FAO takes aim at beet army worm

Western Bureau:In a bid to help protect locally produced onion and scallion from the debilitating Beet Army Worm, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is providing support to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries for the national Beet Army Worm Management Programme.

Speaking at the recent opening ceremony for the Farmer Field School (FFS) training programme in St Elizabeth, Dr Marc Panton, the chief technical director in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, said Jamaica now has the opportunity to increase its onion production to meet local and regional demands.

"Jamaica is in an economic crisis, and agriculture is being looked to as one of the key drivers," said Panton. "Currently, we are just scraping the surface when it comes to onion production. We are producing six to seven per cent of the onions that we consume, and this cannot be when people prefer our onions and are looking for them based on quality."

The initiative is expected to significantly assist farmers in managing their plots and reducing the effects of the beet army worm pest that has threatened to damage onion and scallion production in St Elizabeth and other parishes.

Panton further stressed the need for the programme if Jamaica is to reach its full earning potential in the sector.

The launch of the training component comes against the background of last October's agreement between the FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries for a two-year project aimed at "strengthening a national beet army worm programme". Under the agreement, the FAO will make J$21 million available for technical assistance to address the issue.

The need for changing some farming practices will be addressed through the FFS approach in which farmers will work together to solve common problems facing them in agricultural production. They will meet with their trained facilitators and carry out investigations and exercises aimed at addressing problems being encountered in their fields.

IN LINE WITH OTHER GOALS

In his address at the opening ceremony, FAO representative in Jamaica, The Bahamas, and Belize, Dr Jerome Thomas, indicated that FAO's support is in line with the organisation's bid to reduce hunger and malnutrition.

"We are seeking to create a world free from hunger and malnutrition, where food security and agriculture contribute to improving the living standards of all - especially the poorest - in an economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable manner," said Thomas.

He further noted that technical assistance provided was in line with FAO's aim to assist in instances where employment and livelihood development were challenged. He also pointed to the FFS approach as a useful and effective one in meeting the programme's aims and objectives.

In the first training workshop, which spanned March 18 to 26, 20 Rural Agricultural Development Authority extension agents and Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries researchers from the parishes of Trelawny, Manchester, Clarendon, St Catherine, St Thomas, and St Elizabeth were trained.

These trainers will now turn their attention to training over 150 scallion and onion farmers across Jamaica in the integrated pest management approaches for the beet army worm.