The Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda has renewed its call for increased domestic food production and has directed the Ministry of Agriculture to accelerate the construction and rehabilitation of dams, ponds and other water-catchment facilities to provide farmers with greater access to water for agricultural production.
During its meeting on Wednesday, Cabinet held extensive discussions on national food security
emphasising the need for Antigua and Barbuda to increase the quantity and variety of food produced locally and to further reduce the country’s dependence on imported food.
Minister for Agriculture, Lands, Fisheries and the Blue Economy, the Honourable Anthony Smith Jr., reported that the Ministry has been actively constructing dams and clearing and rehabilitating ponds and other water sources in anticipation of rainfall during this period.
Cabinet noted that capturing and storing as much rainwater as possible is essential to building a more resilient agricultural sector, particularly given the country’s vulnerability to prolonged dry periods and irregular rainfall.
The Cabinet consequently instructed the Minister and his technical team to significantly upscale the programme for the construction of dams and ponds, while continuing the clearing and rehabilitation of existing water catchments.
The Ministry was also instructed to intensify measures aimed at empowering farmers to place more acreage under production and to expand the Ministry’s own food-production programmes.
The latest instructions build upon several measures already being implemented as part of the Government’s national food-security strategy.
Cabinet noted that the objective is to develop a national network capable of capturing and storing greater quantities of rainwater for agricultural purposes, thereby providing farmers with a more reliable and affordable supply of water and reducing agriculture’s dependence on desalinated potable water.
The Government’s food-security programme is also addressing access to productive agricultural lands. Earlier this year, the Ministry reported that approximately 150 acres of underutilised farmland had been repossessed
with Cabinet approving 75 acres for allocation specifically to youth and women farmers. The initiative is intended to put productive agricultural land into the hands of persons committed to farming and increasing national output.
Other initiatives include the development of the Tissue Culture Laboratory at Bethesda, designed to provide farmers with disease-free and high-quality planting material, and collaboration with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and CARDI on improved sweet potato varieties, farmer training, seed security and climate-resilient agricultural practices.
Cabinet stressed that these initiatives must ultimately translate into more locally produced food reaching households, supermarkets, hotels, restaurants and other consumers.
The Government is therefore encouraging farmers to take advantage of available lands, improved water infrastructure, planting materials, technical assistance and other support being provided through the Ministry of Agriculture to expand production.
Cabinet reaffirmed that food security is a national priority and that increasing domestic agricultural production is essential not only to reducing the country’s food-import bill, but also to strengthening Antigua and Barbuda’s resilience against external supply disruptions, climatic events and other global challenges.
The Cabinet has therefore charged the Ministry of Agriculture with moving aggressively to expand water-storage capacity, empower existing and new farmers, place additional agricultural lands into productive use, and plant more food for the people of Antigua and Barbuda.
This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Cabinet Calls for Increased Food Production and Expansion of Agricultural Water Infrastructure.