Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 21, 2021 (SKNIS): The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) will be working closely with the Ministry and the Department of Agriculture in St. Kitts and Nevis to increase water efficiency in farming.
Sharon Jones, Technical Specialist with IICA, spoke about a new development project on Tuesday’s (April 20) edition of Leadership Matters – A Virtual Forum Series. It is designed to help the seasonal planting of crops. The seasonal planting of crops is becoming more challenging given the increasingly unpredictable weather conditions with less rainfall as a result of climate change.
“Some farmers at the beginning of March, April, had a very difficult time to get started because they did not have access to water,” Ms. Jones stated while referring to efforts to boost food production during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
“The rainy season as you will remember started quite late last year so, July, August, were very dry, and then the rains really came towards the end of October to December. So, the predictiveness of rainfall is not as it was,” the IICA official indicated. What this does to farmers is that they are not able now to foresee and can’t go into production the way they would like to.”
When implemented, the project will boost farmers’ resiliency in water management by facilitating greater water storage and utilizing it more efficiently.
“You get more from the drop,” Ms. Jones added. “This is very important so that you are now able to plan which crops you will use at what period of time.”
Work is continuing on the project design and will be released later this year.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 21, 2021 (Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries & Marine Resources):
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources has been lauded for the success of Iits most recently held Agri Night in the Market initiative.
While appearing on the April 20 edition of Leadership Matters, Educator and well known farmer, Winston Morris congratulated the Ministry for successfully organizing the event and explained why he is pleased about the Night Market.
“I would like to congratulate the Department for hosting that because I have been a beneficiary of that process because a lot of my products were asked for and sold for that occasion so I feel glad. Continue to do it and do it more regularly, I believe it is better for all farmers because our stuff goes off like that so it really, really, really has been good. It really has been good”, Mr. Morris exclaimed.
In sharing the same sentiments, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. Hon. Timothy Harris expressed his delight in hearing how the Agri Night Market has been widely advantageous to all agriculture stakeholders.
He said, “I too would want to commend the Department of Agriculture for this effort. I am very happy by what Winston has said that it has provided an additional avenue for farmers to earn a livelihood and therefore add to their take home pay if you will as a result of participation in agriculture. Not just those involved in the production of produce but those who go on to do some form of Agro processing; use the input whether fruits etcetera to bottle drinks or create the hot sauce etcetera, etcetera. It is a good cross section of persons who in fact benefits, so I also am encouraged by the reports and happy to hear one of our leading farmers speak well about it”.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Ron Dublin Collins said that the feedback from the Agri Night Market has been extremely positive and has influenced the decision to host the event on a regular basis.
“The attendance has been great, the vendors have participated [from] all different sectors. We had different stakeholders, we have had livestock, crop, we have had poultry. It has been a work in progress. The last one held last month, the numbers were tremendous. So what we are proposing to do is to have it the last Wednesday in every month”, he revealed.
Collins went on to explain that the initiative aims to increase the buying and selling of goods while also reviving use of the Basseterre Public Market. He announced that the Department of Agriculture will be meeting with vegetable and fruit vendors on Thursday April 22 to discuss what is being offered at the market and how they can be accommodated.
The 3rd edition of the Agri Night in the Market is scheduled for Wednesday May 26. Local produce, fresh fish and meat products will be available for purchase from 5pm-9pm.
]]>BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, April 21, 2021 (MMS-SKN) — While production of sugar on a commercial basis ceased in St. Kitts in 2005 to provide greater opportunities for expansion in non-sugar agriculture, Prime Minister Dr the Hon Timothy Harris is pointing out the Covid-19 experience has solidified the realisation that the country needs to produce more of what people consume.
“Agriculture has seen a budding revival over the last several years,” said Prime Minister Harris. “The onset of the Covid-19 Pandemic has reminded us of the very important need to be able to feed ourselves.”
The Honourable Prime Minister made the remarks on Tuesday April 20 when he appeared on the popular Leadership Matters on ZIZ Television with four other panellists, where the topic of discussion was ‘agriculture and food security’, which he said was one of most important considerations for the country at this time.
