CARICOM Secretary-General has expressed that young people are the “key” to the total transformation of the region’s agri-food system.
On Friday, October 28, 2022, Dr Carla Barnett launched the ‘I am Agriculture: Youth in Agriculture’ Social Media Campaign.
The campaign was launched in partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme and is undertaken in recognition of the important role youth must play in the achievement of food security in the Region.
As one of the strategies geared at increasing youth participation in agriculture, it will showcase success stories of youth in the agribusiness, farming, and agri-food sectors.
The ongoing hour-long virtual event will include presentations from young farmers.
“Young people are the key to the total transformation of region’s agri-food system [and] fundamental to this transformation is the embrace of digital innovation in agriculture which can lead to a range of new high-demand and highly-paid agricultural professions such as smart agriculture, online platforms, extension and marketing applications, and drone technology, she noted”
Dr Barnett noted that the average age of farmers in this region is estimated to be 50-60 years of age making young people a minority in the field.
She expressed that with few young farmers coming to replace senior farmers in sustaining the agriculture of the region, we will have difficulties.
“This is one of the things we must change if the region is to be truly food-secured and have a strong economic and trade prospect, she stated
“As it stands now in our region, young people constitute a section of society with the highest level of unemployment and food insecurity however like the agriculture sector, youth possess untapped potential. Their capacities for creative actives are not fully realized when opportunities are limited.”
Barnett stated that facilitating youth participation in the agricultural sector will provide much-needed employment opportunities and will also help drive innovation and growth resulting in benefits to all individual countries and communities.
“We can be optimistic since the agri-food sector possesses significant development potential, not only to generate ample, decent, and gainful opportunities for youth but also as an avenue to unleash their entrepreneurial spirit,” she said.
Each of the 15 member states has selected its own youth ambassador who will be representing through video their own production stories. In alphabetical order, three videos will be launched every Friday between 3:00-3:30 pm Eastern Time on CARICOM’s official Youtube page.
Farmers what a you all waiting for, take your familys and hit the streets of dominica stop dringing food to market you all that keep the people alive, they will follow you all come on lets hit the streets and demand what you want . You all a bigger than skerrit and his bunch of you know what.
People everything in dominica is agriculture, agriculture, the government laugh at farmers after 22years every word is agriculture . The minister of agriculture said agriculture is a has been industry, after Guyana every other word is agriculture not even passport again because the shit has hit the ceiling . We have the soil ,the water, the world need food and water we were bless with it in abundance and the skerrit and his goons kill everything my my my.