Dominica’s Director of Agriculture says plans are in place for a National Policy on Youth in Agriculture

​And Agriculture Director Ricky Brumant says plans are also in place for a National Policy on Youth in Agriculture. He was addressing the official launching ceremony of a Young Farmers Group in Penville on Saturday. Brumant said the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) is assisting the island with that policy.
 
Brumant also highlighted a number of challenges young farmers are facing such as the issue of access to credit, access to land, access to jobs, and a National Policy for Youth in Agriculture, among others.
 
He confirmed that the youth highlighted the lack of a national Policy for Youth in Agriculture as a major challenge, as they believe that their voices were not being heard and they felt left out. Brumant says as a consequence, the ministry has started engaging with IICA towards developing a National Youth Policy in Agriculture.
 
Brumant added that the Ministry of Agriculture is pursuing strategic crops and livestock interventions, in which the Penville Young Farmers Group can participate. “We have bananas and plantains, coffee, cocoa, pork and poultry, aligned with the National Abattoir in the Layou area, and so the group, collectively or individually, can access the benefits from these interventions”, said Brumant.