Panellists with Prime Minister Harris on Leadership Matters were Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture et al, Mr Ron Collins; Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Tracy Challenger-Clarke; Technical Specialist, St. Kitts and Nevis IICA Delegation, Ms Sharon Jones; and a longstanding farmer, Mr Winston Morris.
According to the Prime Minister, the Covid-19 experience solidified the realisation that the country needs to produce more of what it consumes. After the Government became cognisant of the fears of the people it responded to protect the population against supply chain being negatively affected by ensuring that it systematically diversified source markets for food including poultry, meat and fish while it aggressively worked to near self-sufficiency in those staples.
“This is why as part of the stimulus package my Government allocated ten million dollars to boost agriculture and agricultural production,” said Dr Harris. “Building on the commitment made to expand our agricultural base, we in our 2021 budget, allocated $5 million to continue the stimulus programme for the agriculture sector.”
The concessions the Team Unity Administration delivered to the sector are bearing fruit as there has seen increased production, and interest in crops, livestock, poultry and fisheries. He pointed out that fisheries output recorded a 3.6 percent increase in 2020 after an 83 percent reduction in output in April 2020, which was a direct consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic and the associated curfews and lockdowns, which brought fisheries to a standstill.
“Over the past almost six years, my Administration has given much, and will further increase its support to the sector,” said Dr Harris. “Indeed the 2021 allocation of just over ten million dollars plus a further five million for the stimulus programme represents the largest budgetary allocation to the sector in a very long time.”
Prime Minister Harris said that he understood the vital importance of the sector to the country and economy, and also the challenges. He noted that he appreciated the vast potential of the agricultural sector to contribute to the country’s sustainable growth and development.
He however pointed out that for this to be achieved there must be a focused goal, and a cohesive strategy, and that way the country can produce more and better quality products for the population to consume domestically, and for export. He added that better quality foods lead to improvement in people’s health condition, which in turn should mean lower healthcare costs, as the population’s health is critical to the nation’s wealth.
According to Dr Harris, working together the farmers can create more jobs within the sector, wealth for the people and a source of foreign exchange for the country.
“Before concluding I must again encourage all farmers and fishers to get vaccinated,” said the Honourable Prime Minister. “Do it to minimise the risks of contracting Covid-19 or transmitting Covid-19 to anyone. Do it for yourselves, do it for your families and very importantly do it to put our country on a sustained path to recovery. Do it to facilitate our herd immunity target being realised, which in turn will lead to more business opportunities at our hotels and at other business places.”
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Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 27th, 2021 (ZIZ News) Customers of the TDC Group of Companies were given the opportunity to buy fresh farm produce and plants on Saturday with the hosting of their annual Farmers’ Market at their Home and Building Depot locations in St. Kitts and Nevis.
Marketing Assistant at TDC, Dominic Matthew explained that this activity is part of the company’s Farmer’s Appreciation Month initiative which normally takes place in March and incorporates activities and sales to show solidarity for local farmers.
He said the company has recognized the need for fresh produce to be available to persons especially during the on-going Covid-19 pandemic.
The TDC Farmer’s Market was held at their Home and Building Depots on Frigate Bay Road in St. Kitts and Pinney’s Industrial Estate in Nevis.
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NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (March 23, 2021) — The Ministry of Agriculture in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) will host Agrofest, an all-day event highlighting local farmers and their produce on March 26, 2021, at the Villa Grounds in Charlestown, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Mr. Huey Sargeant, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture during a visit to the venue on March 19, 2021, noted that the event with the theme “Eat locally; boost Immunity” which replaces the annual Agriculture Open Day, will be streamlined in keeping with the COVID-19 protocols.
“We understand that we are in the midst of the COVID pandemic and there are certain protocols that we have had to observe and the authorities which is the police of St. Kitts and Nevis [Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force] would have granted us permission to have this activity…
“We have to do this under very strict COVID protocols but still we are welcoming persons to come out and celebrate with us… Wear your masks. We have sanitising stations so we want you to come. We want you to celebrate. We want you to support our farmers,” he said, adding there would be light entertainment.
In relation to the theme selected, Mr. Sargeant explained that it took some doing to come up with one, due to the ongoing pandemic.
“We had quite a bit of debate in terms of coming up with a theme especially in light of our COVID pandemic.
