One of the major differences unfolding between the two parties is its agriculture policy. We saw the above poster on the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) website and it rammed home the point for us. The troubling fact for the DLP is that although this is an important issue Barbadians do not give a damn about agriculture. We believe that the advertisement featured above represents a wasted message.
The question should be, can we do argriculture cost effectively?
BU,
I beg to differ that such an AD is a wasted one.
The callous nature by which agriculture has been treated by this BLP gov’t …….is what , in view that has given rise to such negative perceptions !
If this BLP gov’t had not pursued a misguided policy….of selling agricultural lands for housing / golf course / condiminium development…..in essence the BLP policy of allowing land to fetch it’s highest economic value .
Then agriculture would have flourished in this country.
Our food import bill and by extension…our cost of living could have been contained.
But nooooo………now that Cost of Living has caught the BLP gov’t attention 2 months before the 2008…….check out the BLP response :
** Owen says…plant food in yuh…BACKYARD !
** Mia Mottley says….go to GUYANA and farm on rab land @ US $ 5.00 per acre !
But according to Owen & Mia POLICY……the fertile BAJAN soils should remain for…. golf course / condiminium development !
Only in…….FIRST WORLD BARBADOS !!!!!
We had a post which asked the question, if you have land in sugar cane which is a cash crop (that you are making a loss on btw) and you change the use of that land to golf courses which you will also use to generate funds (at a profit). What is so undesirable about taking out of agriculture.
http://notesfromthemargin.wordpress.com/2007/09/25/a-controversial-viewpoint-on-agriculture-in-barbados/
The future of agriculture has much more to do with the second question than the first.
Marginal
After elections, when the reality of what is happening in this world with fuel prices, food prices etc kick in (around september or so) there will be a different approach to answering this question.
We will see who can eat golf, or even cash from golf…
Two problems with golf courses is that they are big polluters of the environment and that they require a lot of water.
They pollute because the grass is kept extremely short. This weakens the grass, which has to be sustained by heavy applications of pesticides and fertilizers.
The heavy irrigation then washes this mix downwards and possibly into the drinking water supply. We used to get a yearly spike of nitrates with sugar cane cultivation, but pesticides are worse.
An intelligent agricultural policy is essential to the health of the general public. I am delighted that the DLP have made this an issue.
There is no difference between golf courses and heavily manicured private lawns, the more I look and see I am realizing that agriculture and fresh produce does not have much significance here in BB. I am happy growing what I need and selling the rest, purely as hobby…selling what I don’t need sustains my hobby. Then again my family enjoys eating fresh vegetables.
Speaking of agricultural policies and food self sufficiency etc., I came across this recent posting (below) which is basically a review of the book “Seeds of Destruction: The Hidden Agenda of Genetic Manipulation” describing how a few multi-national agri-businesses are intent on taking over complete control of the world’s food supplies and are using genetic modification of crops and foodstuffs as a foot in the door towards this end.
The genetically modified foods (over which controversy is still raging as to their ultimate safety to consumers) can be patented and those who own those patents are determined to ensure their patented crops will take over from the non GMO (and non patentable) varieties many poorer farmers and countries rely on. (Something to consider when we try to decide whether it is ultimately in our own best interest to allow other countries to grow all our food for us).
In other words, the big push from the multinational agribusinesses like Monsanto etc. to force consumers into eating genetically modified crops whether they want them or not, is to push out the non GMO varieties from commercial use so that ultimately the Monsanto’s of this world will have control over the worlds food supply.
Here is a snip from the intro of the review:
Here is a snip from Part II of the review:
“There is no difference between golf courses and heavily manicured private lawns”
Unfortunately there is a big difference. “Heavily manicured private lawns” are bad, but not nearly as bad as a golf course – big difference is the height of the grass, extremely short on golf courses which causes the problems that I previously stated.
James Paul can do with some help to get rid of Rommell Marshall. Marshall has not done anything for anyone for a very long time . Help get rid of him.
