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Agrofest to the Bottomline

BU research supports that Agrofest started in 2005. It means by any reasonable expectation the objectives of the event should be starting to bear fruit. What are the objectives? To demonstrate the symbiotic relationship between agriculture and the community. To highlight the impact of agriculture on other economic sectors. To cater to the wide and…

BU research supports that Agrofest started in 2005. It means by any reasonable expectation the objectives of the event should be starting to bear fruit.

What are the objectives?

  • To demonstrate the symbiotic relationship between agriculture and the community.
  • To highlight the impact of agriculture on other economic sectors.
  • To cater to the wide and divergent interests of the Barbadian public.
  • To demonstrate the agricultural career opportunities for young people.
  • To demonstrate the importance of agriculture in feeding and providing economic support to the family.
  • To portray agriculture in a fun and interesting way.

Source: BAS website

 

The blogmaster respectfully suggests that if we review economic indicators in listed in recent Central Bank reports, there has been no positive movement in the economic indicators measuring agriculture output. The blogmaster agrees attending Agrofest 2020 was a satisfying social event to take the family for a couple of hours.

What say you?

 

73 responses to “Agrofest to the Bottomline”

  1. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    Here is what Jeremey Stephens said about the closures

    Today probably marks ten years I did telling wunna done off with reporting tourism arrivals alone. When more of this happens then you’ll realise that going after this doesn’t reflect quality:

  2. Baje Avatar
    Baje

    It is amazing the only source of info about this matter for some of these overseas commenters is Facebook and the newspaper yet they feel embolden to pontificate with authority about every Rh topic in Barbados especially if it is negative.
    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

    MAYBE YOU MEANT.

    It is amazing the only source of info about this matter for some of these overseas commenters is Facebook and the newspaper yet they feel embolden to pontificate with authority about every Rh topic in Barbados especially if it is TRUTH

  3. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    David March 2, 2020 7:30 PM

    It is amazing the only source of info about this matter for some of these overseas commenters is Facebook and the newspaper yet they feel embolden to pontificate with authority about every Rh topic in Barbados especially if it is negative

    But David how come u and other bajans can pontificate on Trump policies
    Yet none of wunna dont live in the USA
    I gather yours and barbadians living on the island sources would be Fb and news outlets
    Makes me wonder why u david makes such asinine comments

  4. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    From my vantage point
    Mia in two years destroyed the barbadian houshold placing the economy further downward into a culdesac
    For what it is worth to quote those who oppose Stuart and condems him for not reviving the barbados economy
    Stuart took ten years… and Mia with all the experts and technocrats available to make light work destroyed what was left of the barbados economy and many households in( tow) Two RH years
    Cant imagine what the other three yearswould become
    Hopefully Mia might be able to use more photo ops by which she can charm the people if they choose to be so foolish

  5. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    Interesting that a newspaper would be cited as a source of information that people would rely on – ah know we scraping the bottom of the barrel when some of us have to depend on what is reported in the paper.

    From now on I’m going to pay more attention to the viral videos that are in circulation as publicized by the former Communications guru from the BWA who was explaining the lack of information in the Press about the recent traffic changes.

  6. BMcDonald Avatar
    BMcDonald

    We have been talking about linkages between agriculture and tourism since at least the 1970’s. The bureaucrats quite simply will not facilitate the growth of bajan farmers for purely sociological reasons. . Eg. Ministry of agriculture is sitting on a proposal for insurance that will compensate farmers for losses caused by a predetermined weather related event, egotistical excessive rainfall beyond a predetermined amount. Let’s say five inches of rain in two hours. The farmer would have bought the amount of insurance coverage that allows him/her to recover from the event. The event occurs , the off shore agency confirms the event triggered. The policy pays the face amount. Endless discussion. The insurance is already at work elsewhere in the Caribbean, but in Barbados there is now talk of insuring hoteliers against beach erosion. I hope someone will explain if the same model is being used. It’s the sociology. The bureaucrats will NEVER facilitate linkages that will compensate bajan farmers for their HARD work and this includes the bureaucrats in the financial industry. After 911 there was also the song and dance about food security. Things settled down to normal. Food security vanished in the rear view mirror. It’s the bureacrads and the sociology that need calling out.

