted activeness regarding local
issues and helped the youth in countering
feelings of powerlessness about finding
suitable jobs upon leaving school.
In
difficult economic times, such programmes
highlight the need for urgency in advocating
for reversing the decline of the agricultural
industry in Barbados.
I am of the view that the youth of Barbados
may be in a position to permanently alter
the course of the country’s future though
agriculture.
Through
research
and
development and investment in agriculture,
a more competitive and dynamic knowledgebased economy capable of sustainable
economic growth may emerge. For example,
in a small open economy such as Barbados,
investment
in
agro-tourism
may
substantially strengthen the structure of the
market and encourage innovation and
prospects for careers in agriculture. Ideas
such as students speaking of owning their
own farms or working with established
farmers in Barbados were enthusiastically
discussed and interestingly enough, the
students were also quite engaging.
competition in the agricultural sector. My
experiences as an intern at IICA in Barbados
have impressed upon me, newfound
appreciation for agriculture and admiration
for the zest of youth.
An incident which occurred during a Youth
Farm field trip has prompted me to share
some of my internship experiences. One
day, during a field trip to Kendal’s Farm in
St. John, a student approached me in a
somewhat disheartened manner and asked
me very candidly about the wisdom of
investing in agriculture in Barbados as a
career choice. “Ma’am it doan mek nuh sense
caw nobody nuh care bout dat dey.”
At the beginning of the Youth Farm School
Programme, many of the students had
preconceived notions about the lucrativeness
of a primary industry which some critics say
perpetuates a plantation economy. I believe
that it is important that we disentangle
ourselves from such antediluvian notions and
help youth to identify and speak out on
issues affecting them, their communities and
ultimately their country.
As such, I endeavoured to explain as best as I
could how agriculture has the potential to
revolutionize the Barbadian economy if
strategies are properly implemented and the
student seemed to re-think his position on
agriculture as a career path. Other students
then joined our conversation and attempted
to discuss amongst themselves that
agriculture is only perceived in a negative
way because it is, in their view “underappreciated” by the powers that be. In later
weeks, there was much discussion about the
All of the youth who attended classes at
Youth Farm School did so voluntarily. They
worked tirelessly in the classroom as well as
in field sessions and are more hopeful and
confident about future change for agriculture
than many adults I have met. The students
from each of the schools are quite inspiring –
they came together and discussed issues
aimed at addressing and resolving various
concerns at their schools such as overgrown
grass, cleaning of ponds, repairing
greenhouse infrastructure and so on.
My experiences as an intern at IICA have
convinced me that the Youth Farm School
Programme was a crucial start for the
agricultural sector in Barbados. Helping
these young people to establish a critical
understanding and appreciation of their own
potential and power of voice is a major step
towards change and improvement for
agriculture in Barbados. Kudos to IICA for
executing such a useful and inspiring
programme!
…A student approached
me in a somewhat
disheartened manner and
asked me very candidly
about the wisdom of
investing in agriculture in
Barbados as a career
choice. “Ma’am it doan
mek nuh sense caw
nobody nuh care bout dat
dey.”
IICA BARBADOS COURIER | Issue # 2
LATEST AGRI-NEWS BARBADOS
5
Caribbean Agritourism Blog
by
Roxanne Waithe
Agritourism is all about linking agriculture with products, services and experiences in
tourism.
Virtual Backyard Gardening Zone
Facebook users who love gardening have been
mingling in a special virtual space. It’s a place where
they go daily to get and share ideas and tips. The
place is the Backyard Gardening Zone, an
experimental effort of the Minisrty of Agriculture’s
Food Crop Department at using a social media
platform to share modern ideas on sustainable
gardening. Visitors to the zone get to see and share
photos and videos of garden experiences, while
taking advantage of technical tips on growing crops.
There are also links to information on the health
benefits of fruit and vegetables and many other
useful types of information.
Going with Organic Agriculture
Jul. 2012 - ‘Going organic' should now be easier with
the launch of Green Tech Barbados, a project which
aims to educate the public about the benefits of
organic produce. The pilot project will use both LIME
and DIGICEL Short Messaging Service (SMS)
platforms to share information on organic produce,
its benefits and where it can be purchased, via text
message.
The GreenTech Barbados team has been working
closely with the Organic Growers and Consumers
Association (OGCA) to achieve five objectives:
• establishing a Facebook page where consumers
may visit for information on organic farming and
interact with members of the association;
• creating a questionnaire to get key information
from consumers about their awareness, use and
demand for organic produce;
• promoting organic farming in traditional and social
media;
• adapting new media such as short message service
(text messaging) to promote the interests of the
association; and
• transferring technology knowledge to the OGCA so
that the farmers can sustain the pilot project.
