Agriculture Students

Regional officials for the 40th anniversary of the Caribbean Development Bank’s (CDB) Youth Development Forum gave lectures to sensitize young people to the importance of agriculture to national development.

“The CDB is aware that the Government of The Bahamas has over the years placed its youth at the centre of its development strategies,” said Mark Taitt, CDB Director of IT Solutions.

“In this regard, the bank looks forward to working more closely with the Government of The Bahamas to develop a set of youth campaigns that can be readily incorporated into its youth development agenda.”

Nearly 50 students and chaperones from various government secondary institutions attended and participated in the CDB’s Vybzing youth forum, held at the Wyndham Nassau Resort on May 20. Students listened to lectures and took part in interactive exercises and presentations about agricultural sustainability for survival in rural and urban communities. (BIS Photo / Raymond Bethel).

Under the theme, “Sustainable Agriculture and Regional Food Security,” the CDB’s panelists outlined discussions to promote regional food security measures for the survival of rural and urban populations.

The Ministry of Agriculture maintains food security provides citizens with protection in areas of economical, social and political independence.

“The CDB chose its theme because of the critical importance that agriculture has rotated on in a global environment of tremendous economic changes, challenges, and pressures, which have impacted all countries regionally in a negative way,” said Phillip Miller, Under Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

“In the early 1970s, Caribbean agriculture was in its golden age,” he said. “Little did we know that the brilliance that we saw was really the golden rays of a setting sun.”

Mr. Miller said policies for sustaining national agriculture programmes have continuously been the strategy of The Bahamas government since the early 1970s. Investments in meat and vegetable production have been on the agenda as a critical national priority.

Food security panelists lectured students about the importance of mastering agricultural science for sustaining regional political and economical independence. The forum was sponsored by The Caribbean Development Bank. Pictured from left to right are Yvonne Moses-Grant (lectern), CDB Division Chief for the Social Sector Division; Mark Taitt, CDB Director of IT Solutions; Phillip Miller, Under Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture; and Lionel Sands, Director of Education in the Ministry of Education. (BIS Photo / Raymond Bethel).

“Successive governments of The Bahamas made policy decisions by annunciating the need to strengthen agricultural science in all schools,’’ said Lionel Sands, Director of Education in the Ministry of Education.

He said they are required to maintain flower and vegetable gardens, followed by the need for farmers to increase broader mutton and pork production to meet national demands.

“These decisions can be viewed as government’s vision for sustainable agriculture through the involvement of students represented here today,” he said.

The Ministry of Education stands by its belief that sustainable agriculture and food security could be realised in The Bahamas, if practicing farmers, educators and students carry out the government’s mandate.

“We continue to place emphasis on tourism, when in fact, being able to feed ourselves and the tourists alike should be high on our agenda,” said Mr. Sands.

“The Caribbean region and The Bahamas in particular are fortunate that a regional institution like the CDB has conceptualize, developed, and is currently implementing this outreach seminar, which is designed to inspire, inform and engage youth in the region,” said Mr. Sands.