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Food Security Project at Todds Plantation

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Submitted by Heather Cole

 

Heather Cole is asking for the public’s support to ensure the success of a food security project at the Todds Plantation.

Dear Prospective Investors and Members,

 

 

Although the conception of the People’s Agricultural and Business Co-op was done prior to COVID-19, we did not anticipate that our fears would have been realized months later when this global pandemic began to wreak havoc on the economy. COVID-19 has exposed the harsh reality that insufficient food is being grown on the island that Barbadians call home.

It has been said that Barbadians do not work together for economic gain. With this in mind, The People’s Agricultural and Business Co-operative Ltd. is seeking to become an agent of change in Barbados. It is providing an opportunity for ordinary Barbadians to economically come together through the formation of this co-op to grow food, produce by- products, engage in marine farming, grow agri- produce and engage in several other business activities…

Relevant Supporting Document:

 

 

 

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267 responses to “Food Security Project at Todds Plantation”

  1. John Avatar
    John

    There are enough functioning plantations in Barbados that can deliver the required output.

    It makes more sense to promote more diversity in output from plantations.

    I would need to see an actual agricultural plan down to the field level before I would get excited about this latest idea.

  2. David Avatar
    David

    Increasing agriculture production is obviously more than having the acreage. It is about production cost, efficient management of the components, stealing of crops etc.

    >

  3. Pachamama Avatar
    Pachamama

    Yes David
    If Mugabe is serious there will be a ban on all extra-regional imports of food and “edible sustances”.

    Praedial larcency will cease within an environment of over-abundance.

  4. Pachamama Avatar
    Pachamama

    Substances

  5. Miller Avatar
    Miller

    @ john2 August 20, 2020 5:18 PM
    “Maloney leasing and organic farming about 100 acres over there on Easyhall close to Hackelton’s cliff. why cant we? guess who / color of the workers.”
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    Maybe ‘Malmoney’ is a visionary and can foresee the demand for organic food to feed the Covid-free guests in his Hyatt hotel.

    He is also one lucky bastard quite capable at playing the game of Bajan political monopoly with his imaginary Hyatt project in the investment pipeline equivalent to the Park Lane hotel.

  6. Arri Mayers Avatar
    Arri Mayers

    So what are we doing about the 40 acres of land in St Thomas which was donated to the University of the West Indies to improve the island’s food security?

  7. Heather Cole Avatar
    Heather Cole

    Arri, perhaps it be donated to our project if it is not being used. Do you know who the donor is?

  8. John Avatar
    John

    Heather ColeAugust 20, 2020 4:27 PM

    There are many persons in Barbados with the knowledge of farming. We have already thought about this though. However there is nothing wrong with having vision that other people with technical expertise can execute.

    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    There are 95 fields at Todds/Henley/Lemon Arbor/Cherry Grove

    You are not going to find many people with the experience of managing 95 fields year in year out.

    Most are retired or dead, probably dead.

    If they exist and are any good they will be employed already.

    What equipment does Todds have?

    My guess is its been scooped up by the metal recyclers.

    You are probably going to have to rent.

    A 100 plus HP tractor goes at $750 plus a day.

    Ploughs are extra, ~$250 per day.

    Already I can tell this is not going to work!!

    Better to take one field at a time and figure out how to manage that for optimal output.

    You can hire people who plough at maybe $250 (X2) per acre to harrow, and another $250 per acre to furrow.

    Molding and rotavating are optional at about another $250 per acre each.

    Weed control is another unimaginable expense.

    Get a few acres under your belt before running around trying to raise finance for the whole caboodle.

    Todds worked as a plantation because there was a market for the cane it grew.

    It produced food as an added output.

    There was a system that worked.

  9. John Avatar
    John

    If you buy equipment there is also a running maintenance cost.

    Modern tractors are like modern cars, expensive as hell to maintain.

  10. John Avatar
    John

    Electronics and sensors fail!!

  11. John Avatar
    John

    Plus, the rains are in!!

    Ploughing isn’t happening in any hurry!!

  12. John Avatar
    John

    Good luck!!

    Keep this in mind!!

  13. David Avatar
    David

    The land was donated by Eddie Edghill from Duke plantation. The land is for UWI to use. It is not owned by government.

    >

  14. John Avatar
    John

    … and this, worth bearing in mind!!

  15. Ironside Avatar
    Ironside

    @David
    Your assistance is required in ensuring a new submission from the Phartford Files (re the mid-week Nation editorial) is not lost in your spam engine.

