An upcoming conference will examine agricultural practices in the region.

The Division of Food Production, Forestry and Fisheries is partnering with the Caribbean Agro- Economic Society to host the 33rd West Indies Agricultural Economics Conference.

Themed ‘Drivers for Agricultural and Economic Development in the Caribbean,’ the conference takes place August 4th through August 9th at the Mount Irvine Bay Resort. Economic Affairs Officer of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Willard Phillips, will be the featured speaker.

“The objectives of the conference are to provide a forum for the examination of all agricultural institutions, policies, systems and practices in the region.  Over forty local, regional, and international delegates will attend,” Secretary of Food Production, Forestry and Fisheries, Hayden Spencer said.

Other objectives include facilitating an exchange and flow of ideas between universities, regional and government institutions and the private sector on the economics of agricultural production and related industries and establishing a closer working relationship between the public and private sector in agricultural production.

“Within the conference, a Tobago Day ‘web papers’ on various areas of food production and sustainability will be presented. These papers will focus on forestry, agricultural production, climate change, school feeding and agro-tourism, and will be delivered by technical persons from Tobago,” he added.

Representatives from within the Division will also lead the delegates on a field trip on August 7, 2019 to various sites across the island relevant to the theme of the conference. Sites to be visited include the Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory in Goldsborough and the Louis D’Or Nursery.