Dominica is one step closer to the 2015 Dominica Census of Agriculture.
Stakeholders came together on Wednesday July 15th to take part in a workshop for users and producers in anticipation of the 2015 Agriculture Census for Dominica.
Director of Agriculture, Ricky Brumant, is happy that Dominica is finally at this stage.
He said to stakeholders, “We believe that the census is a fundamental opportunity and tool for us,” he said.
Elgitha Ferdinand is an expert in agriculture censuses from St. Lucia and is here to assist Dominica in the process.
“The purpose of this workshop is two-fold,” she began. “One, to introduce the census items to users and producers of agricultural data more specifically, the data that will be collected.
“The second objective is to present an outline of the tabulation plan. This is the output expected from the census,” she said.
She explained that it is up to the island to determine what output or data will be extricated based on the tabulation plan.
The last agriculture census was conducted in 1995. This one will serve as a resource for Government to make more informed decisions about the country’s agricultural development.
The workshop brought together participants from agencies including the Ministry of Agriculture and Trade, the Central Statistics Office, Dominica Export/Import Agency (DEXIA), Inter American Institute of Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Waterfront and Allied Workers Union, Dominica National Fair Trade Organization, Caribbean Agriculture Research and Development Institute, staff of the Banana Accompanying Measures (BAM) Office and of course, farmers.
The 2015 Dominica Census of Agriculture is being funded through the EU-funded BAM programme.
If I hear the word “stakeholder” one more time, I am going to scream. That and “persons” are probably the most overused words in the government’s lexicon.