The Ministry of Agriculture is bringing together farmers, researchers and key agencies next week to develop strategies to help Barbados’ agricultural sector cope with the effects of the ongoing Super El Niño weather pattern.
Speaking to Barbados TODAY during a visit to the West Indies Rum Distillery’s Kendal Farm operations, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Security Dr Shantal Munro-Knight said the ongoing Super El Niño weather pattern continues to pose significant challenges for the agricultural sector, intensifying regional dry spells and placing unprecedented demands on water resources.
The minister used the visit to examine some of the measures already being employed to improve resilience within the agricultural industry.
“One of the biggest challenges that agriculture is facing in the context of the Super El Niño [relates to] drought,” the minister stated. “So I was very happy to see that one of the key aspects of the Kendall operations is [that] they do have water catchment facilities.”
El Niño is a weather phenomenon linked to warmer-than-normal Pacific Ocean temperatures that can bring hotter, drier conditions to the Caribbean and increase the risk of drought.
The phenomenon has been described as a major factor suppressing tropical storm development in the Atlantic and contributing to an unusually quiet hurricane season.
The ministry will host the special consultation, dubbed CONCAF, as part of its response.
“The Ministry of Agriculture at the end of next week will be having a special, what I’m calling CONCAF, looking again at the impact of the Super El Niño, looking for strategies of how we can make sure that we can try to work with farmers as much as possible to either enhance current practices on the farms, but also [support] research as well,” the minister explained.
The forum will bring together representatives from academia, the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), the Barbados Water Authority, the Meteorological Office, farmers and other stakeholders.
The ministry is also encouraging farmers to consider practical approaches that can help them adapt to dry conditions.
“I’ve said to the team, I don’t necessarily always require very big solutions. Go back to things like mulching that we did traditionally. Make sure that we can kind of inculcate those practices,” Munro-Knight remarked.
“You know me, I always say innovation, but also tradition. So I also want to understand what are those traditional things that we used before or that we need to be able to support and bring back, whether through training or the level of investment that we need.”
The consultation is also intended to give farmers an opportunity to help shape future policies and practices.
“I don’t want to do that without the stakeholders. I know people always say, you don’t want to have meetings and stuff like that, but it’s important because I want to also listen [and] hear what farmers themselves are doing and thinking,” the Agriculture Minister said.
“And like I said, marry that [information] with the science, [working with] the technical team for the ministry as well, and then build that sustainable pathway.”
(RR)
