Saint Lucia’s Agriculture Minister Alfred Prospere has disclosed that the island’s agriculture industry wants to attract younger farmers.
Prospere spoke last week at a Costa Rica meeting of Caribbean agriculture Ministers who attended in person and virtually.
The Minister, who attended in person, observed that one of the key challenges is a Saint Lucia farming population that is getting older.
As a result, Prospere highlighted the need to expand strategies to attract young people.
He also spoke of other challenges.
“The challenges we face in the agriculture sector are many: climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, all of which are driving up the costs of agricultural imports”, said Prospere.
At their Costa Rica meeting, the regional Agriculture Ministers pointed out the importance of increasing the sector’s resilience to the climate crisis, improving productivity to reduce food import dependence, and incorporating new technologies to attract more young people to agriculture, among other areas.
Man you and your government just do not have the capacity to move into agro processing agriculture in st lucia is selling buy the road side in 2 pounds bags does that sound attractive to young people
Alfred all you do is travel to conferences to talk nonsense. Ira, Peter, mosa was there and now you just traveling to talk nonsense . The young people prefer to go and steal from farmers than to go and plant and sell by the road side in 2 pound bags
As I drove along the roads of St. Lucia, I quickly observed the obvious. Most of the farming was conducted by older people. I initially thought the work was not lucrative, hence, a reluctance by young people to enter. Later, someone schooled me on the facts. I learned that farming was hard work with many disappointments, however, lucrative. I further learned that generally the older folks work ethic and discipline can’t be compared to the younger ones.
The minister has his work cut out for him as he attempts to change mindsets, attitudes and beliefs. It’s one thing showing the financial benefits in graphics, and another encountering dangerous creatures, scorching heat and demanding hours.
The place will need young people to receive the baton. This is a crisis waiting to happen if there’s no transition.