CARDI holds Open Day
By Melissa Bryant
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
~~Adz:Left~~ BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – SCORES of local farmers and representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and other agricultural institutions attended the Open Day held today (Dec. 16) at the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute’s (CARDI) Headquarters on St. Johnston Avenue.
According to Entomologist Mervin James, the Open Day was held in order to guide the research institute’s development agenda for the coming year.
“We want to alert the agrarian community to the programmes we have executed over the past year and garner their input on our course of action and what solutions and recommendations they have going forward,” he explained.
Country Team Leader Llewellyn Rhodes outlined a number of issues the institution had focused on in recent history, including greenhouse technology, climate change, integrated pest management and most significantly, market development.
He noted that the world’s eating patterns had changed and that food needed to be presented in a more attractive and easily-usable manner.
“But in order for us to deal with any of these issues effectively, there needs to be collaboration among sister agencies, government departments, regional and international organisations and the agricultural community itself.
“That is why this Open Day is so important; CARDI can apprise you of the work they have done and receive your feedback so the work we undertake in the future is relevant to your needs,” Rhodes said.
James provided some enlightenment about CARDI’s mission, stating that the objectives had emerged due to a regional meeting of Caribbean Ministers of Agriculture.
“Coming out of that meeting, every Caribbean country was assigned specific areas of focus and St. Kitts and Nevis was mandated to concentrate on sweet potatoes, hot peppers and small ruminant (sheep and goat) rearing,” he said.
He further stated that CARDI’s intention was to educate those gathered on the processing possibilities that exist through these activities, such as turning their produce into juices, baby foods and chips.
