The government is developing policies to safeguard agricultural land from increasing demand for housing and commercial development, as part of efforts to strengthen food security, Agriculture Minister Anthony Smith Jr. said.
Smith said competing demands for land have intensified in recent years, forcing the government to balance development needs with the protection of farmland.
“We have very limited lands… and the requests for lands… for housing and commercial purposes… the request is very high,” he said.
He said the ministry is working with technical teams to ensure that agricultural lands are preserved and used for production rather than being converted for other uses.
“We always have to try and strike that balance,” Smith said, noting that agriculture remains critical to national development.
As part of that effort, the government is considering policy measures to formally designate and protect farmland.
“We are trying to come up with policies in which we can lock agriculture lands right in,” he said.
Smith said the ministry’s approach also includes reassigning idle farmland to more productive farmers, rather than converting it to non-agricultural use.
“It’s not about the unproductive land, but it could be an unproductive farmer,” he said, adding that the goal is to ensure land remains in agriculture while improving output.
He noted that some areas historically designated for farming may be reassessed, but the overall policy direction is to retain sufficient land for agricultural production amid growing development pressures.
The move comes as the government seeks to expand local food production and reduce reliance on imports, while managing competing land use demands across the country.
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This is another ALBP travesty. An irresponsible and irreparable harm.
After destroying the Dunbar Agricultural Research Station Lands, as well as other Farm Lands to build Garrison housing for political reasons; this dishonest government is announcing a turn around after the public outcry.
This ALBP Government plays with the public emotions and manipulate them day in day out.
This irreparable harm will affect generations to come.
This is a P.R stunt to bring a certain expectations of governance by reason, but we know it’s a lie because we saw the dunbars agriculture station bulldozed by Gaston ALP administration and a ALP parliamentarian end up building apartment of the lands. And they he way Gaston operates for his enrichment, if an investor comes here and ask to buy all the agriculture lands we know Gaston is crazy about monies, and these monies don’t reflect in the treasury. I don’t care how much scheme Gaston engineered to stay in office ravaging the country’s finances and land, it will come to an end, and painfully so, with in and out of court and prison if found guilty of crime against the people fiduciary trust to reposed in you. Power is like ice in the sun, it will eventually leave you.
Could somebody please tell these people to take their medication o stop drinking rum…and or either.
What about a hybrid approach – selling for both. A person could build a small “farmhouse” for their family and also work the land.
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