Georgetown: The National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI)’s ability to encourage sustainable land use within the agricultural sector for better adaptation to climate change is being strengthened thanks to the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation of Agriculture (IICA).
Two staff of NAREI, Tracy Persaud and Vickram Persaud, are currently attending a course on “Management of Degraded Soils Using Organic Matter” in Kingston, Jamaica. It commenced on June 13 and will culminate on June 16.
The course is organized by IICA and focuses on the functions of soils, organic matter management, characteristics of Caribbean Soil, sustainable practices and technologies, and remediation and reclamation processes.
Participation in this training course is in keeping with the Ministry of Agriculture’s Strategic Plan (2013-2020) which highlights soil health as a priority. NAREI is the focal point for this priority area.
Soil Health is a major priority in the development of a modern and effective agricultural sector, assuring food security, economic benefits and environmental protection. It is promoted through the careful utilization of biological, chemical and physical methods in an eco-system agronomic approach.
Soil fertility management needs to be maintained in light of the escalating demand for agricultural products, particularly food, increasing land degradation owing to unsustainable practices and the need to improve yield demand.
The training will enhance NAREI's capacity to provide soil testing services to farmers. Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder has been advocating the importance of sustainable soil management practices especially in the promotion of hinterland agriculture development. The additional skills being acquired from this training is in consonance with this initiative.
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