  7. BMcDonald Avatar
    BMcDonald

    For example not egotistical

  8. David Avatar
    David

    Good point.

    When Sandals had the fight with last government about including more local produce in food procurement, there was high hope we would have been further along regarding linkages with agriculture and tourism. In 2020 were are still here.

  9. Baje Avatar
    Baje

    But David how come u and other bajans can pontificate on Trump policies
    Yet none of wunna dont live in the USA
    I gather yours and barbadians living on the island sources would be Fb and news outlets
    Makes me wonder why u david makes such asinine comments
    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

    MARIPOSA THEY WILL SAY THAT YOU ARE NOT BOWLING YORKERS AT THEIR TOES BUT PELTING WHICH IS A NO BALL WHICH IS WHY HE CHOOSES TO GLOSS OVER YOUR COMMENT.

    HE IS A REAL HYPOCRITE THAT IS NOT LIVING IN REALITY..

  10. Baje Avatar
    Baje

    Eg. Ministry of agriculture is sitting on a proposal for insurance that will compensate farmers for losses caused by a predetermined weather related event, egotistical excessive rainfall beyond a predetermined amount. Let’s say five inches of rain in two hours. The farmer would have bought the amount of insurance coverage that allows him/her to recover from the event. The event occurs , the off shore agency confirms the event triggered. The policy pays the face amount
    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

    THIS WOULD BE A MONUMENTAL STEP FORWARD.

    MAYBE THE MINISTER NEEDS A LITTLE GREASE TO SIGN OFF LIKE DONVILLE INNISS.

  11. Piece the Legend Avatar
    Piece the Legend

    @ Baje

    Whu happen wid you?

    Dem gine say dat you writing de ole man and now talking like he!

    You ent see how de second of de Rented Jackasses get call back to cuss you?

    De ole man ent going write much causing you got everything under control

    Heheheheh

  12. William Skinner Avatar
    William Skinner

    @ Piece

    Just watch the ball. Recently saw a for sale sign :
    Apologist for sale: Contact BU
    Just watch the ball………….

  13. David Avatar
    David

    Steuspe, some learned from your former boss the late Sir Richie.

  14. robert lucas Avatar
    robert lucas

    @ David March 2, 2020 7:30 PM

    Shows the folly of having a one-foot developmental policy.

  15. William Skinner Avatar
    William Skinner

    Like I have stated we diversified the economy and ended up with one sector. Remarkable.
    A multi billion industry that should have been the cash cow for our culture and agriculture industries ended up in the hands of expatriates and high end jobs for party hacks from within the now fully exposed decadent Duopoly.
    We talk about heritage tourism when in fact the national trust chose to protect the history of one group within the society. We collectively destroyed the workmanship of our forefathers to satisfy the greed of so-called investors. Today we scramble to get a little walk path to our beaches.
    We have some pure bred I’ll informed jokers preaching the further exploitation of workers. We have blamed public servants , under paid workers and free education for the masses as the main culprits while we have given a pass to a parasitic traditional private sector and a visionless political class.
    We are what we eat. The apologists find themselves in quick sand and the comedians are realizing it’s not so funny anymore. Regardless of where we live all Barbadians with access to modern information tools are informed. Childish attempts to silence them are futile. How often we hear that somebody living in Brooklyn knows about something that happens in Barbados before somebody living in the country.
    Climb some more …….. climb some more ….continue to expose your ……….brilliance.

  16. Tron Avatar
    Tron

    @ Piece the Legend March 2, 2020 10:04 PM

    As you all know, my comments are always strictly neutral and balanced. I don’t speculate, I stick to the facts. Today, however, I cannot help but share my theory with you: Piece The Legend could be Charles Jong. How do I come to this conclusion? Well, both are grandmasters of social media, well-versed in digital technology and masters of camouflage and deception.

    Didn’t you also notice how efficiently and focused Piece has been in destroying the DPL before the last elections with his picture campaign? He virtually defeated the DLP on his own. And shortly after the election, he turned around and launched his constant attack on our beloved Prime Minister. There’s only one explanation for this. He’s supposed to be testing ministerial loyalty for his boss. People suspected of writing anonymously on BU and blaspheming the boss. That’s why Piece is always trying to tempt Tron. But Tron is only an attentive and neutral observer, who has no stake in politics.

