Farmers and agricultural suppliers believe Trinidad and Tobago is well poised to make the necessary changes to shift to greener production of agriculture while ensuring food security, despite being faced with knock-on effects from climate change and a pandemic.
Owner of and trainer at Conscious Agricultural Sourcing Agency (Casa) Vinda Dass said his family moved away from traditional farming techniques because of the losses incurred by flooding, other natural mishaps and praedial larceny.
The business, with locations in St Augustine and Chase Village, Chaguanas provide consultations and technological-based solutions in hydroponic and aquaponic systems, training and support and solar system support to farmers.
Dass said through the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, where he was trained, he was exposed to hydroponics and aquaponics and eventually incorporated greener sources of energy into his farming techniques.
“They (ministry) always have little courses for the public and I got myself involved in aquaponics and took it to the highest level through my own studies thereafter. From there, the natural progression was hydroponics.”
While in the process of learning and making investments to get into hydroponics farming, he realised that there was an unreliable source of energy for the system and opted to invest in solar energy.
“I advise and push anyone who wants to get into hydroponics and aquaponics to get into solar for a reliable source of energy. Also, it safer for the environment and very important.”
Dass said solar energy and new farming techniques were slowly catching the attention of farmers, and a stream of enquiries about it showed a positive step to green sustainability.
“We try to show them the benefits of using solar pumps compared to using gas or diesel. The feedback towards solar in agriculture has been gaining momentum over the last three years,” he said.
He said that the cost of a basic solar set up such as solar panels or solar pumps or a solar security system would depend on the type of the farm and uses of the system.
“It all depends on what the farmer wants to do, really. So, designing the system will depend on the type of equipment that will be used and it has to take into consideration the kilowatts that would be spent. The basic starting price is roughly $17,000 but this varies."
Owner of Mafas Ltd Marcus Mycoo also believes that greener and cleaner agriculture can be attained but said there was an education and information gap between agricultural institutions, technocrats and farmers which has stagnated the sector.
Speaking with Sunday Newsday at his home office in Bay View, La Romaine, he said the challenges facing the agricultural sector and the farmers were not new, just exacerbated over the past few years.
[caption id="attachment_924287" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Agronomist Marcus Mycoo, owner of Mafas Ltd. - PHOTO BY LINCOLN HOLDER[/caption]
“The climate change story is way beyond relocating farmers. But the normal approach to it is resistant
