Eminent agriculturalist donates book collection

Dr Chelston Brathwaite, a renowned Barbadian agricultural scientist and former director general of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), has donated his personal collection of over 200 books to the Ministry of Agriculture’s library.

The donation ceremony, held on Thursday at the ministry’s Graeme Hall headquarters, was attended by dignitaries including Permanent Secretary Terry Bascombe, Professor Emeritus Sir Henry Fraser, IICA Representative Alistair Glean, and the Director of the National Library Service, Jennifer Yarde.

In his address, Dr Brathwaite reflected on his humble beginnings in Charles Rowe Road, St George, where he grew up in a chattel house without electricity and studied by kerosene lamp. He credited his success to the opportunities provided by education, including a scholarship at the Modern High School and later, a Barbados scholarship to study agriculture science at the University of the West Indies at St Augustine.

After obtaining master’s and doctoral degrees from Cornell University in the US and stints at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the University of the West Indies, he then served at IICA for two decades.

“I could not have intuited that today, some 60 years later, I would still be standing and be in a position to present to this distinguished audience… a gift that I hope can be used by those who come after me,” Dr Brathwaite said.

Among the donated works are nine books authored by Dr Brathwaite himself, including Diseases of Tropical Crops, which he said is still required reading at universities worldwide. He expressed hope that the collection would inspire future generations to pursue careers in agriculture.

Highlighting the importance of food security, Dr Brathwaite called for the establishment of a Caribbean Food Security Agency to coordinate regional efforts. He warned that failure to reduce the region’s food import bill could undermine sustainable development and leave vulnerable groups further behind.

In his remarks, Bascombe thanked Dr Brathwaite for his generosity: “I’m glad that you did so at a time when I happen to have the responsibility for the ministry.”

The ceremony concluded with the unveiling of the
Dr Chelston WD Brathwaite Collection, which will be housed in the ministry’s library. (BT)