FFA Newsletter March 2017

FACULTY of FOOD and AGRICULTURE Newsletter Volu me 6 I ssue 1 March 2017The field came alive with techAGRI Expo 2017

2 Faculty of Food and Agriculture Newsletter techAGRI Expo 2017The Faculty of Food and Agriculture (FFA) hosted a from the farm. The FFA’s Agricultural Innovation Park also successful, interactive and exciting agricultural expo, sold a wide array of its vegetables and fruits.which was put on in an attempt, “to raise the profile of Visitors were invited to workshops onagriculture nationally and regionally, stressing less on tissue culture, composting and vermiculture.the drudgery that has typically been associated with Several hydroponics and aquaponic systemsfood production and projecting the scientific methods were on display as well as a plant factory, wherewhich are presently available”, according to FFA Dean Dr vegetables were being grown under LED lights.Wayne Ganpat. In addition, there were approximately 100 invited The expo, which was run for three days, exhibitors showcasing entrepreneurship and innovation inopened on Friday 24th March 2017 with a ceremony agriculture. On display were locally made soaps, candles,at which the Principal of the St Augustine Campus, jewellery from paper and other agricultural products,Professor Brian Copeland and the Campus Registrar, Mr coconut oil, jams, wines, cassava flour, sweet potato flourRichard Saunders addressed the gathering. The feature and baked products from these flours, local chocolate andaddress was given by the Minister of Agriculture, Lands other cocoa products and local teas such as orange peel,and Fisheries, the Honourable Clarence Rambharat, fever grass and bamboo, which were packaged in tea bags.who expressed “envy” that it was The UWI and not Several other stakeholders were invited to exhibit,his Ministry that hosted the expo. He stressed the including the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries;importance of a country to provide safe food for its the Agricultural Development Bank; the Inter-Americanpeople and the need for people to take control of what Institute for Cooperation On Agriculture; the Caribbeanthey eat. He congratulated the FFA on hosting the expo. Agricultural Research and Development Institute; the Cocoa The expo served as a platform where Research Unit; PCS Nitrogen; Caribbean Chemicals etc.entrepreneurs, investors and the general public were Agricultural companies were also invited to displayable to interact and network and shop for items ranging their agricultural machinery and equipment includingfrom vegetables to tractors and to see the technological tractors, brush cutters, chemicals and poultry equipment.advances made in agricultural production methods. The expo was promoted as a family affair, There were guided tours to various parts of thus children were not left out and were able tothe Faculty as well as to the National Herbarium which enjoy the bouncy castle and other fun activities.maintains an archival collection of indigenous and exotic Over 2700 students and teachers visited the expoplants of Trinidad and Tobago, with the earliest specimens from schools located as far as Matelot, Cedros, Moruga,dating from 1842. The University Field Station set up a Guayaguayare, Biche, Tobago and even St Vincent and themini zoo where visitors were able to see some of the Field Grenadines, and 6000 more visitors attended the expoStation’s animals in addition to selling various products over the three days. In this IssuetechAGRI Expo 2017 1 Visiting Professor supports work on Environmental Economics 10The FFA participates in TTGPA Layout and Design6th Annual Services Day 7 Training in Tissue Culture in Ms Sarojini Ragbir Ginger in Jamaica 11Conservation Agriculture for PhotographyClimate Change Adaptation 8 FFA Opens Students’ Facility 11 Mr Terry Sampson, Ms MakanzwaAgroecological Transition for Alumnus receives Knight of Pita and contributorsSustainable Small Family Farming 8 Order of Agricultural Merit 12 EditorsIndigenous Geographies, Environ- Shushanna receives Professor Ms Sarojini Ragbir,mental Sustainability, and Social George Moon Sammy bursary 12 Dr Wayne Ganpat andJustice 9 Professor Julian Duncan techAGRI Expo 2017 13

Volume 6 Issue 1 3 techAGRI Expo 2017 Dean Ganpat (right) escorts (from left) the Campus Registrar, Mr Richard Saunders; Campus Principal, Professor Brian Copeland and the Minister of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries, the Honourable Clarence Rambharat to view exhibitsFountain which greeted visitors to the expo designed byMr Glen Byer, FFA Facilities Maintenance Technician Minister Rambharat learns about AGRIman, agriculture super hero Mr Hamza Ali, BSc Agricultural tech- nology and Environmental and Natural Resource Management student, shows principal Copeland how the seedling transplanter works

