Participants of the Youth in Agriculture Programme busy working the field.
YOUTH DEDICATED
Sun, 09/11/2016 - 12:00am
Agriculture Programme for young people a success
Dozens of young men and women are now equipped with the skills to work in the field, thanks to the “Youth in Agriculture Programme”.
Phase nine, which got under way in May, is being hosted by the Office of the Advisor on Poverty Eradication, with a mission to ensure that the agriculture sector continues to be replete with skilled youth, who will carry on the noble industry in Barbados.
Advisor on Poverty Eradication, Undene Whittaker, described the participants, who can be seen hard at work in the grounds of the Ministry of Agriculture, The Pine, St. Michael, as ‘dedicated’.
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Through the programme they have been harvesting a wide variety of crops, such as cassava, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, watermelons, lettuce and sweet potatoes. Also, engaging in rabbit husbandry.
“The idea is to give them as many skills as possible, both in crop and animal management so they can determine which they want to specialise in. Participants are in an educational environment where they can learn skills and then seek employment across Barbados’ public or private sectors, or themselves.” Whittaker pointed out.
She also shared with The Barbados Advocate that the programme has been going strong because of some very generous donors.
Ensuring an increase in crop yields through water and fertility management and reduced disease, the Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (BADMC) has provided the programme with a Drip Irrigation System.
This system will deliver water directly to the root zone of a plant, where it seeps slowly into the soil one drop at a time. Whittaker is extremely grateful for this system which will allow almost no water to be lost through surface runoff or evaporation, and soil particles have plenty of opportunity to absorb and hold water for the crops.
Since the start of the programme the participants ages 17 to 35 years, have been taught farming techniques by the extension officers of the Ministry of Agriculture, but have also gained
significant life skills from experienced counsellors, as a significant section of the Youth in Agriculture Programme speaks to the importance of mentoring the youth in areas such as anger management and conflict resolution.
The Advisor on Poverty Eradication was also happy to reveal that some of the young men and woman have moved onto the Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) in crop management and rabbit rearing.
The rabbitry component of the Youth in Agriculture Programme was made possible through the Maria Holder Memorial Trust and Reverend Peter Phillips. The rabbitry currently houses 63 various breeds.
(TL)