http://uwiagriculturebridgingprogramme.weebly

Agricultural Science Website

Agriculture

What is Agriculture

• Agriculture is the growing of crops and rearing of animals (livestock ) for food

“Mining”

• Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi, and other life forms for food, fiber, biofuel, medicinal and other products used to sustain and enhance human life.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture

• Activities dealing mainly with crop and livestock production

Agriculture Production

Crop Production

Root Crops - Cassava, dasheen, eddoes, sweet potato, yam, carrot, ginger,

Leaf crops - Patchoi, lettuce, cabbage, bhagi, calalloo bush,

Fruit crops- Bodi, tomatoes, cucumber, pumpkin, corn, ochro , caralli

Flower crops- Broccoli, Cauliflower

Agriculture Production

LivestockProduction

CattleDairy (milk)Beef

Small Ruminants SheepGoat

Poultry

BroilersDucks GeeseLayers Breeders

Aquaculture

Bees - Honey

SalmonKingfishTilapiaCariteCro Cro

Rabbits - Meat, Pet

Agriculture plays an important role locally and regionally

Why is agriculture important locally and regionally?

• Provides Food

• Creates employment/jobs

• Some countries earn valuable foreign exchange from the export of food crops. e.g Guyana, St. Vincent, St. Lucia & Grenada.

• Provides raw material for trade and industry

e.g sugar soft drinks, tomatoes ketchup. etc

• Provides materials for shelter and clothing

• Provides income for the home and revenue for the country

• Leisure time activities- home gardening, fishing

Balances the CO2 and O2 levels in the atmosphere

Activity: Answer the following question

Careers In Agriculture

Without a doubt, the agricultural workforce is changing dramatically as competition, climate, food demand, and high cost of farm inputs drives the scale of farming to levels where the farmer depends on workers beyond the farm family to get things done. The higher level and increasing complexity of technology also means that the agriculture producer (farmer) now relies on a network of specialized and technically trained individuals in agriculture.

Careers in Agriculture

Training Opportunities

CXC Secondary level Youth camps Farmer Training Programme -Centeno Eastern Caribbean Institute of Agriculture and Forestry (ECIAF) UTT Vocational Schools University of the West Indies

We mentioned that Agriculture creates jobs/employment

Career Opportunities in Agriculture

Agriculture Science Teachers/Lecturers

Agriculture Economist

Agronomist

Veterinarians

Extension Officers

Agricultural Engineers

Horticulturist

Landscaping supervisors

Plant & animal Scientist

Soil Scientist

Food microbiologist

Plant and animal Geneticist

Beekeepers

Quality assurance officers

Farm Manager

Farmers Agricultural Researchers

Agricultural Technician

Activity : List careers associated with Agriculture

Agricultural Agencies

Agencies in AgricultureActivity: Identify any institutions that may be associated with

agriculture locally, regionally or internationally

Agencies are Organisations or Institutions involved in agriculture development that are located Locally, Regionally and Internationally

Regional Institutions

• Caribbean Development Bank- involved in credit, marketing and development of infrastructure for agriculture production

• CARICOM- develop common trade policy - create conditions to increase output of agricultural products in member countries - act as a bargaining power.

• Caribbean Agricultural and Research and Development Institute (CARDI) – Provides and coordinate research and development needs for member countries

• University of the West Indies (UWI) – Undergraduate and graduate training in agriculture – Coordinate agriculture research

International Agencies and Institutions

Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) - This is a specialized agency of the organisation of American States (OAS) - Encourage, promote and support the efforts of member states to achieve sustainable agriculture and improve rural welfare.

Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) - Specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) - Promote agricultural development - pursue food security and improve nutrition - develop rural areas - provide information and technical assistance

Inter-American development Bank (IADB) - Establish to accelerate economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Organisation of American States (OAS) - Technical assistance programmes in Agriculture, education, health, sanitation and public administration.

Local Agencies and Institutions

Ministry of Agriculture and Food Production - Coordinates Agricultural Production Locally - Provides training to farmers

National Marketing Development Company (NAMDEVCO) - Coordinates the marketing of Agricultural Products locally - Seek foreign markets to export locally produced agricultural products

Eastern Caribbean Institute of Agriculture and Forestry (ECIAF), (UTT) - responsible for training students in Agriculture and Forestry

Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI) - provide laboratory testing and biochemical analysis

Agricultural Society of Trinidad and Tobago - Lobby for farmer’s interest

Ministry of Education (MOE) - encourages primary and secondary school education in agriculture

Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) - Provides loan to farmers

Food Security

What is Food Security?

Why is so important to us in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean?

Food security is a condition related to the supply of food, and individuals' access to it.

Household food security exists when all members, at all times, have access to enough food for an active, healthy life. Individuals who are food secure do not live in hunger or fear of starvation. Food insecurity, on the other hand, is a situation of "limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways", according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

The 1996 World Summit on Food Security declared that "food should not be used as an instrument for political and economic pressure".[3]According to the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, failed agriculture market regulation and the lack of anti-dumping mechanisms cause much of the world's food scarcity and malnutrition.

Food Security

The World Food Summit of 1996 defined food security as existing “when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life”. Commonly, the concept of food security is defined as including both physical and economic access to food that meets people's dietary needs as well as their food preferences. In many countries, health problems related to dietary excess are an ever increasing threat, In fact, malnutrition and foodborne diarrhoea are become double burden.

http://www.who.int/