Erskine Griffith was hired as a man who because he knew the rules of the world game would help us develop an agriculture policy. To be honest I can’t see any significant strides made since he was handed the ministry.
I think that Erskine Griffith has done a reasonable job in a ministry that nobody wants, fewer care about and which has very serious macro issues to manage on a minimal budget. Most of Barbados agriculture is inefficient due to high labour costs and no economies of scale and the rest is extremely small. Niche agriculture is one solution and at least it’s been tried with sugar and cotton brands (although the former seem to be more successful than the latter). The sugar industry at least has a plan (although it’s expensive, and the justification is a little dubious) and the rest seems to have been reasonably well managed (or at least not totally screwed up as per some other ministries). What we don’t see is an overarching policy but, then again, anything serious would be extremely expensive and since when has agriculture attracted serious money ? And just getting back to the subject, taking land out of sugar and into golf courses/ condos is environmentally a Bad Thing. There is increased run-off, it loosens the thin top soil and washes it away and it contributes to flooding. Think Holetown in the rains.
The simple fact that seems to be ignored, is that condominium and golf course development are mistakenly intended to attract tourists. However, we must never forget that, to a large extent, tourists come to Barbados because of the character of the place, and its varied landscapes. Part of the attraction was the neat, garden-like appearance of the countryside while it was under sugar cane. That scenario is disappearing fast – just check Vaucluse – and even the manicured appearance of golf courses cannot compensate, because they do not cover all the land turning to bush, and worse, access to them is restricted to the very few privileged or rich enough to use them. The policy of selling-off land in exchange for one-off foreign direct investment is something that I think will come back to haunt Barbados in a big way. It is a policy which says, “we have run out of ideas.” It is a policy that ignores the fact that we have tourism competitors all over the world who treasure their environment and their heritage infrastructure, and it is these desitnations that tourists will flock to in the future. After all, what is attractive in a landscape of rooftops as far as the eye can see, broken only by the green of the occasional private golf course?
Far too many believe that tourists come for sea, sun, s.. and relaxation alone. Why can’t the Soil Conservation Unit, Dairy and Blackbelly Sheep Farms etc. be used as part of our tourist “attractions”?
The same way the Highland Tours used jitneys to take visitors through canefields, gullies and farms at Waterhall and Apes Hill, why can’t others do the same? An idea similar to what the Highland Tours did was presented by Keith Simmons to a group of youth belonging to a community-based organization, in 1986; they laughed! I am sure that the Highland Tours came after that year.
If we look hard enough and think creatively, I am convinced that Agriculture and Tourism can be twinned. Add to this Community-based Heritage Tourism through which communities can be involved and I am sure that Tourism can really start to become “our business” and not just the rich and foreign.
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I once met a chef at Codrington college who wanted to know why local dishes are not ‘fancied up’ and sold in up market restaurants he was planning to approach local farmers to grow organic vegetables for his restaurant! How can we feed all these people that we are trying to attract to our shores? How will we feed ourselves if we cannot afford to import the foreign fruits and vegetables we have developed a taste for? Champaigne tastes, with mauby pockets? That describes the average bajan. Added to this most Barbadians do not want to be ‘slave labour’ (agricultural work is best left to indo-guyanese). We have become a white collar, fast money society and we have taught our children that only slaves cut cane and pick cotton. Why are we surprised that no one cares about agriculture? Nearly all the plantations have indo-guyanese working now the only bajans in the fields are female and generally over 50 yrs.
Watchman…
Totally agree. It can be twinned.
Hope you read my article on Community Tourism published in the Business Authority last Monday.
Just so you know, some of us have been doing what you are suggesting for several years.
But not enough!
Why should anyone care about agriculture in Barbados?
The farmer gets zero encouragement.
* Poor soils, of minimal depth!
* Minimal rainfall: great for tourism -killer for plant growth!
* A labour population dat now get ouka slavery and DOAN want to go back in dat!
(can U blame dem?)
* Praedial larceny with zero help from the local Police!
YOU TELL ME why anyone should care about thankless agriculture in Barbados