  17. GreenMonkey Avatar
    GreenMonkey

    @ Dr. Lucas

    Dr. Lucas, you can take your GM crops and seeds and stick them “where the sun don’t shine.” That way, in perpetual darkness at least, without a glimmer of sunlight, they will die off before causing more misery, hardship and grief for the greater mass of humanity while depriving of revenue the few, miserable, mercenary, psychopathic, poison dealing corporations who, by and large, are doing their best to control the world’s food supply for their own immense profits (and to mankind’s detriment) with their patented GM products.

    The Battle Over Genetically Modified Organisms
    by Howard Straus

    The “big six” manufacturers of genetically modified seeds, have used their seemingly limitless funds to force GMO agriculture on the entire US and are on track to extend its forcible conversion of the world’s crops to all other countries. They have used their economic and marketplace power, along with massive government influence, to crush farmers and organizations who refuse to use GMO seeds.

    They continue their goal of a complete takeover of American food agriculture by gradually purchasing the seed companies that would otherwise provide an alternative seed source for farmers averse to GMO crops.

    Foxes in the FDA Henhouse

    The biotech industry has often made representations about GMO products that have proven false in the long run, proving that they either have not tested their product properly or are lying about the results. This is highly disturbing, given that one of the representations they have made is that GMO crops are safe for human and animal consumption.

    The FDA has relied totally on these representations to approve the crops for use in agriculture and food production, yet no independent testing of the crops has ever been done. Monsanto claims that their crops are “substantially identical” to the unmodified crops when pressed for safety testing, yet claim that the crops are different enough from natural crops to warrant patent protection. At very least, one of these two assertions must be false.

    When asked about whether their GMO crops were safe,Monsanto’s Director of Public Communications went on record saying, “Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food. Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the F.D.A.’s job” (Philip Angell, Monsanto’s director of corporate communications. “Playing God in the Garden” New York Times Magazine, Oct 25, 1998.)

    For its part, the FDA seems to have abdicated its position as guarantor of food safety, too. “Ultimately, it is the food producer who is responsible for assuring safety” (FDA, “Statement of Policy: Foods Derived from New Plant Varieties” [GMO Policy], Federal Register, Vol. 57, No. 104, 1992, p. 229.)

    (Emphasis added in the above paragraphs, by me GreenMonkey)

    Do the words “catch” and “twenty-two” come to mind?

    More: https://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/battle-over-genetically-modified-organisms

    By the way, on another important topic, Coronavirus. Everybody should check out the recent articles on the home page at the same web site, i.e. GreenMedInfo, about the success doctor’s and hospitals in China have recently reported treating severe case of coronavirus/pneumonia with high doses of vitamin C and without residual side effects. In extreme cases it might take up to 12,000 or 24000mg/day administered by IV to bring patients around.

  18. robert lucas Avatar
    robert lucas

    @ Green Monkey March 4, 2020 4:38 PM
    I am aware of the actions of companies like Monsanto. Their actions do not gainsay the benefits to be derived from GM technology. You can shout as much as you like GM is here to stay . I do not hear you keeping noise about the use of insulin which since it has been made by genetically modified E.coli bacteria, has seen a reduction in price locally .Get off of your high horse ;come down to earth. Stop being a Luddite.

  19. robert lucas Avatar
    robert lucas

    @ Green Monkey March 4, 2020 4:38 PM

    ” i.e. GreenMedInfo, about the success doctor’s and hospitals in China have”

    If I were you I would not take the above very seriously.. The first person to extol the miracle properties of Vitamin C was the double Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling in the 1950 ‘s: he said that high dosages would cure cancer. At a time like this one will hear all sorts of claims. Any how, one has to take claims from China with a pinch of salt.

    I have posted this excerpt also under the Coronavirus Blog (BU).

