UN agencies, govt in smart farming boost

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is set to expand the use of digital and climate-smart technologies in farming and fisheries under a new partnership with United Nations agencies, aimed at improving water management, strengthening food security and enhancing resilience among farmers and fisherfolk.

The partnership, involving the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), together with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), was highlighted during the United Nations Barbados and Eastern Caribbean office’s annual results report launch on Tuesday. The overall goal of the initiative is to strengthen food security at both commercial and household levels.

FAO subregional office for the Caribbean representative Roberto Telleria outlined a project aimed at improving water efficiency and protecting agricultural land through the use of modern farming technologies.

Roberto Telleria , Policy Officer , FAO Subregional Office of the Caribbean

“Sensors for detecting levels of nutrients in the field, as well as sensors to detect humidity in the soils were installed and farmers were trained,” he said.

The aim is to better manage water use in a country that faces water stress, he explained. 

“The rationale behind this is to try to dosify the amount of water that is applied because we live in an island that is water stressed, its not water scarcity, its water stressed,” said Telleria.

While Barbados receives more than 1 000 millimetres of rainfall annually, rainfall patterns are uneven, placing pressure on agricultural systems, he noted. 

“The idea is to save water using modern irrigation systems that estimate the amount of water that the plants need and only dosify those amounts.”

Protected agriculture systems are also being introduced to improve productivity and reduce risk, the FAO official added:

“The use of protected agriculture is like creating a controlled environment for farmers. So they can control the temperature, they can control insects, so there is an objective of pest control and disease management. Farmers can have more predictable levels of agricultural production.”

He also pointed to ongoing work to reduce waste and improve resource efficiency across the food system, a project ongoing for the past few years.

“Recycling fish waste and converting that into inputs that can be used by other industries, like animal feed for chicken, for example, but also attempts have been made to convert them into fertilizers as well.”

The broader goal is to strengthen food security at both commercial and household levels, said Telleria. 

“There are surveys that are being consistently taken in the countries that aim to identify where the pockets of population are at risk and in that way to plan for preventive measures that can help those vulnerable populations from suffering further effects emerging either from crisis or from hurricanes or other unfortunate events.”

The cost of healthy food is also being monitored across OECS countries to improve access and policy planning, he added. 

The FAO and other UN agencies are also supporting youth development and school feeding programmes, which are linked to domestic production and wider agricultural development:

“The ingredients that come to the school feeding programme come from local production, and that is promoting territorial development.”

ITU area officer Cleveland Thomas outlined how digital technology is being used to improve safety and communication for small-scale fisherfolk in Barbados.

The ITU’s Smart Sea Projectaims to keep fishers connected even when they are beyond standard mobile coverage.

Thomas said: “We are working with small-scale fishers in order to use technology so that while they are outside- beyond the reach of Digicel and others, they have access to communication.”

The initiative also has a safety component, particularly in cases where fishers go missing at sea.

Thomas also pointed to broader digital development programmes, including education-focused initiatives:

“We also have a digital training programme. We have a project called GIGA, which is really school connectivity and trying to encourage the use of technology in schools.”

FAO’s work with government and partners is focused on making agriculture more resilient through innovation and better planning systems, said Telleria. 

“That’s usually obtained through the implementation of agricultural technology innovations at farm level that allow farmers to produce more food, to produce in a more stable way, and therefore to make sure that more elements and foods are available in cities and in the countryside too.”

Technologies such as sensors and drones are helping transform agricultural planning and food security monitoring across the region:

“With the use of sensors that measure the amount of nutrients that plants need to survive and the amount of humidity and water the plants need to grow strong and to grow in a stable manner, FAO is contributing in that area.”

Drone technology is also being used to map agricultural areas and assess risks after disasters.

“That is a technology through which photographs and videos can be filmed and cover large areas in the countries in order to anticipate or plan activities and identify geographical areas where food insecurity might hit or have hit after a natural disaster.”

(LG)