This week guest columnist VASANT BHARATH Minister of Food Production, Land and Marine Affairs continues the fourth of his six-part series in this space on the vital question of food security and sustainable environmentally friendly development.
The Ministry of Food Production, Land and Marine Affairs is providing leadership in the area of sustainable food production. In my previous articles, I outlined the programmes and activities currently being pursued by my Ministry to do just that. The United Nations declared 2011 as The International Year of Forests and 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity. This, if nothing else, signalled the importance of the international conversation on our environment and the critical role it plays in our lives. The Government's policy document states explicitly that "there can be no sustainable development without respect for the environment." In recognition of this, the Livestock and Livestock Products Board (LLPB), housed under the Ministry of Food Production, Land and Marine Affairs, hosted a workshop in February this year, titled Livestock Waste Management and the Environment.
This workshop focused on the livestock industry with its requirements for waste and manure management as it relates to atmospheric degradation and the Water Pollution Act of 2001. Also, under the ambit of the University of the West Indies (UWI), the first ever National Conference for Environmental Management was hosted, a clear indication that awareness is on the increase with a resulting commitment to reduce our carbon footprint. As determined as we are to boost agricultural production, we are keenly aware that we must do so responsibly. In fact, environmental considerations have been fully integrated into our Revised Agricultural Incentives Programme. Revised incentives are now offered in the areas of Integrated Pest Management, Organic Farming, Fisheries, Aquaculture and Soil Conservation.
Integrated pest management (IPM) practices reduce the use of chemical pesticides and consequently environmental contamination. The National Agricultural Marketing and Development Corporation (NAMDEVCO) in collaboration with the research division of the Ministry are leading the helm in our Farm Certification and Monitoring Programme. The programme originated upon the discovery of the hibiscus pink mealybug (HPMB) in Trinidad and Tobago, resulting in the cessation of our agricultural exports. Trade protocols were thereafter developed to enable our farmers to export their produce. The key component being farm certification and monitoring which ensures that the farmer is compliant with all the relevant rules and regulations necessary for good agricultural practices.
Under this programme, the farmer is responsible for a number of activities in the daily conduct of his/her business operations. Namely, keeping up-to-date records of all pesticides applied on each crop and adoption of the key components of Good agricultural practices (GAP). We anticipate a resultant increase in competitiveness of agricultural exports, with low pesticide residues and higher food safety standards. Also, through our home gardening series, which I spoke about before, we encourage the implementation of IPM, which sees a combination of cultural practices, with biological agents and very limited chemicals being utilised in our pest and disease control.