    Leading Harvard doctor claims coronavirus isn’t as deadly as first feared and death rate will be less than 1% – far lower than the World Health Organization’s figures of 3.4%
    Dr Jeremy Samuel Faust said people should not be anxious about the outbreak and stop hoarding food and masks
    He claimed that the coronavirus death rate is less than 1 percent – far lower than the World Health Organization’s alarming figures of 3.4 percent
    The doctor slammed the ‘frightening numbers’ which overstate the risk
    Faust said that looking at the doomed Diamond Princess cruise ship gives a better indication of how fatal the disease is than global statistics
    Around 705 passengers out of the 3,711 on board the boat caught coronavirus
    Only six people from the boat have died, giving a death rate of 0.85 percent, and all deaths are in people over 70
    He casts doubt on China’s death toll, saying many happened in areas where the death rate is already higher than the norm and respiratory issues are rife
    He also pointed out that 25,000 people die in China every day, while just 25 coronavirus deaths were reported per day at the height of the outbreak
    Instead of stockpiling food, Faust said the public should be helping the elderly and infirm who are most at risk
    By RACHEL SHARP FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

    PUBLISHED: 02:25 GMT, 5 March 2020 | UPDATED: 02:25 GMT, 5 March 2020

  20. robert lucas Avatar
    robert lucas

    robert lucas
    March 4, 2020 11:22 PM

    All people over seventy if infected will have a hard time (including myself) and a number of Bloggers in fighting off the infection.Look on the bright side and do not worry unduly. As a scientist one has to be dispassionate.

    Like

  21. GreenMonkey Avatar
    GreenMonkey

    @Robert Lucas.

    Dr Lucas, Notice from my first post the apparent absolute, mind boggling stupidity of having a situation where the FDA, regulator of food products to ensure damaging substances are kept out of the US food supply, says it has no obligation to ensure the safety of the new GMO foods, because it is the duty of the producer of the GMO seeds and crops to ensure they are safe. While as far as the biggest promoter and producer of GM products at the time, Monsanto, is concerned, their only duty was to make as much money as possible selling the stuff and safety be damned, that was the FDA’s responsibility to look after a trifling thing like the safety of their own Monsanto products. And at the time it is on the record that the FDA’s own scientists were calling for stringent and extensive testing of GMO foodstuffs before they were allowed on the market and GM seeds were let loose in the environment. However they were overruled by the FDA brass..

    Can you imagine the outright jackassery of the FDA willingly turning over the safety of the USA’s food supply to a company like Monsanto with a long and distinguished track record as a producer of chemicals of releasing damaging chemical pollutants into the environment, causing extensive damage to the environment and to human health, and then shirking any responsibility for the damages it had unleashed on the public.

    See: startpage(DOT)com/do/dsearch?query=monsanto+history+of+pollution&cat=web&pl=opensearch

    It reminds me of the situation with Boeing, where the federal regulators, the FAA, turned much of the safety verification of the 737 Max over to Boeing and was content to let Boeing guarantee the safety of their product. In the FAA’s favor, at least until recently Boeing had a sterling reputation of engineering fine aircraft, which unfortunately they have managed to, if not destroy, at least set back considerably, with the 737 Max fiasco. The only record Monsanto had going for it when the FDA turned over responsibility to it for guaranteeing GMO food safety was its record of making money by spreading chemical pollution and then denying it had any responsibility for paying to fix the damages and harm it caused out of its ill gained profits.

    The thing is, Boeing when it was caught producing a faulty product, could be forced to recall that product and ensure the faulty planes were kept out of the air. Unfortunately with GMO seeds and crops once they are unleashed into the environment they can’t be recalled in a similar, relatively easy fashion. Once they are out there getting them out of the natural environment would be like trying to get the toothpaste back into the tube.

    And yes there are novel health related problems with GMO food products, regardless of denials to the contrary by the GMO pushers. See:

    Scientist warns scrapping the EU’s strict GMO rules threatens health

    Napier strikes a patronizing note, saying, “Michael’s views on the ‘sanctity’ of the genome, while well intentioned, are outdated and prone to scaremongering.” He also calls Dr Antoniou “an outlier”.

