[ad_1]
(MOA) Basseterre, St. Kitts: The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources of St. Kitts, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Housing, Cooperatives and Fisheries of Nevis, officially launched on Monday, June 10, 2024, a project titled “Strengthening Conservation Agriculture to Improve People’s Livelihoods, Food and Nutrition Security”.
The project’s opening ceremony took place this week in the large conference room of the Ministry of Agriculture in La Grit, St. Kitts, in the form of a 5-day informative workshop.
Mr Melvin Medina-Navarro, Chief Technical Officer for Plant Production and Protection at FAO, was the main facilitator in driving progress at the workshop, which focused on improving access to food supplies by increasing access to agricultural inputs and resilient practices, while increasing household income from new and restored livelihoods by developing strategies to improve food systems and reduce food loss and waste.
Jeanelle Kelley, Director of the Agriculture Department, gave opening remarks, and Tonisha Weeks, FAO’s Contact Person and Liaison Officer in the Agriculture Department in St. Kitts, and Keithley Amory, FAO National Advisor, both outlined FAO’s previous work on production cropping systems and lessons learned through farm assessments.
Mr. Jervis Rowe, International Consultant of FAO, introduced the introduction and advantages of vegetable crop protection cultivation system and discussed its many advantages. He pointed out as an example: “The efficient use of land, water, nutrients and sunlight and effective pest and disease control can minimize the use of pesticides, improve crop quality, and provide more and better quality sunlight for crops.”
Other topics discussed included “Project Log Framework, Outputs and Activities, Cross-Disciplinary, Production Costs and Business Case for Selected Vegetable Crops under Protected Culture in St. Kitts and Nevis”.
All presentations will be followed immediately by a question and answer session.
Days three and four will feature field visits to optimize greenhouses and buildings in need of repair at multiple locations in St. Kitts and Nevis, with the final session taking place on Friday, June 14.
[ad_2]
Source link
