The young people of East Port of Spain will now have the opportunity to start the process of obtaining food security for themselves and generations to come.
This, as the Emancipation Support Committee of Trinidad and Tobago (ESCTT), in partnership with First Citizens, launched their 15-year Youth Empowerment with Climate-Smart Agriculture Project, with the aim of equipping young, marginalised people in the community with the skills and knowledge needed to grow and care for their own food.
The project will be split into three five-year phases, with the end goal of building their African Heritage Agriculture Centre (AFRHA).
ESCTT Public Policy Expert, Dr. Asha Kambon, says the intention is to combine youth development with agricultural production, processing, and marketing through a training and learning resource centre.
“The AFRHA will not only provide climate-smart agricultural training but integrate life skills and development rooted in African values and culture, addressing the broader social and economic challenges faced by young people.”
Minister of Planning and Development, Pennelope Beckles, commended the ESCTT for creating an initiative to get young people involved in agriculture.
She said not only will this ensure food security, but it will create togetherness in the communities.
“Whether it’s the bodi, the melongene, you know, I mean on a Sunday, everybody came to our home to get dasheen bush. I never understood the concept until I got older, you know, that my mother’s nickname was Lucky. ‘Oh Miss Lucky I’m passing for some dasheen bush.’ Sunday they come, they cut the dasheen bush. Next week Sunday, dasheen bush again, right? But it also means that there are a number of things that resulted from that: the safety, the community, the bonding, the sharing.”
Group Deputy CEO of Operations and Administration at First Citizens, Neela Moonilal-Kissoon, said the company is proud to partner with the ESCTT on this project as it is critical to the sustainability of our environment.
“Like our global counterparts, the Caribbean continues to feel the effects of growing environmental challenges. It is evident, therefore, that our solutions must be innovative and multi-pronged. Commendably, this initiative delivers on multiple fronts: growing our own food, helping to reduce our food import, and driving economic development.”
The Emancipation Support Committee is encouraging more of these partnerships for the continued success of the project.