Saint Lucia: Agriculture Ministry and Taiwan Technical Mission to improve food, nutrition security

Saint Lucia: The Agriculture Ministry and the Taiwan Technical Mission are making strides toward improved food security by introducing small farm machinery.

Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Rural Development Minister Alfred Prospere had the opportunity to see first-hand the shipment of small machinery brought in under the second phase of the “Efficiency enhancement of the Production-Distribution Supply Chain in the Fruits and Vegetable Sector” Project, also known as the Seven Crops Project. The shipment, which includes tillers and cultivators, aims to reduce farmers’ reliance on labour while increasing efficiency and optimizing land use, ultimately improving farmers’ quality of life.

Ambassador of the Republic of China to Saint Lucia, Peter Chia-yen Chen, explained that using modern agricultural machinery is critical to improving a farm’s efficiency. He added that the Taiwanese government remains committed to assisting Saint Lucia’s agriculture sector’s transition to more advanced farming methods and that he is looking forward to the outcome.

Minister Prospere said introducing small machinery is part of efforts to make the agriculture sector more attractive to the youth. He emphasized the importance of adapting to farm mechanization as one of the innovations that could be critical to future food security because it allows farmers to produce more crops at a lower cost.

The next phase of the initiative will be a public showcase to introduce farmers to the logistics of accessing the machinery as well as its cost.