Problems with thieves, lack of support and funding are major issues facing Cayman’s small number of farmers, a group of them told the Agriculture Society at a meeting it hosted late last week in Bodden Town.
Arnold Berry, who is relatively new to farming, outlined the stumbling blocks for people getting into farming in the Cayman Islands:
“Funding, water quality, education and bulldozer assistance are an issue, but one of the bigger problems I am seeing as a back yard gardener is, assistance is nil,” he said.
Agriculture Society president Justin Wood and second vice-president George Smith listened to the comments and discussed issues and ideas concerning agriculture going forward.
“We want to be the liaison body between the farmers, Department of Agriculture and the ministry,” he said. “Instead of 100 people voicing their opinions, we can take data to the ministry and say these are the issues farmers are having.”
Though Mr. Smith said he is not sure how many people on island are farming, he added, “There are definitely more farmers, with most people having a little back yard garden. The idea is to get farmers in each district to document production and … let the supermarkets know what they have [so they can get sales for them].”
Brian Crichlow, director of the Agriculture Department, addressed some of Mr. Berry’s issues.
Regarding bulldozer assistance, or land clearing service, he said this has been temporarily suspended since the department’s heavy equipment operator retired in June. The department is currently trying to recruit a replacement.
Mr. Berry said he would like to expand production but doesn’t know how to go about it. “If I ask the Agriculture Department, they act like they can’t help,” he said. “I think there are a lot of us farmers throughout the country that are in this same position. We need to see more efforts from the powers that be, either government or private, Stop talking about it and let’s get it going, that is how I feel about agriculture in Cayman,” he said.
Mr. Berry also suggested that the Society and government put together a proper database so that they can get a clear picture of farmers who need help to get to the next level in farming.
“I am not seeing that kind of follow-up happening right now in agriculture,” he said. “People sticking with it might have some resources, but people who try to get started get discouraged and drop it.”
Mr. Wood responded that the society has been trying to do just that since the beginning of the year.
“We want to get farmers to send in data of what’s being grown in the Cayman Islands so that when it came to providing local produce to supermarkets they could have a constant supply.”
Harvey Stephenson said his biggest problem is the expense of farming in the Cayman Islands.
“Expenses with work permits and other things make it difficult, and unless we get the young people involved, agriculture will dwindle. Agriculture can be successful in Cayman,” he said.
William Chisholm in North Side said his problem is people stealing his produce and selling it to the supermarkets, which is the biggest setback he faces.
“They are buying produce from people who do not own a farm,” he said, adding that eventually he got help from the Agriculture Department.
Mr. Smith agreed there is a problem with people taking farmers’ produce, and he said that is where a database would be helpful. “A central committee keeping a record of farmers with ID cards would ensure the supermarkets only buy from registered farmers,” Mr. Wood said.
“The issue that Mr. William Chisholm in North Side is having is very relevant,” said farmer Dave Ebanks, who suggested the Society provide a list of registered farmers to all the supermarkets and all the restaurants because of the thieves.
“We have to cut that in the bud or all the farmers will suffer,” he said
Mr. Crichlow said the department has operated a farmers identification program for a number of years and recently revised it to offer two levels of identification: A commercial farmers identification is open to individuals or registered companies actively involved in commercial and agri-business enterprises. The benefits are maximum discounts on items or subsidies at the Agriculture Department. A non-commercial farmer identification is open to any person interested or involved in the agriculture sector. The benefits are access to special discount prices on agricultural supplies sold by the Department of Agriculture
Mr. Crichlow pointed out that the department works with farmers to ensure agriculture growth in the Cayman Islands by providing an extensive range of services to local farmers and the agricultural sector.
Mr. Ebanks, who operates a soil-less farm, encouraged other farmers to be creative.
“The future of farming in Cayman is not in the box but outside the box,” he said.
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