Agricultural officials and other stakeholders in agriculture met on Thursday September 10 for a workshop to review the mandate of the Department of Agriculture, with the main aim of planning the way forward for the agricultural sector. The facilitator was Dr Floyd Homer, an agricultural consultant from Trinidad and Tobago. The opening ceremony was chaired by Director of Agriculture, William Vanterpool.

L-R: Chief Veterinary Officer, Patrick Vanterpool, President of the NFA, Elvett Hughes, Hon. Victor Banks and Dr. Floyd Homer

In his address Hon Minister of Finance and Tourism, Victor Banks said: “Agriculture is not to be considered simply a pastime but a business. Agriculture must not continue to be constrained by traditional methods but must embrace new technology. Agriculture should not be only considered a skill but a science. Agriculture should not be driven only by passion but also by opportunity and enterprise.”

He also spoke of agriculture being a way of life for Anguillians when he was growing up and that every family engaged in it directly or depended on it for survival. He mentioned the jollifications that were an important symbol of Anguilla’s culture when village communities got together to work the land. He noted that when tourism became important in the Caribbean many people did not consider farming a “respectable undertaking” but he said that agriculture is not an adversary of tourism but rather an ally.
Mr Banks urged the farmers and other stakeholders in attendance to position themselves to be fully engaged in developing a vision and strategy to incorporate agriculture into a sustainable national development programme, and to have fruitful deliberations that would lead to the formulation of innovative plans, modern concepts and fresh approaches for the development of agriculture in Anguilla. He stressed that the Government was fully supportive of agriculture and the agricultural community.

Workshop was attended by farmers and other stakeholders

President of the National Farmers’ Association, Elvett Hughes, described the workshop as timely and a bold step because it was not often that a Department opened up to the public. He said that everyone was a stakeholder in agriculture as “we try to feed ourselves and raise livestock.” He suggested that the workshop should not be the last but it should be ongoing; and he expressed the hope that the mandate would be owned by all and he looked forward to its implementation.

Chief Veterinary Officer, Patrick Vanterpool, described how the Department of Agriculture has changed over the years: and reduced the labour force and increased the technical force. He said that natural resources must be secured, especially land and water. He stressed the importance of creating a policy that would ensure the future of agriculture and that what was being done was worthwhile.
Dr Homer noted that with the changing economic times the bulk of income was being spent on food. He suggested that Caribbean people were becoming like North American consumers and not taking agriculture seriously any more. However, he urged everyone to become back-garden farmers and suggested that with little land individuals can still produce tomatoes, herbs, lettuce and other crops for the needs of their family. He said there was a need to be innovative and to use the available technology and that it was possible to use flower pots to grow produce.

Dr Floyd Homer

Attending the workshop were members of the Anguilla National Farmers’ Association, the Anguilla Beautification Club, the Anguilla National Trust, the Ministry of Finance, the National Trust, and the Departments of Customs, Water, Health Protection, Environment, Social Development and Tourism.

After the workshop Dr Homer stayed in Anguilla for a few days and met with supermarket owners and their purchasing managers, heads of stakeholders departments, tourism establishments and the Department and Ministry of Agriculture officials. He was due to present a report to the Department of Agriculture before he left.

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