The UWI St. Augustine Campus has the prodigious distinction of having evolved from the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture (ICTA) , over 50 years ago. There is a legacy of multi-disciplinary research at The UWI, discoveries that that have had ripple effects throughout the world - from the Cocoa Research Unit’s genebank, which was key in rejuvenating cocoa varieties on the brink of extinction, to the work of former UWI Vice-Chancellor and Nobel Prize winner, Sir Arthur Lewis’ “pioneering research into economic development” which had particular “consideration of the problems of developing countries”.
Current Vice Chancellor, Professor E. Nigel Harris, is renowned for his work as a rheumatologist, having helped to define a disorder called Antiphospholipid Syndrome and devising a diagnostic test (anticardiolipin test) for it, along with doctors Aziz Gharavi and Graham Hughes. These are just a few UWI stalwarts of research, there are many others.
Over the decades, the university has re-invigorated its research agenda from the bottom up, although there have been challenges in funding - The UWI has consistently built on this legacy of innovation in the arts and sciences. This focus has had rewards across the board; one area is the substantial 57% increase in postgraduate student enrolment from 2007 to 2012.
“Our researchers have found solutions to some key, hard-edged issues affecting these islands. Researchers need time to move from hypothesis to real world solutions through the process of investigation, experimentation, testing and production. It’s time consuming, it takes years, sometimes decades, but the rewards are invaluable,” Campus Principal, Professor Clement Sankat stated recently, adding that many critical UWI research projects have emerged that are key to national and regional development.
In October, The UWI Symposium on Research, Enterprise and Impact will showcase research that has impacted three key areas: innovative products and services; the strengthening of national policy frameworks; as well as community engagement. The Symposium is part of a university-wide Research Expo to promote projects and programmes from across the Campus’ seven Faculties from October 2nd -5th. The Campus’ JFK Quadrangle and Auditorium will be transformed into a showcase of interactive 3-D displays, experiments, digital demos, virtual exhibits, live presentations and skills workshops, as well as artistic performances, including poetry readings and mini-concerts.
Professor Carlisle Pemberton, Dean of the Faculty of Food and Agriculture at The UWI, St. Augustine Campus, spoke about the importance of research at UWI:
What are some of the key strategies being adopted by The UWI and the Faculty of Food and Agriculture in moving forward in the development of research as well as teaching?
CP: Under the Regional Transformation Programme for Agriculture, UWI and the Faculty of Food and Agriculture are responsible for human resource development. The Faculty is thus focusing on developing a regional, integrated tertiary level system that would meet the human resource needs of the sector. One key element of this system is the introduction of a Diploma in Agriculture programme in the Faculty, to provide seamless entry to the Faculty's undergraduate programmes of students from the regional agricultural tertiary level institutes (TLIs).
The Faculty also adopted a strategy of research and development to further the achievement of food and nutrition security in the Region. To this end, the Faculty has introduced a new option in "Managing Food Security" in its graduate degree offerings and has partnered with McGill University to undertake a large scale research project on improving the food and nutrition security of households with school-aged children. UWI and the Faculty also just joined with three professional organisations in agriculture, to stage an important conference focusing on agribusiness and youth development for improving regional food security.
The Faculty has re-energised its research programme to contribute to the drive for regional and national food security and agreed with the Ministry of Food Production to focus its research on the priority commodities identified in the Ministry's National Action Plan for the sector - Agriculture Now.
Why is there urgency in the strategic development of this sector in T&T and the Caribbean?
CP: These strategies are important since the issue of food and nutrition security remains of vital concern regionally. In addition to the burden the levels of food imports place on regional foreign exchange resources, the health and wellness of the Caribbean society are being threatened by nutritionally related diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, which are also burdening the health sector of the region. Thus the region has to refocus on using the agricultural sector to produce the kinds of foods that will lead to a more healthy population and one that would contribute to regional and national economic development, rather than being an obstacle to this process.
What is your outlook on the impact these strategies will have on the development of the agricultural sector? How soon before we see real change in our national approach and a revitalisation of the sector?
CP: I do believe that these strategies will make an impact on the development of the agricultural sector especially in the medium to long term. It has to be borne in mind that the food and agriculture sector exists within a holistic economic system and so often the food and agriculture sector is affected more by what happens outside the sector than what takes place within it. Nevertheless the current emphasis on the sector is well placed and should lead to rewards in terms of an improved food and nutrition status for the Caribbean region.
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