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Posted: Friday 19 July, 2024 at 7:45 PM

Land: A critical part of the 25 By 2025 Initiative

By: Staff Reporter, SKNVibes.com

    BASSETERRE, St. Kitts -- AGRICULTURE officials believe that the country is on target to achieve the goals of the 25 By 2025 Initiative as they now intensify efforts to promote backyard gardening.

     

    With the 25 By 2025 initiative emphasizing food sustainability and self-reliance, Agriculture Minister Samal Duggins believes that the recently launched SAFE (Sustainable Agriculture for Everyone) initiative is a critical component of the plan.

     

    Under this initiative, the Department of Agriculture will engage with backyard farmers and gardeners to promote increased gardening activities, addressing the ongoing challenges associated with limited land space within the federation.

     

    St. Kitts and Nevis covers approximately 68 square miles, and agriculture competes with human and social development, making it challenging to balance both while increasing food production.

     

    “We recognize that competing with development and human growth, that our land space, which we cannot control the size of, because it's 68 square miles no matter how we look at it, is one that would have to be shared amongst every aspect and facet of our development,” the minister noted. 

     

    Engaging backyard farmers to increase productivity is, therefore, critical.

     

    “We recognize that if we were to include backyards as a part of the whole programme, that we would see a lot more land becoming available, and also human resources, because then each household becomes a working unit,” added Duggins.

     

    St. Kitts and Nevis, like much of the rest of the region, has a high dependency on imported foods. Data provided by agriculture officials showed that the Federation imported approximately US $200 million worth of food in 2022. To combat this problem, the government has signed on to CARICOM’s 25 By 2025 initiative, which aims to decrease the food import bill by 25 percent by next year.

     

    To achieve this target, the ministry and other territories have chosen specific crops to prioritize.

     

    Minister Duggins noted that they will seek to have as many farmers as possible join the SAFE programme.

     

    “We've seen significant interest in our SAFE program, and backyard farming development is ongoing,” the minister added. “Combined with the efforts of our regular farmers, we have seen an increase in available land for cultivation and thus progress towards our overall output. This is a significant achievement, and I am pleased with it.”

     

    Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture remains focused on greenhouse village constructions, with various organizations assisting in repairing damaged greenhouses.

     

    “All in all, I think everything is moving along quite well. As we approach 2025, we are looking at the projected numbers, and they are quite promising,” said the minister.

     

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