“We want you to boost your immunity, and you know once you consume things that are produced locally it will boost that immunity. So in case the worst happens, we are sure once you consume locally you will be strong enough to fight off most and many things,” he said.
Mr. Sargeant stated that although patrons will not be required to pay an entrance fee, he called for patience entering the grounds due to expected delays because they will be required to provide their names, contact numbers and addresses as part of the COVID-19 protocols, in the event that they need to be contacted.
Mr. Steve Reid, Chief Extension Officer in the Department of Agriculture who accompanied Mr. Sargeant explained that this time around most of the booths would be for farmers to enable them to sell their produce.
He noted that eating healthy is something the Department of Agriculture in collaboration with the Ministry of Health are actively promoting and the local produce is mostly organically grown.
Apart from the health benefits, Mr. Reid underscored what he described as reasonable prices patrons can expect.
“We have a range of vegetables including our famous local onions. We will have sweet potatoes, we will also have pumpkins and in great quantity and very, very cheap prices. So individuals who are preparing for their Easter dishes could come and get it at a very reasonable price.
“We would also have the Abattoir here with their products whether its sliced or processed meats. We also will have the ornamentals here for those of us who are looking for fruit trees, ornamentals we will cater to that. So it’s basically similar to our Open Day. We will have a range of stuff at fairly great prices. The only difference is we would not be congested. We would have people coming and going in sequence,” he said.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 18, 2021 (SKNIS): Thirty-seven (37) persons – 26 in vegetable and 11 in ornamental – are registered to participate in the 2021 National Backyard Garden Competition, an initiative by the Ministries of Tourism and Agriculture, aimed at encouraging more locally grown food.
During her appearance on Wednesday’s (February 17) edition of “Working for You” Shaline Welcome-Lewis, Community Tourism Officer said the competition, which was launched in October 2020, is designed to promote healthy eating, as well as to encourage persons to beautify their communities and homes.
“The project is to encourage the development of backyard gardening while increasing the awareness of healthier eating for persons with fresh daily consumption. We want to encourage locals to grow what they want to consume and with the economic impact that we would have all endured recently we want to ensure that persons can reduce their supermarket bills, they eat healthier and spend less,” said Mrs. Welcome-Lewis.
The competition will be judged on plant cultivation and health (40 points), layout (15 points), and environment (25 points). A bonus segment using drone footage will allow persons to score an extra five points.
Under plant cultivation and health, participants are required to implement and adopt creative measures, demonstrate proper use of the garden space, have healthy plants, as well as label plants properly so they can be easily identified, just to name a few.
Kyle Flanders, Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, said that the physical layout of the garden is an important component of the competition.
“We are going to look and see exactly how you decided to lay out your garden, where the footpaths are, and the organization of plants in the garden. We want to know if you are going to pair the plants properly and we want to know that you have clear, comfortable access to your overall garden,” said Mr. Flanders.
Mrs. Therez Ambrose-Versailles, Tourism Research Officer, stressed the use of recyclable materials as recycling can help to protect the environment.
“We want persons to utilize recyclable materials in their garden. We will be able to see the impact of the recycled materials used. [I want to see] the uniqueness when I enter your garden and what materials were used that I have never seen before. We want to have this wow factor when I enter your garden,” said Mrs. Ambrose-Versailles, adding that the sustainable aspect of the competition is important because “it is not about just gardening for a competition but to be able to feed yourself and your family.”
Participants hail from all around the island including St. Peter’s, Sandy Point, Half Way Tree, Old Road, and Newton Ground to name a few.
In the vegetable section, the top three competitors will be rewarded while the top two will be rewarded for ornamental. Some of the prizes include an irrigation system, wheelbarrow, gardening tool kit, plaque, basket, and gardening hose with control head.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 25th , 2020 (ZIZ News)
By: Chaïra Flanders
The 2020 Livestock Farmer of the Year, Garrett Lewis, who is affectionately known as “Humble Dread” of Half Way Tree is using his experience to help aspiring livestock farmers.
ZIZ visited Humble’s Beef and Mutton Enterprise on Monday to get a better understanding of the work that is done on a daily basis.
In a brief interview with ZIZ News, Humble said lots of hard work and his love for farming are what keep him driven.
