Seated from left are Errington Thompson, proprietor of Rosa Organic Farms and Chief Executive Officer of The Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI) Alaasis Braynen. Standing is Dr. Jason Sands, Chief Operating Officer of the Gladstone Road Agricultural Center.

Thursday, April 20, 2017, The Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI) continues to be an open door to opportunities for local entrepreneurs. Executives of the Institute on Thursday signed a contract with proprietor of Rosa Organic Farms Errington Thompson. The contract signals the first organic farm to join the ranks of BAMSI’s Associated Farmers Programme (AFP).

“This signing today, lends itself perfectly to our mandate,” said Dr. Jason Sands, Chief Operating Officer of the Gladstone Road Agricultural Centre (GRAC). “Not only are we increasing the availability of fresh Bahamian agricultural produce but through Rosa Organic Farms, we are increasing that availability in a healthy and sustainable way…this is a very important milestone in agricultural production in The Bahamas.”

Alaais Braynen, Chief Executive Officer of BAMSI, said he is very appreciative of this new relationship with Rosa Organic Farms, as the AFP - a critical arm of BAMSI - has been expanded. He commended Mr. Thompson on joining the AFP and noted that it is the AFP [farmers] that will feed The Bahamas. “BAMSI continues to open the door to entrepreneurial opportunities,” Mr. Braynen said. Mr. Thompson expressed excitement about the partnership with BAMSI and said the signing of this contract was a day he anticipated for a long time.

A key objective of BAMSI’s AFP is to identify qualified farmers who are eager to adopt and apply modern methods in commercial agricultural production. According to Mr. Thompson, his organic produce will be free of the typical chemicals used in traditional farming and his farm will mitigate against pests with organic fertilizers and pest controls which can be ingested. In traditional farming, chemical insecticides, pesticides and herbicides are used to eliminate pests that attack the food - necessitating a cleansing and washing of produce before it is market ready.