A cry rang out for a stronger Department of Agriculture and greater unity among farmers at the local farmers forum, the concluding event of the 50th annual Caribbean Food Crops Society convention on Friday.
The convention rotates locations, but was hosted this year at Sugar Bay Resort on St. Thomas, and focuses on technical presentations between agricultural scientists.
In his closing remarks, Kwame Garcia Sr., CFCS’s president, explained it would be odd if his organization hosted a whole agricultural convention without inviting farmers to come and express their views or concerns. The local farmers forum provided just that opportunity.
Local farmers used the forum as fertile ground to dig into the government for, in their view, failure to promote local agriculture.
Grantley Samuel from GLG Plants and Produce said he is disappointed with politician’s unfulfilled promises. Politicians “talk the talk but don’t walk the talk,” Samuel said Friday, adding that he believes politicians can better help develop Virgin Island agriculture by learning more about local farms.
Oswald Jackson from Jackson’s farm said he would like to see an increase in the Department of Agriculture’s budget. Jackson explained that, with a larger budget, the department could loan everything that was needed to a core group of six to eight farms.
These measures would increase local farm production, Jackson said. Currently the Virgin Islands imports 99.9 percent of its food. A fact driven home at the convention’s snack table, which only had imported food.
Agriculture Commissioner Louis Petersen addressed the challenges his department faced. The commissioner noted that since 2007 his staff had shrunk by a third and his budget was slashed by $600,000.
“I know its not at a pace we all like, but we are making progress,” Petersen said. He noted the Virgin Fresh sticker placed on crops grown in the Virgin Islands as a way consumers could identify and buy local food.
Dale Browne from Séjah farms advocated for increased cohesion among farmers. If farmers organized, he told the convention, they could better coordinate to meet crop demand and increase their financial stability.
Browne said he would like to see $10-20 million invested over the long term to promote agriculture, particularly towards the younger generations. He noted that most farmers in the territory are 55 to 60 years old and that a new generation needs to rise and take their place. Yet there is minimal agricultural education in kindergarten through 12th grade and agricultural science is not taught at University of the Virgin Islands, he said.
Browne also spoke about agro tourism, or using farms to double as tourist attractions. He said he believes Virgin Islands farms provide the “perfect venue” for agro tourism but stressed that many farms need additional infrastructure or tourists wouldn’t have much to look at.
Eudelle West and Benita Martin, both farmers from We Grow Food Inc., said they share Browne’s view on agro tourism’s appeal and spoke highly of the Bordeaux farmer’s market. The farmer’s market opened in January 2013 with a new market building and the potential to draw tourists.
Tourists also proved a source of revenue for Jaquel Dawson, the proprietor and founder of Bush Tea of the Virgin Islands. Bush Tea of the Virgin Islands, which has sales just under $100,000, sells traditional bush tea to a primarily tourist market.
Dawson, who markets her products in hotels and has recently formed distribution partnerships in Alabama, Oklahoma, Mississippi and several other states, said her sales to tourists allow her to employ young mothers to hand make and stuff each tea bag.
Many farmers at the forum united behind their love of farming. “Even if I wasn’t being paid, it is what I would do,” Samuel said. West added that she enjoyed the “support from local people” she got from farming.
