Educational Forums at Denbigh to Focus on Youth in Agriculture

Strengthening youth involvement in agriculture will be a focal point of the Educational Forums, planned as part of the new and exciting features to take place at the Denbigh Agricultural and Industrial Show this year.
Staged by the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), with sponsorship from the Ministry of Agriculture, Denbigh 2008 will be held from Friday, August 1 to Sunday, August 3.
Speaking at a recent JIS ‘Think Tank’, President of the JAS, Senator Norman Grant rolled out the activities that will form part of the 56th staging of this popular Jamaican agricultural show.
“It is a fairly new initiative that we started three years ago, but it has gotten so much attention, that we continue to intensify it, as we continue to introduce new subject areas,” he said.
Each forum will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. daily and will feature presentations on issues regarding Youth in Agriculture, Agro-Technology, Agro-Tourism, Agri-Business, Research and Development.
“These presentations will include finance opportunities in agriculture, youth involvement in agriculture, phytosanitary challenges and how we can overcome them, backyard gardening and the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), the challenges that it will present to our farmers locally, and how together as farmers and policy makers, we can overcome these challenges,” Mr. Grant said.
Executive Director of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs, Lenworth Fulton, will deliver the first presentation, titled: ‘Transforming Agriculture through Youth Integration’.
Potential farmers in need of capital will benefit from the presentation of Development Bank of Jamaica Project Analyst, Carmen McDonald, who will address the issue of available and accessible funding for the agricultural sector. Other presenters include: Wayne Cummings, President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, who will speak on Agro-Tourism and Robert Kerr, Financial Consultant at Jamaica Trade and Invest.
“We will be paying special attention to how individuals, in particular our young people, can start their own businesses in agriculture and in agro-processing. So our educational forum is not only a 45-minute segment that will provide information, but we are hoping that it will create value for the Jamaican people, particularly our young people,” Senator Grant said.
He encouraged all Jamaicans to begin to engage in agriculture so as to curtail the nation’s excessive food import bill, which he said was 38 per cent more or $730 million more than last year. “Agriculture is the lifeblood of economic development,” he declared, as he explained the choice of the 2008 theme: ‘Grow What You Eat.Eat What You Grow’.
Senator Grant also announced the opening of the Norman Washington Grant (NWG) Lecture Theatre, on Saturday, August 2 as one of several other activities planned for Denbigh 2008. The Lecture Theatre, he said, would seek to serve the greater needs of the parish by providing a convenient venue for events such as conferences, workshops and lectures. The three-day event will be held on the Denbigh Agricultural Show Grounds in May Pen, Clarendon. The admission fee for adults is $600 per day, while for children it is $300 daily.