THE VALLEY, Anguilla, July 21 ———–Farmers in Anguilla are this week getting exposure to best farming practices aimed at increasing crop yields and soil stability and diversifying crop production.
The project titled Organic Soil Amelioration for Enhancing Anguilla’s Agricultural Adaptation to Climate Change is being funded by the Overseas Territories Environment Programme – OTEP and implemented through the Departments of Environment and Agriculture in collaboration with the National Farmers Association.
Speaking during the launch on Tuesday, Minister of Home Affairs Walcott Richardson said he was proud of the work of the Department of Environment and the spirit of collaboration between Government and the farming sector.
He noted that the project would assist the island in ensuring sustainable development through establishing agro-environmental practices that ‘start with soil and secure with food’.
He said ‘Agriculture has its part to play in ensuring that adaptation to environmental challenges such as climate change is achieved, while at the same time managing water more efficiently and preserving the plants and animals which inhabit Anguilla’.
Minister of Infrastructure Evan Gumbs who has responsibility for Agriculture, in his remarks spoke to the fact that in recent times, agriculture in Anguilla has moved from its practice of crop production by private estate owners to the conversion of these private estates now referred to as the crown’s arable land.
He said “today we owe most of what we consume to the U.S., an economy that is heavily subsidized to encourage and maintain their own bread basket.
He questioned the farmers and others present “this begs the question, what will happen when 12 million dollars worth of vegetable product is stopped from being imported”?
He said the project would enable local vegetable farmers to produce some of the fertilizer requirement needed by the soil, rather than purchasing it and reduce water requirements over time.
Minister Gumbs noted that the project itself encapsulates a threefold approach to increase local agriculture production efficiency and would deliver training and re-emphasize sustainable practices that will make our agricultural sector more resilient to our constantly fluctuating weather patterns.
Consultants Dr. Floyd Homer from Environmental Programming in Trinidad and Dr. Terrence Fullerton from the US-based Agri Services International are the main facilitators for the workshop which will take place at the Community College on Wednesday and Thursday with a number of practical field exercises.
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