CARDI’s Open Day highlights partnerships in agriculture

On Friday, January 21, 2011 at 9:30 am, the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) host its Open Day at the Portsmouth Agricultural Station at One Mile, Portsmouth.

CARDI’s Open day shows science as a tool to facilitate sustainable development in agriculture.

CARDI, in close collaboration with IICA and the Division of Agriculture along with NAYA and in response to the farming community, are investigating different potting media and greenhouse coverings on the production and productivity of vegetables, using lettuce and tomatoes as its crop.  The experiment evaluates spent bay leaf compost, compost manufactured by the Belle Vue Chopin farmers, pro-mix and soil.  The next cycle of crops will include coconut coir.

Preliminary investigations show that the locally produced compost show earlier crop development and harvest date and better harvest weight for both tomato and lettuce.  However the crop cycle needs to be repeated in 2011.

The Open Day also highlights the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) and European Union (EU)-funded regional project of which Dominica is a recipient of over US$200,000 to be utilized in the promotion of sweet potato, yam and cassava.  The main objective of the CFC/EU project is to contribute to the improvement of livelihoods along the root and tuber crop commodity chain.  The project addresses marketing and production technologies and looks at systems across the value chain.

Along with its collaborators (Division of Agriculture, Bureau of Standards, IICA, NDFD, Hucksters Association & DEXIA) CARDI will establish demonstration plots and satellite farms in the crop hub areas for yam, sweet potato and cassava where training sessions will be conducted.  Also, value added producers of cassava (farine & cassava bread) and sweet potato will receive training and equipment to improve their processing capabilities.

A component of the project is also the introduction of new varieties of cassava and sweet potato into Dominica by tissue culture material according to procedures approved by the plant quarantine unit of the Division of Agriculture.   These varieties will be weaned and hardened at the Portsmouth Agricultural Station in the Expanded Propagation Shed.

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2 Comments

  1. GCR
    January 21, 2011

    Good work Sharon

  2. real news
    January 21, 2011

    Way to Go DNO.

    Wonderful progressive news.

    Congratulations Ms. Sharon Jones on allowing God to use you to bring about good and empowering mankind where ever you go..
    Job well done with the citrus certification program, your work with the scouts, women, Dominica Organic Agriculture Movement, herbal business association…
    Bee keepers, Bucoo reef trust, schools… in Tobago,
    Running the CARONI plant pathology Lab in trinidad….b, .

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