BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, Mar. 12.2018 – OFFICIALS in the Department of Agriculture are working to push programmes in schools, geared at helping the federation to reduce its dependency on imported foods.
Over the last several years, government officials from both sides of the political spectrum have been talking about citizens and residents’ dependency on imported food, but it has been a challenge to rectify.
Just recently, Director of Agriculture, Melvin James speaking at the recently held agriculture stakeholders meeting, revealed that they are working to create an enabling environment within the schools that will allow for the development of the programmes.
With the view of creating that enabling environment, the Department has developed a syllabus that it hopes will be fully implemented in schools in the form of agriculture sciences currently being taught.
The new syllabus, according to James, was created between the Ministry of education and the Department of Agriculture.
He explained that the project is currently being tested but will be implemented in a pilot phase in four secondary schools.
“What is going to happen is that now as we speak, we are sort of testing out the syllabus…
“Right now, until September, it is like a feel out, where we will see what will work and by September probably, we will actually be implementing the syllabus in those schools.”
The aim of the programme is to produce a new cadre of farmers and entrepreneurs, James said, pointing out that they cannot leave anything to chance with the enhancement of the sector.
“We are going into the cradle, we are going to where the young people are; influencing them so that we will take them right through and make the new set of farmers.”