“It takes hard work and dedication if you may and you have to have a love for it. You can’t just be there saying well it’s a side job or something even though you could. Me, personally, I find that when you have an interest and you have a love, it’s easier to do that, you understand? It is hard work. You just have to be on timing with the animals, just make it a procedure and very two weeks you spray up the animals them so we know we keeping them clean. After the COVID loss we have certain incentives that you know if we were to be short on Bayticol again, we would implement certain things so therefore we wouldn’t have a huge loss of animals like I did in the past between 2017 to 2019”, he said.
Lewis said he felt pleased when he was awarded Livestock Farmer of the Year.
He said it was an honour to see his dedication recognised even though he did not receive any assistance for his animals and was able to overcome after losing a significant number from his herd.
“Basically the effect was pretty much harsh because at the end of the day it is a financial loss and you know you have to wait sometimes 2-3 years for the animal to develop to a certain poundage so you could gain maximum profit so to have to lose over 100 animals within mothers, calf, bulls that’s very devastating but even so reluctant, I still come out Farmer of the year so imagine producing that amount of beef, what is losing over 100 animals. So it just shows that there is room for improvement and if you really put your all into it you could really reach where you want to reach”, Humble explained.
As an experienced producer of beef and mutton, Humble Dread used the opportunity to share words of advice to those persons interested in livestock farming.
“I would say to the young famers that Agriculture is life. As one farmer said, it is we first life so at the same time it is not just a duck walk. If you are going to come into Agriculture as a youngster, make up your mind for hard work. You got to love hard work, you got to be willing to sweat and might I remind you that sweating is actually toxins so that’s a good thing and you are in the sun so that’s vitamin D so that’s a plus. But seriously on a serious note though, if you are coming into Agriculture, from what I have witnessed, don’t look for help. I say there is a lot of room for improvement in terms of subsidies so I would say to the youngsters them if you coming in, make up your mind to do it out your pocket, make up your mind to have a strong heart and just push because at the end of the day if you’re waiting for someone to push you, you are going to fail”, he explained.
The farmer said following his loss, he hopes to receive wire for goats, which he says will increase his mutton production.
He thanked the Ministry of Agriculture for rewarding his efforts and naming him “Livestock Farmer of the Year”.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 24th , 2020 (ZIZ News)
By: Chaïra Flanders
ZIZ met with newly awarded Crop Farmer of the Year who says farming should be a priority to our people during this time.
That is the message from Crop Farmer of the year, Leon Anthony, affectionately known as “Yellow” of Stapleton, St. Peters. He was at the time speaking with ZIZ before giving the production crew an inside look of what it takes to be named Crop Farmer of the Year.
In an exclusive interview at his Green Thumb Farm on Monday, Yellow said farming is his passion and should be taken seriously across the federation. He also spoke of how hard he has been working to maintain a productive and successful farming business over the years.
“Over the years, over the past 5 years, I have been very competitive so as getting Farmer of the year, I know it is through hard work because of output and you have to just keep on working because that is the way we have to go. We as farmers have to make food security our number one priority but we still have to take it on a higher level which is business so that we can be more consistent and more productive. We as farmers need good house, send your children to college and make sure everything is alright so we got to keep on working hard, smart”, he said.
He also explained how the government’s stimulus helped to boost production on his farm.
“The stimulus package was free land preparation, free seeds, free seedlings, free insecticide, free herbicide. I was able to harvest thousands of pounds of sweet peppers, thousands of pounds of pumpkin, thousands of pounds of watermelon. I was able to sell cheaper and make more money because of less spoilage so everything worked right down to the consumer, which was very, very good”, the farmer explained.
He said he believes that farming should be made more attractive to the nation’s youth like any other profession.
“We as farmers have to set here as role models so we can make agriculture more attractive to the younger ones them because right now we are seeing they are not so interested and in the long run our country [is going to have] a shortage of farmers so it will be lack of proper nutrition so we have to keep them going onboard”, Anthony noted.
He also used the opportunity to address how important it is for our people to focus on the agricultural sector especially during challenging times caused by global pandemics.
Yellow said he believes agriculture should be our main priority because no country can function without food.
He encouraged everyone to find ways to start farming even if that means producing from the backyard and then promoted the eating and buying of local foods.