The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture has been promoting
agritourism in the Caribbean since 2005 as part of its Hemispheric Program to
strengthen links between tourism and agriculture through research, training and small
business development. A key question about the concept of agritourism is whether it is
centered on farms and farming activities. The reality is that Caribbean agritourism
consists of several approaches that focus on selling local products and showcasing
indigenous traditions that pertain to food and non-food items. Hence, there are
different types of agritourism activities. Our research at IICA has revealed six different
ways that agriculture can be linked to the tourism industry to the benefit of people
living and working in rural communities:
(a) When farmers and agri-processors make agribusiness deals with the hotel
and restaurant sector to supply them with produce and processed foods
(b) Through the use of alternative ‘bush‘ medicines, natural remedies and
organic treatments to enhance health and wellness
(c) By sharing our agricultural heritage with others through media such as craft,
visits to old plantations or agricultural museums
(d) Through our local food festivals and culinary traditions
(e) With farm-based activities such as rural bed & breakfasts and farm tours
(f) Through community-based initiatives such as village fairs, rum shop tours
and community markets
We need to share our Caribbean agritourism experiences. There are invaluable lessons
to be learned from failed and successful projects. It is only through our shared
experiences that we can develop a blueprint for best practice.
IICA Barbados Staff Spot
Each edition we will introduce members of staff in the Barbados Courier.
In this second edition we feature some of our administrative team.
Ms. Noor Denner - Accounts
Technician
Mrs. Marcia Husbands,
Assistant Secretary
Rudolph Hippolyte Driver
IICA BARBADOS COURIER | Issue # 2
6
The Caribbean Plant Health
Directors’ Forum
The Caribbean Plant Health Directors’ Forum
emerged out of the need for a regional
mechanism for sharing of information,
collaborating, guiding policies, and addressing
relevant plant health issues of importance to
the Region. The meetings are planned and
convened
by
several
agencies
and
organizations including the United States
Department of Agriculture – Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Services (USDA-APHIS),
the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on
Agriculture (IICA), the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO), the CARICOM Secretariat
and the Ministries of Agriculture of the
countries where the meetings are held.
Other partner agencies over the years include
the Caribbean Agricultural Research and
Development Institute (CARDI), CIRAD (the
French Agricultural Research for Development)
and CABI. Funding for the meeting is provided
by the USDA-APHIS, IICA and FAO with
support from the host Ministries of Agriculture.
The first meeting of the Regional Plant Health
Directors was held April 23-25, 2008 at the
CARICOM Secretariat in Guyana. A total of
twenty two (22) countries were represented.
Representatives from all CARICOM Member
States were in attendance in addition to
representatives from the CARICOM Associate
States of Anguilla and the Cayman Islands.
Since the first meeting in Guyana, there have
been four meetings of the CPHD Forum and
the number of participating countries has
increased. The fifth meeting of the CPHD was
convened during August 14-16, 2012 on Scrub
Island, the British Virgin Islands. Twenty six
countries were represented, indicating a wider
level of representation from the Greater
Caribbean Region.
In addition to the CARICOM Member States
and Associate Member States (Anguilla, British
Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands) the
following countries were represented: Aruba,
Cuba,
Curacao,
Dominican
Republic,
Martinique and St. Maarten. Also in attendance
were representatives from the Organization on
of the Eastern Caribbean States (OECS),
Organismo Internacional Regional de Sanidad
Agropecuaria (OIRSA), the University of the
West Indies, the University of Florida, (CARDI),
IICA, FAO, USDA-APHIS, CABI and the
CARICOM Secretariat.
by Carol
Thomas
At the 5th meeting of the CPHD, new officers
were elected to serve for two years. Michael
Delpeche from Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines was elected as the chairman, Ryan
Anselm from Dominica, co-chair and Eric
Evelyn from Saint Kitts and Nevis, technical
secretary.
The CPHD has five technical working groups
(TWG) that have been formed to address key
regional plant health issues. They are as
follows:





Palm pests
Molluscs
Tephritid fruit flies
Safeguarding
Emergency preparedness and response
Some of the outputs from these working
groups include; development of several
guidelines
and
procedures,
on-going
development of priority pest lists, on-going
development of information products (e.g. the
Red Palm Mite manual), and development of a
database and standard recording form for fruit
flies. Other outputs were a Giant African Snail
survey conducted in several countries, a
regional fruit fly trapping programme, and
training in the detection and identification of
fruit flies of economic importance.
The CPHD Forum, through technical
assistance and funding provided by USDAAPHIS, FAO and IICA has achieved the
following:




Provided specialized training in mites
and fruit flies
Trained over 200 persons in the region in
pest identification, fruit fly trapping and
pest surveillance.
