ROSEAU, Dominica – A concerted effort is needed to foster an enabling environment for youth in agriculture, with integration of the educational curricula, to equip them with skills and knowledge to drive innovation. The effort must also introduce technologies indigenous and modern advancements within the region’s schools, getting them directly involved in agricultural activities and empowering them to become the next wave of agricultural leaders.
This was underscored by Tricianna Maharaj of the PISLM, at the recently concluded Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Youth in Agriculture Panel Discussion held in Dominica on August 9, 2024.
“We must make sure that there is greater effort from an early age to foster that innovation. Involving youth in agriculture requires a multitude of approaches to create that enabling environment,” Maharaj noted. One of four panelists, whose discussions focused on the title, ‘The Role of Research, Innovation, and Technology in Developing the Agriculture Sector; and identified access to finance and capacity building as two of the major issues that need to be re-engineered to suit the rapidly evolving economic and development landscape.
“There is [the] need for young people to be taught about critical aspects of grant or proposal writing, budgeting. This also raises the issue of access to funding, by making grants more readily accessible and in place,” she added.
Maharaj who is the liaison officer and coordinator of the Research, Advisory, and Capacity (RAC) Building Facility on New Adaptation Technologies (NAT), identified ways that the PISLM has been utilizing both research and technology to drive food security.
Maharaj explained that PISLM is set to research the use of BIOFLOC – a technology from Malaysia – a cost-effective aquaculture system that experiments with Shrimp Production.
“It includes training programmes for women and youth interested in the technology. We know that shrimp has a big market in the Caribbean, and we can capitalize on that. We are also looking to begin experimenting with new varieties of hot peppers,” Mahara said.
The Partnership Initiative for Sustainable Land Management (PISLM) is pleased to partner with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States for the OECS Youth in Agriculture (YIA) Symposium, Roseau, Dominica. The organization is grateful to connect with the next generation of agricultural leaders in the region, discussing tools, interventions, opportunities and requirements needed to shape the future of the agriculture in Caribbean Small Island Developing States.
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