]]>CHARLESTOWN, NEVIS, November 16, 2020 (IICA-SKN) — Twenty backyard farmers on Nevis are the recipients of raised seed beds, Grow Boxes, thanks to the collaboration between the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the ministries of Health and Gender Affairs, Social Development, and Agriculture in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA).
“This initiative came out the Covid experience, understanding that a lot of people have lost their jobs and to help with food security,” said Technical Specialist, St. Kitts and Nevis IICA Delegation, Ms Sharon Jones, on Thursday November 12 at a ceremony held at the conference room of the Department of Gender in Charlestown to hand over the raised seed beds to backyard farmers drawn from the five parishes in Nevis.
The empowerment of the twenty farmers in Nevis was part of IICA’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Region, where the IICA Delegation in St. Kitts and Nevis in collaboration with Federal ministries on St. Kitts and ministries in the Nevis Island Administration launched initiatives aimed at improving food security at the grassroots on the two islands. Farmers on St. Kitts received rabbits and training in rabbit production.
“When I came with the discussion to Mr Randy Elliott, Director at the Department of Agriculture, his first reaction was that he really thought that because of the downturn in the economy in particular with tourism affecting Nevis that backyard farming would be the best impactful intervention,” observed Ms Jones.
She praised the Departments of Gender and Social Services for having done a very good job at the selection of the participants in the project, and the support they have given her. Of the twenty participants, six are from the Parish of St. George’s, four each from the Parishes of St. Paul’s, St. Thomas’, and St. James’, and two are from the Parish of St. John’s.
“I do think that you are all well-deserved and well pleased to take advantage of the opportunity,” said the St. Kitts and Nevis IICA Delegation official. “I myself have always had a backyard garden when I had my children growing up and it was not only a good place to provide extra food, but it was a good place for interacting with my children.”
According to Ms Jones, the grow boxes will not only provide food for the home and save on the family budget, but will also give the farmers an opportunity to make extra money by selling the foods that they will grow in their raised seed beds. She added that the farmers would also be contributing to the growth of the economy when it gets back on its feet.
“I do thank you (Departments of Gender Affairs, Social Development, and Agriculture in the Nevis Island Administration) for the support and I do look forward to following up this initiative as time goes along and when I do come back, I really want to see that the backyard farming is a strong movement and that you are all making great strides moving forward,” said Ms Jones in her conclusion.
Addressing the participants, Director of Agriculture in the Nevis Island Administration Mr Randy Elliott noted that at the Department they believe that partnership is very important, and the reason they decided that they will not only partner with IICA, but would also partner with the farmers, Gender, and Social Services to execute the project.
He said the twenty boxes that were constructed were funded by IICA and the Ministry of Agriculture valuing close to almost $30,000. He added: “It is no easy task for IICA to seek funding for this project and for the Ministry to put its efforts and its resources behind this project, bearing in mind it is not one of those projects or one of those programmes that were budgeted for in 2020.”
The Director of Agriculture who stated that the 4×16 boxes have a capacity of 64 plants, told the participants: “If you were to plant strictly tomatoes, 64 plants within the space of three months you could pull out maybe about $960 from those boxes. We are pleased to be partnering with the different departments and ministries, and IICA, all along with you the participants.”
Making presentations at the ceremony, which was chaired by Mrs Shelly Liburd, included Gender Affairs Coordinator Ms Lorraine Archibald, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Social Development Mr Keith Glasgow, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Mr Huey Sargeant, Assistant Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health Ms Latoya Jeffers, and Deputy Director, Department of Social Service Ms Joyce Moven.
Extension Officer, Mr Ronald King, made a presentation on Grow Boxes, while farmer, Mr Mull Liburd gave a testimonial of Grow Box experience.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 19th , 2020 (ZIZ News):
By: Chaïra Flanders
The Ministry of Agriculture is continuing with efforts to bolster food security, access and availability by providing seeds and seedlings to groups in various communities to encourage community gardening.
The gardens will be opened in several communities across the island.
While in Cayon, representatives from the Department of Agriculture joined with members from the Elem Gospel Hall for a brief handing over of seedlings.
Chair of the World Food Day Activities, Tonisha Weekes and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Ron Dublin Collins presented the group with four different types of seedlings; Cucumbers, cabbages, tomatoes and sweet peppers.
