The government of Antigua and Barbuda is ramping up efforts to engage young people in agriculture as it seeks to address an ageing farming population.
With the average age of farmers now over 50, officials say encouraging youth participation is critical to ensuring the sector’s long-term viability.
As part of the initiative, the government is working with the Ministry of Education to establish a School of Agriculture in Bethesda. The institution will provide young people with training in modern farming techniques, equipping them with the skills needed to enter the industry.
“Agriculture is not just about traditional farming—it involves technology, agribusiness, and sustainability,” said Agriculture Minister Anthony Smith. “We must ensure that young people see the opportunities available to them in this industry.”
The Antigua and Barbuda Agricultural Youth Forum (ABAFY) is also working to inspire school-aged children to consider farming as a career. Officials say the programme includes educational outreach, mentorship, and hands-on training to spark interest in agriculture.
The government says these efforts are part of a broader strategy to modernise farming, improve food security, and ensure a new generation of skilled agricultural professionals.
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This a good approach. young people are really the future.
The government should also address the challenges young farmers face, like access to land and resources.
We can’t do it on our own… we need support
Old or young, the problems are the same:
– Next to impossible to get land
– No infrastructure, especially water
– Lack of security
– Political favouritism
Burying the political announcement about training.
How about the allocation of land for farming similar to Barbuda?
How about ensuring there is an adequate supply of water?
And most important: How about the financial support of micro-loans and financial management.
It’s good to read about the government’s interest. But without the about it’s a fail on arrival political ploy.
The man with the bag side d women delta dem have the most land in Burks all saints an them can’t even plow up d land dem a give young ppl to work….Gaston need to take away them land up a burks
The man with the bag side d women delta dem have the most land in Burks all saints….full stop
Maybe if you have some fete music on hand, that will attract them. Wink up while they plow and plant. That’s the key.
@AAB’s comment hits the nail on the head! Empowering young farmers and removing obstacles is key to breathing new life into our agricultural sector.
Imagine a future where local farms are brimming with fresh produce, young entrepreneurs are thriving, and our country becomes a model for sustainable agriculture. With initiatives like these, we’re sowing the seeds for a bountiful tomorrow!
Outsiders quicker get land for farming and even for housing than locals it’s an ABLP strategy, just check um out
How I see it the government still stuck on theoretical agriculture concept and not practical implementation, stop allowing theses big countries to come create tokenism in agriculture and move on to agriculture infrastructure, and don’t allow a racist regime like Israel to have any say in agriculture, purchase and solicit from china and Russia small and large agriculture machinery like mulcher for bush clearances and other gps operated machinery, allow water wells to be drilled on farms like how you allow the rich white men to do on their private property you the government sold them, in colonial time all that was there for the planters like windmill to pump water to their farms along with road infrastructure, most of the roads in Antigua are old farm roads going to the plantation which are villages today, so you can see the colonials during slavery knew what it takes to get wealth from agriculture and export of the same, and also the government should get a set of electric vehicles to give to a farmer upon commencement of farming, but equipment is the pivotal thing needed, these young man should be able to sit and run a machinery from a computer in their office, the government should procure cheap steel buildings from china for farmers to have storage, I my self is not going to handicap the agriculture institution but you got to set a guide line , and encouraging the farmers to attend agriculture fairs internationally to cut out the dependency of cmc that was created to buy from farmers because literacy was low back in the 60’s so farmer had no clue how to sell their produce, and give them tax incentives
as you do the foreign hotel owners, automated machinery is the key to agriculture today not theories, the fisher folks should get trawler boats, instead a asking Japan for more buildings ask for large fishing boats to be sold or leased to fisher folks, china to can provide some fishing vessels, we need to enable our people independence and not have token independence celebrated year after year without substance.