  16. WURA-War-on-U Avatar
    WURA-War-on-U

    “You must start with a radical land reform in Barbados. There can never be adequate national food production systems until the land reform promised since the end of slavery is delivered to ordinary people. Certainly, you do not expect Bajans to get accustomed to wukking land that is not theirs.

    And the structuring of food production units as cooperatives will not work either.”

    Heather can rejig and reconfigure the structure for desired results, unless it’s all stipulated in a lease arrangement…which will then be counterproductive and only benefit the cockroaches hiding in the dark directing their usual scams while everyone else is distracted

    The issue i have is that although the world is making positive changes, Barbados is still promoting a plantation atmosphere because that is what limited intellect black trash governments and crooked insurance companies do to retain the racist tourism enterprise…. always succeeding in keeping the island and people 200 years behind.

  17. WURA-War-on-U Avatar
    WURA-War-on-U

    Again…to Mia…the slave laws ALL NEED TO BE REMOVED from the statute books..

  18. Dullard Avatar
    Dullard

    So what are we doing about the 40 acres of land in St Thomas which was donated to the University of the West Indies to improve the island’s food security?

    Sir Cave Hillary will probably look to put up a few more shiny buildings.

  19. John Avatar
    John

    Tractors in the 100 -174 HP range start around $150K!!

    There is always I guess, the tried and tested way.

  20. John Avatar
    John

    … and if you are frightened for horses, instead of fleecing individual investors of their monies, see if you can’t persuade a large number to actually come work in the fields with you.

    Here is a well known way of getting down the grass in a field.

    No farm animals required.

    https://youtu.be/VVn1kiZnldQ

  21. John Avatar
    John

    Even women can participate in the clearing!!!!

  22. John Avatar
    John

    No age limit to scything

  23. John Avatar
    John

    You feel they got any Bajan women that strong enough to push hay.

  24. Heather Cole Avatar
    Heather Cole

    JohnAugust 20, 2020 4:16 PM

    It makes more sense to prove you can farm before you run about trying to attract finance!!

    @John,

    You need land to farm!

  25. John Avatar
    John

    How much do you want?

    Do you understand what it takes to farm 100’s of acres?

    Doesn’t it make more sense to run the GOB down to provide land like it once did in “Land for the Landless”.

    Start from scratch and build.

  26. John Avatar
    John

    The problem is that successive Governments have destroyed or participated in the destruction of much of the infrastructure of a once thriving agricultural sector.

    The knowledge and experience associated with large scale farming built up over the generations has been allowed to dissipate.

    Most of what is left rests in the heads of those who are still employed full time in what remains of our agriculture.

    Do you have a list of the plantations owned by the GOB?

    If you do, go and look at what has become of them.

    Getting land overgrown with bush and trees back into farming is not easy.

    Why wasn’t it just kept in pasture and the investment of labour and capital maintained?

    Do you know what it takes to remove established ironwood and woman tongue trees …. thousands of them?

    Not saying it can’t be done but it ain’t easy or cheap!!

  27. John Avatar
    John

    Try one field, maintain it a few years, and see if this is really what you want to do!!

    Forget distribution of profits!!

  28. Cuhdear Bajan Avatar
    Cuhdear Bajan

    @John August 21, 2020 12:18 PM “You feel they got any Bajan women that strong enough to push hay.”

    Every woman in my family can do that, and MORE, including a few of us in our mid to late 60’s.

    So who was it again who did most of the fieldd labor in Barbados if not black, working class, women and women?

  29. John Avatar
    John

    Cuhdear BajanAugust 21, 2020 2:15 PM

    Every woman in my family can do that, and MORE, including a few of us in our mid to late 60’s.

    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    You are going back to a time when Bajan women could do this.

    Imagine putting a hoe in the hands of Ms. Mockley or Cynthia Forde!!

    They will probably ask you which end to hold it by!!

    That’s the point I am making.

    The infrastructure has largely been destroyed.

    Even the thinking is gone.

    The logic, the common sense is no more.

    Yes there are exceptions.

    We need to start literally from scratch and learn all the facets of the agricultural trade Bajans had mastered over generations.

    It makes more sense to put unused land into the hands of people who can make a go of it than people who can only talk.

    But they have to deliver results.

  30. John Avatar
    John

    The GOB could set aside a few fields it owns and have a competition.

    Lease one to each person/group who feels they want to farm and has no land.