Marilyn Claxton and Carl Caines accepted the seedlings on behalf of the church. Both members thanked the Agriculture Department for the assistance and shared that the garden will aid in the church’s fundraising efforts to help purchase a new bus.
Natasha Daniel of the Department of Agriculture said as a member of the church, she is extremely pleased with the initiative.
“I have been going to this church since I was a little girl and I said to myself, sister Marilyn we need to do something for the church and so I decided to turn over this area and the area to the back where they have pumpkin so that the church in their effort to raise funds to get a new bus for the church that we would work together to get this done. So we will continue to partner with the other community gardens as well as the church so that they can be successful in their endeavours”, she said.
In addition, another group who identifies as the Trafalgar Women’s Group was also presented with Cucumbers, cabbages, tomatoes and sweet pepper seedlings. Mrs. Sharon Bradshaw of the Trafalgar Women’s Group said the women are grateful for the support.
“I think it is probably by divine providence that we are here because the Trafalgar Women’s Group and the Agriculture Department would seem to have had the same idea at the same time and I thank you for your promptness because we called for advice as to what to do and you all promptly responded and we are here now with all these start up kits, if I can call them that; the slips and the ground cover etc. So we are very, very grateful”.
A Community Garden was also opened in St. Peter’s under the management of the St. Kitts Nevis Association of Persons with Disabilities. The group received seedlings and gardening tools, as well as farming equipment.
The Community Garden openings formed part of the World Food Day activities to observe World Food Day on Friday October 16.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 12th , 2020 (ZIZ News):
Farmers and Backyard gardeners received just over 600 seeds and seedlings from the Department of Agriculture in collaboration with the Taiwan ICDF Technical Mission during a distribution ceremony on Monday in an effort to ensure local food security and bolster the agricultural sector.
The seeds and seedlings distributed included 400 papaya seedlings and 250 sweet potato slips.
Project Manager of the Taiwan ICDF Technical Mission, Yu-Ming Lu said that farmers can expect high yields from the type of seeds and seedlings distributed.
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources, Hon. Alexis Jeffers said that with the planting of the seeds and seedlings that were distributed the federation should be in good standing if the Covid-19 pandemic causes another lockdown.
“If we have to deal with this pandemic again it therefore means that what we are doing now in terms of re-establishing our backyard gardens….3 months from now for example we should be reaping a bountiful harvest, so if we have another lock down we should not have any fear in feeding ourselves.”
Minister Jeffers thanked the Taiwan ICDF Technical Mission and the Republic of China, Taiwan for their continued support to the federation.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 11, 2020 (SKNIS): St. Kitts and Nevis’ Federal Minister responsible for Agriculture, the Honourable Alexis Jeffers, said that there is an urgent need for agricultural reform to expand the sector’s contribution to the federation’s development trajectory.
He made the point during a national address on Saturday (October 10) marking the launch of local activities to commemorate the annual International World Food Day. World Food Day is observed on October 16. This year’s theme is “Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together. Our Actions are our Future.”
Minister Jeffers expressed that agriculture can be the key to creating equitable and sustainable growth as it generates jobs within communities. He said it is also essential to satisfying the nutritional needs of the population.
“No large country has ever achieved significant growth without modernizing its agricultural sector,” he stated. “While there has been some progress in modernizing agriculture in our Federation, we have not yet reached our full potential. To achieve this potential, we must do agriculture differently, from how we develop policy at the national level, to how we allocate resources in our farming households.”
The minister noted that an in-depth review of data is necessary with best practices being adapted to local realities.
“We ought then to seek to embrace and implement new policies and programmes to transform our agriculture sector, drive 100% food and nutrition security, and ensure food is available, accessible, safe, secure, and affordable,” Honourable Jeffers expressed.
The ministers full address can be viewed on-demand on SKNIS social media platforms.
The local activities celebrating World Food Day include a church service on October 11; Seeds and Seedlings Presentation on October 12; Re-opening and Launch of Bay ford Livestock Centre of Excellence on October 14; Food Heroes Prize Giving Ceremony on October 15; A Farmers’ Market as well as a Seafood Festival on October 16, and a Health Walk on October 17.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, September 23, 2020 (SKNIS): His Excellency Dr. Everson W. Hull, the St. Kitts and Nevis’ Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS), gave some insight into how an incentive-based compensation plan could work in the twin-island federation when it is introduced in the public sector.
