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UWI TODAY
– SUNDAY 1st NOVEMBER, 2015
OUR CAMPUS
Over the years in the Caribbean,
we have seen a declining
interest in the profession of agriculture, especially by our
youths; we have a severe dependency on imported foods;
we also have an ageing population of farmers and poor rural
infrastructure. We are also witnessing the effect of climate
change, across the world, and its destructive effects on human
lives, infrastructure and particularly, rural infrastructure and
agricultural production. The ravages of floods and droughts
on our livestock production are to say the least, traumatic, and
cause consequential increases in food prices for consumers.
In this context, it is important for us to become creative and
innovative and to work together through partnerships so as
to cultivate a regional passion for producing more of what
we are consuming: tropical agricultural products of quality
and distinction, some of which we may also export and create
new wealth. We need to develop an agricultural sector that
our young people will want to be a part of, and apply their
technological savvy to agriculture, food production and food
processing.
This Park in our 200-acre parcel at Orange Grove will
showcase advanced intensive agricultural production practices,
using technologies and best practices from China and our
indigenous knowledge. We will be utilizing technology,
biotechnology, mechanization, new varieties and climate-
smart intensive agricultural production systems, which I am
hoping will apply to all our small island developing states.
And we all know that there are many lessons which we in the
Caribbean region can learn from China’s experience. In fact,
China’s advancement in agriculture and its ability to feed itself,
moving from famine to food security in about 40 years has
been phenomenal and inspirational. We hope that as we adopt
international best practices in farming and food production
techniques, this Park will eventually serve as a development
model for Caribbean agriculture.
What we are launching today is just the beginning of
Phase One of this project. This Innovation Park concept
represents an ambitious vision of putting agriculture in a
wider agri-business model so as to enhance its commercial
and financial attractiveness and appeal. As they say “from
fork to farm” – agriculture production, processing, marketing,
food preparation and restaurants, agri-recreation, tourism,
entertainment, etc. Sowe are going to use this Campus for seven
proposed areas: (1) the Crop Area; (2) the Technology Service
Area; (3) the Horticulture Area; (4) the Aquatic Production
Area; (5) the Mini Zoo; (6) the Leisure & Recreation Area, and
(7) the Commercial Area.
To this end, this Agricultural Innovation Park will not only
provide an avenue for cutting edge research and innovation
in food production and agriculture, but it will also provide
opportunities for leisure, commercial activity, and financial self-
sustainability. Looking at agriculture as planting the land only
will not suffice. Agriculture needs an enabling environment for
it to be attractive and thrive. Intensive agriculture production in
this setting we are opening today, in an attractive environment
is therefore a great beginning. But agriculture must also be
linked and central to our food production and consumption
system – “eat what we grow, and grow what we eat.” We
hope that this Park, highly visible and accessible, will inspire
young people, especially entrepreneurs; educate our current
farmers; engage our researchers and teachers; and push our
policy makers to support decisive steps in transforming our
agriculture sectors as a matter of urgency.
The partnership betweenThe UWI St. Augustine Campus
and China Agricultural University (CAU) began officially on
June 1, 2013, whenwe had a distinguished visit fromMadamXu
Lin, the Director General of Hanban who recommended CAU,
as our official partner university in setting up our Confucius
Institute. Incidentally, a few days later I was invited to make
a presentation on “The State of Agriculture in the Caribbean
Region” at the 4th Global Forum of Leaders for Agricultural
Science and Technology (GLAST) in Beijing, China. I took
the opportunity to visit the China Agricultural University
(CAU), andmet its vibrant and determined President, Professor
KE Bingsheng. Our meeting was very fruitful, as both our
universities expressed a desire to partner, particularly in the
area of agriculture. Just three months later in September 2013,
a technical team from their university made a reciprocal visit
to our Campus and worked alongside a team led by our Dean
of the Faculty of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Isaac Bekele from
St. Augustine to prepare the Master Plan for our Agricultural
Innovation Park at Orange Grove. Since then, we have worked
Director of the Office of Institutional Advancement and Internationalization, Mr. Sharan Singh; Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China
to Trinidad and Tobago, His Excellency Huang Xingyuan; Pro Vice-Chancellor and St. Augustine Campus Principal, Professor Clement Sankat;
Chairman of the China Agricultural University, Professor Jiang Peimin, and Dean of the Faculty of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Isaac Bekele at
the launch of the UWI-CAU Agricultural Innovation Park.
PHOTOS: ANEEL KARIM
UWI-CAUAgricultural
InnovationPark
A model for Caribbean agriculture
steadily, culminating with today’s launch of Phase One. I extend
sincere thanks to our partners from China, including the
Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Trinidad and
Tobago, His Excellency Huang Xingyuan, our colleagues from
the China Agricultural University, led today by its Chairman,
Professor Jiang Peimin, and the Government of the People’s
Republic of China, including the Minister of Agriculture, who
unfortunately could not be here. I also extend thanks to my
own colleagues from The UWI St. Augustine Campus who
have been instrumental to the success of this project (including
the land works): Dean Dr. Isaac Bekele and the entire team
from the Faculty of Food and Agriculture, including Deputy
Dean Govind Seepersad and those from the University Field
Station. I must also commend Mr. Suresh Maharaj, Director
of our Facilities Management Division and his team for
lending their full and enthusiastic support to this project, Mr.
Sharan Singh of the Office of Institutional Advancement and
Internationalization for his negotiating skills and Professor Jane
Hu of the Confucius Institute of the St. Augustine Campus for
building the bridges between St. Augustine and Beijing.
This is an excerpt from the address given by
Pro Vice-Chancellor and St. Augustine Campus Principal, Professor Clement Sankat,
at the launch of the
UWI-CAU Agricultural Innovation Park (AIP)
at the East Campus in Orange Grove on October 21, 2015.
Checking out the seedlings.
We will be
utilizing
technology,
biotechnology,
mechanization,
new varieties
and climate-
smart intensive
agricultural
production
systems, which
I am hoping
will apply to all
our small island
developing states.