    See what happens.

    Those who perform get more land to lease with the same stipulations, they got to make it work.

    But the people who are into farming and are making a go of it need to have access to leasing more land as they require.

  31. John Avatar
    John

    There are numerous exceptional farmers in Barbados.

    They can do anything their ancestors did plus more as they have access to better technologies.

    These are the people to encourage.

  32. John Avatar
    John

    We don’t want people who can talk, we need people who can do!!

  33. WURA-WAR-on-U Avatar
    WURA-WAR-on-U

    Pacha…how many years have we been warning about this and no one would listen, the dumb fowl slaves came on here and carried on as slaves do and now look, at least there is discussion.

    “Black people in Barbados are 1 step away from slavery”.
    How can Pan Africanism contribute to wealth creation of the masses?
    Part 2 of The Pan Africanism series is live this Saturday with MP Trevor Prescod and former Ghanaian government official, Ben Malor on the Marcia Weekes Show.”

  34. WURA-War-on-U Avatar
    WURA-War-on-U

    Wait, wait, wait….today’s newspaper said government spends 150 million dollars of TAXPAYERS MONEY ANNUALLY to police marijuana, money that can go to youth programs to generate opportunities and get them off the blocks, even worse it stated, that amount of money is 15 TIMES MORE than what they accumulate in fines for trafficking etc….so how does that make sense other than the governments have always been taking tax dollars and criminalizing African descended people for the plant maliciously….as we thought all along and then brought this shite bill with more oppressive laws to lock up people for marijuana…definitely gotta get kicked out in 2023.

  35. Cuhdear Bajan Avatar
    Cuhdear Bajan

    Food first WARU.

    I planted some beets and butternut squash today. I ate some breadfruit, avocado and spinach for lunch

    I didn’t plant any marijuana. I didn’t consume any marijuana.

  36. curley16 Avatar
    curley16

    There are some truths in what John is articulating. However, it not impossible. Where is the business plan? This is variable with 500k investment. The use of the harrowing is better then ploughing,especially with virgin land,tress good manure,run the harrow three times. Take my foolish advice and have a pumpkin banks of 20 arces each year 400 k lbs at a Bds 1.00 . Plant early yams amongst the cane,crop rotation and grass control is key. Buy two of those tractors that John mentioned,old man Deane at Hanson had two that needed remodelling,but wanted a little too much,try your luck with John.There are men with the know how to turn 100 acres into money that is no land I was running 20 acres and working my office job,be mindful of the challenges with distribution, but that’s where export comes in. Where is the prospectus document ? Ready to put my money where my mouth is.

  37. Critical Analyzer Avatar
    Critical Analyzer

    As I previously said when government was floating this agriculture thing at the start of COVID, our problem with agriculture as with practically every production based industry we get involved in is we always put the cart before the donkey. When you plant how many ever acres of whatever produce you choose to plant, do you already know who you are going to sell to and are they going to give you a good price or do you try to sell like a hawker before the produce spoils on you?

    Farmers need to first form their own marketing/distribution companies, preferably cooperative based shareholder-ship. Once that company is formed and staffed with people that know how to sell, it will be easy for farmers to focus on producing knowing they have their own distribution company looking after their interests and earning them larger profits.

    The real profits are in the distribution and value add sector which that company can focus on while farmers focus on producing quality.

  38. WURA-War-on-U Avatar
    WURA-War-on-U

    “Food first WARU.”

    we have been talking food first for decades and all ya dumbass leaders have been talking about is tourists, which ya CANNOT EAT EITHER….they should never have stopped putting food first, we should not still be saying food first after 400 years of understanding that EVERYONE HAS TO EAT…

    ….they are taking 150 million of YOUR TAX DOLLARS per year and putting it into policing marijuana with no returns….that’s like you spending 150 dollars a day and only getting 10 dollars in return per day….do the math…

    150 million dollars a year could help the BLACK PEOPLE people DRIVE FOOD PRODUCTION..

  39. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    Quite true that most middle-aged and younger women and a whole lotta young men can’t use a fork or hoe but it’s not hard to learn. I am getting better at it and so is my son. I feel more useful than I ever did before. And you feel tired after but it’s a good tired.

    If I can do it anybody can. People need to try it. They wouldn’t regret it.

    Having the members work as John suggested would be great. It would require persons who know what they are doing to direct proceedings. Farming that large scale is indeed a skill not known to many in Barbados.