“Each employee will have before him or her four or five measurable pre-established individual goals and perhaps two national priority goals,” His Excellency Hull stated on the Tuesday (September 22, 2020) edition of the Leadership Matters (Virtual Forum Series).
He said that it was important to separate the goals and aspirations of individuals as they sit down with their supervisors at the beginning of the performance period and discuss the benchmarks that were established.
“Those who perform at the optimal performance level will receive under the proposal, an add on bonus award that is commensurate with their measurable achievements in meeting and exceeding their performance goals,” Dr. Hull stated.
As an example, he cited a farmer who has increased his productions of vegetables to resorts or supermarkets.
“If he emerges as the head of the class as the most valuable farmer it is expected that that individual will receive a commensurate reward that is commensurate with his contribution. He has addressed a major national problem, our food import bill,” Dr. Hull stated. “We must do more in our quest for excellence. Our labour productivity must improve. We must do more in less time, and we must improve the quality of our work.”
Incentive-based compensation plans, otherwise known as pay for performance plans, are common in the United States, particularly in the private sector.
Dr. Hull will assist Ambassador Vance Amory in the public sector reform initiative to be implemented in St. Kitts and Nevis.
]]>NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS August 17, 2020 (Nevis Island Administration) — Mr. Mc Levon “Mackie” Tross, Owner and Manager of A-1 Farms in Gingerland, Nevis is expressing satisfaction with the level of recognition being given to local farmers.
His comment came after Hon. Alexis Jeffers, Minister of Agriculture in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) and also in the Federal Government visited his property during a recent visit to farms across Nevis accompanied by Mr. Ron Dublin-Collins, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture in St. Kitts; Mr. Huey Sargeant, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture on Nevis; Mr. Randy Elliott, Director of Agriculture in the Department of Agriculture; and Mr. Floyd Liburd, Deputy Director.
“The report that he gave was quite encouraging. He is very impressed he said with A-1 Farms and the work that we are doing there. He was quite impressed with the production, and the cleanliness and the actual layout of the farm, and he echoed some sentiments as to wanting to help boost and sustain the efforts of A-1 Farms which I am very, very grateful for…
“I am very happy that people out there including the people like the government ministers are now realising that local farmers are serious and local farmers just need that acknowledgement and that added hand so to speak. So yes, we are quite grateful for any help we could get because we at A-1 Farms believe that with our vision, we could bring food to the table, and be sustainable agriculture 12 months of the year, and that’s what we strive for especially in the greenhouse environment,” he said.
Mr. Tross who has been using greenhouse technology in his farming since 2012 says they are leading in that area of farming in St. Kitts and Nevis.
“We pride ourselves to be leading in St. Kitts and Nevis, and I hold no water in my mouth to say that.
“We have done a lot of research and we are still doing the research because we believe that protective farming is the way to go in the future. Oh yes, we truly welcome any help that we can get and any awareness out there as well,” he said.
When he got involved in farming, he had two employees. Today he has 5 plus his wife Mrs. Fayola Tross, who he says does the seedling propagation and helps with research.
At present they produce lettuce, (Romaine, Leafy Green), Tomatoes (Cherry Plum, Beef Steak), Scallions, Bell Peppers, Season Peppers, Kale, Collards and Callaloo in the green house.
During his tour of farms on Nevis recently, Mr. Jeffers singled out Mr. Tross and A-1 Farm for their meaningful contribution to increased production on the island, at a time when food security is paramount on the agenda of the NIA and the Federal Government.
“I want to submit at this point in time that there are farmers here in Nevis that have been doing a good job in terms of their production. We visited some of the farms, and I want to point out A-1 Farms for example who are doing a marvellous job in terms of greenhouse technology.
“I have said to you and I am going to say publicly, that someone like Mackie Tross at A-1 Farms is a farmer who we can certainly give some additional help to ensure that he can continue to produce at a higher level. He is certainly interested in doing so, and we have identified farmers in St. Kitts, livestock and crop, for example, who we feel we can give that additional boost so that they can be more efficient and proficient in their production,” he said.
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