For the first time in four years, FFA will host its techAGRI Expo. This year’s expo, faculty reps said, has been redesigned to place a greater focus on entrepreneurship and youth involvement in agriculture.
The last techAGRI was held in March 2019. This year’s event is scheduled to take place later this year. FFA Dean Wuddivira said the staff and students were eager for the Expo’s return: “This reshaped event seeks to encourage and energise our youth to develop a passion for agriculture, innovation, and entrepreneurship in all forms. We expect that this will translate into a drive to develop sustainable products and services.”
Dean Wuddivira said the faculty will also work with the Ministry of Youth Development and National Service to boost young peoples’ involvement in local food production.
While the expo is a flagship event, the FFA is engaged in many other initiatives to support the local agriculture sector.
Prof Wuddivira summarised his vision for the faculty using the acronym RURA, which stands for (R)enouncing the faculty’s status quo of simply teaching people how to plant, (U)nleashing the faculty’s potential, (R)iding on the faculty's rich 100-plus years’ history, and being (A)gile in taking opportunities for development.
“We need to reach out to other stakeholders like the private sector, the public sector, and developmental organisations,” he said. “We need to be agile.”
He added, “We need to do this in order to send the message that we are in a food crisis, and we can take care of this crisis by looking inwardly and increasing the quality of our food production.”
Dr Omardath Maharaj said techAGRI is another way FFA mobilises its resources to promote agriculture.
“The expo has continuously provided a platform where all like-minded people come together to discuss the continued development of agriculture,” he said. “This year will be particularly interesting given that discussions will be fuelled by the pandemic and the (Russia-Ukraine) war.”
While not giving away all the secrets on what to expect, 4-H Leaders Council of Trinidad and Tobago President Natasha Lee said her group wanted to add another dimension to techAGRI. They have planned a mini 4-H fair within the expo.
“Right now we have almost 160 registered 4-H clubs under the National 4-H club in Trinidad and Tobago,” she said. “So, over the three day period, we want to give each club the opportunity to shine in our space.”
Patrons at techAGRI can expect a variety of fresh produce, goods, and other surprises from the 4-H clubs.
President of UWI Agribusiness Society Nathania Arneaud said the club’s members and students from the FFA have made themselves available to assist in the successful planning and execution of the faculty’s events.
She said, “We recently revamped the AgriBusiness Society, and we hope to use it as a club to collaborate with people in the field of agriculture because agribusiness encompasses people in all different areas.
“So, for the expo, we will be proudly assisting in promoting the event and working with other clubs in the faculty to have a great booth.”
Arneaud said the event is also an important space which can inspire people to come up with ideas of their own about ways they can contribute to local agriculture and food production.
For more information on techAGRI Expo 2023, visit the Faculty of Food and Agriculture homepage at https://sta.uwi.edu/ffa/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ffatechagriexpo/.
