Agriculture Chief appeals for more youths in agriculture

CHIEF AGRICULTURAL Officer, Renato Gumbs is calling for increased youth participation in the agricultural sector to help achieve food security for the people of St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG).

Delivering remarks at the 2022 World Food Day celebrations in Park Hill on Friday, October 14 Gumbs said the future lies with technology and it is critical that children become involved in agriculture at an early stage.

“Having the school children here, I think, is very important because in order for us to continue to produce and survive, we have to be more productive, more efficient and the young people are the future”, the agricultural Chief said.

Meanwhile, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Nerissa Gittens- McMillan in her remarks said a paradigm shift in agriculture must be embraced and the old way of thinking about agriculture rejected to ensure that no one is left behind.

The 2022 World Food Day celebrations were held under the theme “Leave NO ONE Behind: Better Production, Better Nutrition, Better Environment, Better Life”. The activities featured displays from a number of local farmers, production facilities, agro-processors and the local offices of the United Nations, among others. World Food Day is celebrated globally on October 16 every year in observance of the date on which the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations was established in 1945. The main objectives are to combat world hunger and work toward its eradication. In SVG, activities to mark the day were hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Transformation, Forestry and Fisheries at the Park Hill Playing Field on Friday October 14, 2022 after an absence of two years (API).

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