The government is in discussions with a private landowner to lease 50 acres of land, which will be subdivided and rented to farmers in Montserrat.
Agriculture minister John Osborne explained that while talks are fruitful, the plot will still need to be cleared and equipped with water before it can be allocated.
He was responding to a question from opposition member Donaldson Romeo in the latest meeting of the Montserrat Legislative Assembly on 21 January.
Romeo asked what the three main challenges are that the new minister faces in addressing agriculture on the island, and what his plans are over the coming term.
Osborne said that the first issue is lack of suitable and accessible land for crop and livestock farming, the second is lack of consistent farming throughout the year, and the third is lack of farmers.
Solutions
Osborne said the first solution, which he is working on, would be to leaser the large plot of private land to provide to farmer on a demand basis.
To address a lack of consistent farming due to the large number of “part-time farmers”, he said there are already several incentives in place.
He explained that former agriculture minister Crenston Buffonge, laid the foundation to incentivise production and possibly shift farmers to full time cultivation.
These include the provision of field fencing wire, irrigation supplies, fertiliser, seeds and ‘tractoring’, as well as an increase in educational programmes.
Finally, he said to address the lack of farmers, the agriculture ministry has embarked on initiatives to actively encourage young people to enter the professional farming.
This includes demonstrations of hydroponics and aquaponic models which can offer a greater yield, use smaller spaces and require less input.
Osborne said funding for these solutions is coming from various places, including Caricom, the private sector and the government.