Provided diagnostic equipment to
several countries
Supported
the
Regional
Plant
Quarantine training course
These capacity building actions have
strengthened the capability of countries to
respond to plant health issues and to improve
plant health systems. The CPHD forum serves
an important role in the Region and it is
expected that this role will expand even
further as more challenging plant health issues
arise. ◊
CLIMATE CHANGE CORNER
In April 2012 Barbados’ cabinet
approved the country’s new National
Climate Change Policy. In June 2012
IICA Barbados participated in the
discussions that would help to
produce Barbados’ Second National
Communications (SNC) Report on
climate change to the UNFCCC.
During
the
discussions,
the
delegation from the agriculture and
fisheries sector deliberated on the
critical climate change issues that
should be addressed in the report.
Key points pertained to how
flooding, water shortages, pests and
disease act to reduce agricultural
yield. The team also emphasized the
need for new crop varieties and
cultivars to maintain output.
In the fisheries sector some
anomalies were highlighted such as
an increase in the proportion of
juveniles in some fish populations,
particularly dolphin. It was noted
that fish migrate away from the
fishing grounds during heavy rainfall
periods, seriously affecting the
livelihoods of local fisher folk.
Catches of flying fish have also been
significantly reduced, though the
cause is yet unknown.
IICA BARBADOS COURIER | Issue # 2
7
IICA FonTC Small Ruminant Commercialization Project:
Meat Fabrication Workshop
by Damien Hinds
The IICA Barbados Office continued its
implementation of the FonTC Small Ruminanant
Commercialisation project with the staging of a 2day small ruminant meat fabrication workshop for
the benefit of fifteen Barbadian butchers form a
cross-section of abattoirs, meat shops, and
supermarkets throughout Barbados.
The workshop was facilitated by Mr. Reiza
Mohamdally, an experienced meat fabrication and
food hygiene specialist with training and exposure
both in North America and the Caribbean. Mr.
Mohamdally led the participants through a fully
interactive and practically based training session
which included; a sensitization on the personal
practices that should be observed by the food
handler; a lecture supported by a video on the best
practices for ensuring meat quality form the preslaughter of the animal all the way through to the
post-mortem inspection and the final carcass
preparation.
1MrMr. Mohamdally demonstrates
how to prepare a crown roast
The practical side of the workshop focused
primarily on the preparation of high value
specialized and retail cuts of the Barbados
Blackbelly Sheep including: the “Crown Roast”
from the rib sections, French and American-style
leg cuts; and square cut roasts from the shoulder
section.
Mr. Mohamdally (in white coat) in a
practical training session
Dennis Hurdle receives his certificate
from Carol Thomas
The workshop, which took place at the Barbados
Agricultural
Development
and
Marketing
Corporation (BADMC) meat processing facility in
Bridgetown was opened with remarks by: Mr.
Andrew Skeete Chief Executive Officer of the
BADMC, who gave welcoming remakes on behalf
of the host institution; MS. Carol Thomas, IICA
Representative (a.i.), who gave an overview of the
regional Small Ruminant Commercialisation
Project; and Mr Charleston Lucas, Deputy Chief
Agricultural Officer (livestock) who expressed his
pleasure in having such a workshop considering the
need to have all players along the value-chain
including butchers maintain the Barbados
Blackbelly Sheep’s prominence as a high quality,
high value meat.
Following the workshop, the trainees received
certificates for their participation in the workshop
and expressed their satisfaction in what they had
gained from the workshop. Most of the participants
suggested they had not done much fabrication of
the Barbados Blackbelly Sheep before and that
awareness and preparation of the various high
quality cuts was as a highlight of the training.
According to Mark Hunte who was representing
Trimart Supermarket at the training expressed that
he had never known how to prepare a Crown Roast
prior to the workshop but expressed a joy in now
being able to offer this option to his clients.
Participants also expressed their satisfaction in the
training material presented by the consultant and
expressed gratitude for the sensitization of the
general food hygiene practices associated with the
handling of fresh meat. Suggestions for the
improvement of the workshop include a better
understanding of the Barbados Blackbelly Sheep
production as well as some practical training in the
slaughtering of the animals.
On concluding the workshop Mr. Mohamdally
thanked the participants for their attention during
the workshop. Additionally, Ms. Thomas suggested
that as a follow-up to the workshop that visits to
the participants would be scheduled to ensure
compliance with the meat fabrication techniques
demonstrated. ◊
IICA BARBADOS
Agri-quote
COURIER
“…I introduced ladybugs to deal with the pests that were harassing the
cabbage in my backyard garden and in four days’ time everything was
growing good again…..”
Calvin Carrington(16yrs) – Grantley Adams Memorial Secondary School
Baobab Tower
Warrens, St. Michael
Tel: 246.271.9210
Email: [email protected]