Agriculture is gaining ground among Cayman residents
through farming seminars, and the latest group to get educated about farming
and the relevant principles are the Sister Islands.
Three in a series of five agriculture workshops have been
held on the Bluff in Cayman Brac. The first, held in October, focused on
vegetable production and grow box gardening. The second and third workshops
(featuring Department of Agriculture agronomist Raymond Coleman as a speaker)
took place this month and looked at common vegetable diseases and disorders
along with common vegetable pests and their control. Minister of District
Administration, Works, Lands and Agriculture Juliana O’Connor-Connolly said the
workshops are aimed at fostering awareness and encouraging people to get
involved in “growing what they eat and eating what they grow.”
The minister also said it is critical that the country
moves to reduce its food import bills.
“Right now over 90 per cent of the foods we eat are
imported and we want to reduce that figure,” Mrs. O’Connor-Connolly said. “Our
goal is that persons will become actively engaged in farming, and that they
will grow their own produce to supplement their families’ and communities’ food
supply. If each person grows a little in his or her back yard, it would propel
us towards our objective of national food security.”
Director of the Department of Agriculture Adrian Estwick
said he is proud of the progress made by Sister Islands farmers.
“The knowledge gained by attendees of the workshops will
help them to improve their production skills and lessen the frustration that
many home gardeners experience when they can’t get their vegetables to grow as
they expect,” Mr. Estwick said. “Our goal is to have more people be able to
proudly say ‘I have a green thumb’.
“I hope that the enthusiasm that we are seeing at the
workshops, combined with the new skills taught, will translate into more
vegetable exhibits at next year’s Sister Islands Agricultural Show. After all,
Mercherito (Chantilope, Cayman Brac’s leading crop farmer) needs some
competition.”
The most recent in the series, which focuses on the
basics of pesticide use and user safety, was 20 November at the Aston Rutty
Centre. The final workshop will address basic techniques in fruit tree
production and takes place on Saturday, 4 December.
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