Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 16, 2022 (SKNIS): Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources et al, the Hon. Samal Duggins, during his budget presentation on December 15, 2022, outlined a number of plans that are in the pipeline to strengthen the functioning of the Department of Agriculture and improve crop production.
“In the Department of Agriculture, there is so much hope, so much prospect for the future. And that hope is largely hinged on our efforts toward climate-smart agriculture and this is not just a fancy term. In St. Kitts and Nevis, we are approximately 104 square miles, not enough land space…so we have to use that land smartly. And, unlike trees, we cannot grow upwards. So, we have to make sure we access the land well, construct proper usage of the land, and then attack that with diligence. So, you see climate-smart agriculture affords us this opportunity and so our thrust to get deeper into climate-smart agriculture I believe will be a significant highlight of the 2023 budget,” said Minister Duggins.
Minister Duggins has previously stated that the goal of the government is to reduce the Federation’s food import bill by 25%, which will require new and more modern forms of agriculture to satisfy food demand and supply. Further, Minister Duggins outlined the plans of the Ministry of Agriculture to combat the constant threat that local farmers face from wild animals such as monkeys and bore pigs.
“Our monkeys represent a significant challenge to our farmers and significantly hinder our ability to produce the type of food our country requires to be self-sufficient. And so, we are actively investing in a Feral Animal Control Programme. And that programme would not only see efforts to trap and bring some measure of control to our monkeys but also our wild pigs and other feral animals. How do we plan to execute this programme? Trapping is one part of it, but in the meantime, there is also protection of our farms and during my time campaigning one of my commitments was to have all farms properly fenced. And so, we see our budget being able to give us the ability to not only fence farms with the wire fencing but we are also investing in the solar capacity to create electrical fencing,” said Minister Duggins.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is an approach that helps guide actions to transform agri-food systems towards green and climate-resilient practices. It aims to tackle three main objectives: sustainably increasing agricultural productivity and incomes; adapting and building resilience to climate change; and reducing and/or removing greenhouse gas emissions, where possible.
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