    I do think Heather needs to show us some plans as has been suggested here. Critical Analyser, Curley 16 have made some good points.

    Things to consider. I like to look before I leap.

  40. curley16 Avatar
    curley16

    Critical Analyser good point reference distribution,but the old man “with seventh standard” picked pond grass and was good at this thing always told me sell mass boy ,sell mass. Pumpkin don’t spoil,particularly, once picked with the stem ,inch preferably, the local ones especially. Start with a 1/4 arce seed bank with slip local varieties , which are sweeter produces after 8 weeks unlike seeds and can cut production cost per acre, cucurbits run and is good for grass cover. Plan and plant with the moon yuh hear! Get an apiary set-up ,surround dem head rows with khus khus grass, good for soil control and pest management as nematodes do not like. In your marketing plans Heather set up cooperative shops strategically and get a few proper bajan women who are the best economist I know, raised with grandmother and think with regional export in mind, I can help in this regard.

  41. Critical Analyzer Avatar
    Critical Analyzer

    Not to pour cold water on the investment proposal, especially another bajan trying to get a venture going, but it looks to me like this lease was structured as a foreign currency grab based the size of the land up for lease being 267 acres. Few bajans will have the means and will to enter into a lease of this size and chances are, the ones with the means and the interest is such a venture would most likely already be in similar ventures on a smaller scale.

    6 million dollars is a heck of alot of money to raise and if you are to demonstrate you have properly fleshed this venture out and have the ability to succeed giving people a return on their venture capital investment, you proposal needs updating to include:
    1) Short, medium, long term and stretch goals
    2) Projections on the start up costs, expected year 1, 2, 3 and year on year running costs, revenue and profits.

    I will also assume you already have some sizable commitments otherwise I don’t think you would have gotten this far so you need to indicate the level of funding you yourself as the primary as those of other backers have already committed to the venture in the interest of transparency to demonstrate you are indeed serious.

  42. David Avatar
    David

    How about John renting of that land he controls at a peppercorn rate? Let it do something useful in his lifetime.

  43. John Avatar
    John

    Don’t worry.

    Experimented with curley16 methods already but monkeys an issue like it never was in his/her day.

    They got monkeys running bout in Parliament, the legal system and all over Barbados.

    Getting control by degrees!!

  44. John Avatar
    John

    Never was one for chewing gum but I can walk and whistle at the same time!!

  45. John Avatar
    John

    I’m not telling you anything about agriculture I have not done myself or figured out by listening to others and researching history.

  46. John Avatar
    John

    Sugar Cane is still the most sensible crop for Barbados.

  47. David Avatar
    David

    How does growing sugar cane address food security concerns?

  48. Critical Analyzer Avatar
    Critical Analyzer

    Ensuring Food Security is above this venture and all our heads, it is the sole responsibility of the government’s concern and must be handled at a policy and regulation level.

    The first priority of any business venture is to ensure there is a return on investment within an expected time frame to maintain viability and not go into debt or bankruptcy.

  49. curley16 Avatar
    curley16

    Food is the staff of life!More valid points by the Critical “Thinker” Analyzer ,although the “stretch” is a bit far fetching with the members being the owners. As stated by him a strategic plan encapsulated with financials over 5 years should be good to go. Heather don’t be discouraged; 1000 bajans like me living aboard at US $3K each fine,the equities market is ripe now,but in a few years this project shall give good returns on investment. Again the old man always say “You can only plant,but the father giveth the increase.”

    By the way I can attest to the benevolence of a good Deane, Erie who give me a ride on his way to work at the sugar cane breeding station at Groves would give 5 Bds whilst on my way to school,very nice and pleasant man . Another, who wasn’t bad either ,name not coming to mind ,but he managed Kingsland estates before passing. Get some Khus Khus grass from John lots of it still there at lands but and bound Hanson and Constant at Dash Valley at the back of the gully.

    Covid -19 is a game changer, there is a new strategic direction for all, no play book and one must think out side the box. Liking this much,please have a mixture of organic foods ,which must be planted upwind the agro processing even makes it more viable. Excitement in the air!

  50. GP Avatar
    GP

    JOHN
    YOU OBVIOUSLY KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT AND YOU HAVE CONTRIBUTED SOME GOOD INPUT. HOWEVER, LIKE DR LUCAS, WHEN THE JOKERS HERE START TO ATTEMPT TO MOCK YOU, YOU OUGHT TO STAY QUIET. AND LET THE MORONS TALK TO THEM SELVES

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