    Let’s put aside the gratuitous insult, which is a sure sign that Napier has lost the scientific argument. What the article doesn’t mention – and what Napier also ignores – is the large number of scientists who share Dr Antoniou’s concerns about the safety of genetic engineering. These will include the many scientists who have published feeding studies or scientific reviews drawing attention to the unexpected toxic and allergenic effects found in animals fed GM crops. So when it comes to GM food safety, there are considerable numbers of “outliers”.

    Unfortunately it is our experience that plant genetic engineers happily admit to never reading animal feeding studies and see no reason why they should. Napier himself appears to have no expertise in toxicology or human and animal health. Dr Antoniou, on the other hand, co-authored a book that summarises animal feeding studies showing problems with GM foods.

    The adverse effects found in these studies are nothing to do with what Napier terms the “sanctity” of the genome, and everything to do with biological toxicity. There is no need to “believe” that GM foods are bad in order to understand that they have caused liver and kidney toxicity and immune responses – all common effects of ingesting these foods.

    https://gmwatch.org/en/news/latest-news/19295-scientist-warns-scrapping-the-eu-s-strict-gmo-rules-threatens-health

    To lurkers on this thread. The GMO pushes have millions if not billions of dollars to push their pro GM propaganda, do yourself a favour and keep any eye on sites like Gmowatch(dot)org for the other side of the GMO story . As was stated in the Hindustan Times:

    “There are over 500 research publications by scientists of indisputable integrity, who have no conflict of interest, that establish harmful effects of GMO crops to human, animal and plant health, and on the environment and biodiversity… On the other hand, virtually every paper supporting GM crops is by scientists who have a declared conflict of interest or whose credibility and integrity can be doubted.”

    US is trying to control our food production Hindustan Times, August 7, 2014

    Because the agro/chem/GM seed/GM food companies like Bayer, Cargill etc buy tremendous amounts of advertising from the media, don’t count on the mainstream media to bring you the “other side” of the GM story.

  22. GreenMonkey Avatar
    GreenMonkey

    Vitamin C Saves (New Zealand) Man Dying of Viral Pneumonia
    Written By: Dr. Jeffrey Dach, MD

    The Allan Smith Story – TV Documentary

    Allan Smith, a New Zealand Dairy farmer, contracted Swine Flu while away on vacation in Fiji. When he returned home, the flu quickly evolved into severe pneumonia which left him in a coma on life support in the Intensive Care Unit. Chest x-rays showed the lungs were completely filled with fluid with an “opaque” appearance called “white out”. After three weeks of this, Allan’s doctors asked the family permission to turn off the machines and let him die. Allan’s wife Sonia had a brother with some medical knowledge, so he stepped in and said, “you haven’t tried everything, You have got to try high dose IV vitamin C on Allan”. At first, the doctors resisted, saying it was useless. Next, the three sons weighed in with a persuasive argument to try the IV vitamin C, saying there was nothing to lose.

    Doctors Agree to Try IV Vitamin C
    The doctors were in unanimous agreement that IV vitamin C would be useless and a waste of time, and that the patient would certainly die. However, one doctor felt “slightly uneasy” with the decision to turn off life support, without first acceding to the family’s wishes, and so they reluctantly agreed to give the IV vitamin C. Their plan was to give the IV vitamin C, show it was useless, and then turn off life support.

    Continue reading at link to see what happened with Mr. Smith’s poor health and dismal outlook after the doctors (reluctantly) agreed to give him mega doses of Vitamin C by IV.. Did he continue to get sick and die, or did he get to come off the life support equipment and go on to a full recovery. What do you think?

    https://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/vitamin-c-saves-man-dying-viral-pneumonia

  23. TLSN Avatar
    TLSN

    In Barbados we have a tree that is rampant in areas where land is not under supervision. It is often derogatively referred to as bush. The elders on BU would be familiar with this tree as it would have been commonly exploited by their communities during their formative years.

    The “bush” has an exotic name: Tamarindus indica. And is commonly called the Tamarind tree.

    The Tamarind tree has been heavily researched and is exploited by a number of countries. It is commercially exploited by the outside world. Yet here in Barbados we appear not to have a use for this diverse tree. Sadly it has become a landmark for land that is not managed.

    We have so much on our land that could be exploited. Yet!

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamarind

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