Four (400) hundred participants were present at the Youth in Agriculture Orientation hosted by the Ministry of Youth Development and National Service (MYDNS), which combined three of its youth agricultural programmes: The Youth Agricultural Homestead Programme; the Youth Agricultural Shade House Project and the Youth Aquaculture Project. The Orientation took place on Monday 4th September 2023, at the National Academy for the Performing Arts, Lord Kitchener Auditorium, Port-of-Spain.
The Honourable Foster Cummings, Minister of Youth Development and National Service gave the Feature Address and expressed his gratitude for the participants’ enthusiasm towards the programmes offered by the MYDNS. He says heartily “We are indeed happy to be here, to welcome three cohorts of inspired and forward-thinking young people who will ensure the sustainable development of our country. As a result of the tremendous stream of positive responses to our initiatives, we are pleased to introduce our programmes, for the first time, under the umbrella of Youth in Agriculture”.
Minister Cummings also used the opportunity to inform the audience of two additional programmes under this Youth in Agriculture Banner: Youth Community Model Farm and Youth Agriculture Public/Private Partnership. Though each remains unique, they share three things in common, those being Youth, Agriculture and Entrepreneurship.
“The aim of my Ministry is to introduce fifteen hundred (1,500) new, youthful farmers by 2025. We are well on our way to achieve this,” Minister Cummings shared with the audience. Giving Remarks as a partner to the Ministry was Senator the Honourable Avinash Singh, Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, “These programmes are a win-win situation as it combines youth participation in agriculture and food sovereignty.”
Also speaking at today’s orientation were Mr. Farook Hosein, Permanent Secretary, MYDNS; Professor Marlon Knights, Programme Leader, Bio-Sciences Agriculture and Food Technology, University of Trinidad and Tobago and Professor; Professor Mark Wuddivira, Dean, of the Faculty of Food and Agriculture, the University of the West Indies; Aneshia Beach, Youth Agriculture Homestead Programme Coordinator; Rackeal Bissoon, Shade House Coordinator and Mrs. Aaliyah D’Hereaux-Collette, Aquaculture Coordinator.
The Ministry of Youth Development and National Service remains committed to bringing all stakeholders together to provide programmes and services that cater to the personal and professional needs of our youth.