4 Faculty of Food and Agriculture Newsletter techAGRI Expo 2017 12 3 4 1. Invited guests at the opening ceremony 2. Dr Marquitta Webb conducts anthropometric measurements on students 3. Dr Anisa Ramcharita-Bourne plays nutrition game with primary school children 4. Dr Lynda Wickham shows visitors flour made from different produce (moko, plantain, cassava, green banana, sweet potato)

Volume 6 Issue 1 5 The colourful, techAGRI Expo 2017 creative, innovative craft booths Students visit Students are the roof top fascinated by greenhouse crops grown under LEDVisitors see some lights in plantof the animalsreared at the The childrenUniversity Field were not leftStation out of the fun

6 Faculty of Food and Agriculture Newsletter techAGRI Expo 2017 Students learn about the National Herbarium collection from Mrs Yasmin Baksh-Comeau, Curator and Mr Dan Jaggernauth, member of the Field Naturalists’ ClubDr Darin Sukha, Food Technologist,Flavour and Quality Team Leader,of the Cocoa Research Unit, UWI,demonstrates cocoa from “bean tobar” The Alma Jordan Library Mounts Display to Promote techAGRI Expo The Science and Agriculture Division of the Alma Jordan Library, mounted a display to coincide with the Faculty of Food and Agriculture’s techAGRI Expo, held from 24th to 26th March 2017. The display highlighted some of the innovative work being done by the Faculty. The theme for the display was: Promoting Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Commercialization in Food and Agriculture. Thanks to Ms Sheeba Sreenivasan, Ms Kheeshia Persaud, Mr Jonathon Hazzard, Ms Sarojini Ragbir and Cocoa Research Unit, for their various contributions to the display. Submitted by: Ms Michelle Gill, Faculty Liaison Librarian (Faculty of Science and Technology and Faculty of Food and Agriculture)

Volume 6 Issue 1 7 The Faculty participates in TTGPA 6th Annual Services Day The Faculty of Food and Agriculture participated in the Trinidad and Tobago Group of Professional Association Limited (TTGPA) 6th Annual Services Day, which was held at the Arima New Government School on 8th April 2017. Staff and students of the faculty shared information on the FFA’s programmes, gave advise on healthy eating and distributed numerous factsheets on nutrition, and animal and crop production. Microscopes were set up to demonstrate to participants features of plant diseases magnified.Geography and Human Ecology students waiting for visitors to the booth Her Worship the Mayor of Arima, Lisa Roxanne Morris- Julian; Mr Richard Saunders, UWI St Augustine Campus Registrar and former President of TTGPA; and Member of Parliament for D’Abadie and O’Meara, General (retired) Ancil Antoine listen to Geography students, Atiya Mohamed and Lisa Tysonon on the left, and Human Ecology Student, Solange Roberts-Clarke on right Mr Augustus Thomas, graduate student in the Department of Food Production, shows a child features of plant diseases magnified

8 Faculty of Food and Agriculture NewsletterConservation Agriculture forClimate Change AdaptationThe Conservation Agriculture for Participants at workshop Climate Change Adaptation (CACCA)Workshop brought together members of change impact. Senator Singh applauded the CACCAproject as a greatthe academic, farming, environmental and initiative which his Ministry fully supports. He stated that, employingbusiness communities for an afternoon of rich appropriate technology will protect and increase the resilience of ourdiscussion on Thursday 6th April, 2017. The environment, and alleviate the high expenditure, which amounts tobroader Conservation Agriculture (CA) for the millions of dollars of tax payer’s money each year in Trinidad andCaribbean project was also officially launched Tobago, as compensation to farmers during flooding.with comments from Dr Mark Wuddivira,Acting The technical session of the workshop featured presentationsDean and Project Leader; Dr Reynold Stone, on innovative technologies from a cadre of dynamic speakers at theHead of Food Production Department; Mrs forefront of the local conservation agriculture movement including:Gillian Golah, Chief Operating Officer, CCRIF Ms Janille Huggins (Conservation Agriculture for the CaribbeanSPC (formerly Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Project), Mr Hamza Ali (Agrination Ltd) and Mr Jonathan BarcantInsurance Facility); and feature speaker Senator (Vetiver TT- Ecological Engineering Solutions Ltd). ParticipantsAvinash Singh, Parliamentary Secretary in the also got the opportunity to test “Jab Seedling Transplanters”. TheMinistry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries. Dr workshop was well reviewed by participants and plans are alreadyWuddivira saidthat CAsimplyputis“agriculture underway for more technical sessions across the regionthat sees the future, feeds the future and sustainsthe future”. Dr Stone buttressing on this, stated Submitted by: Mr Renaldo Belfon, former graduate student of thethat mechanization and use of appropriate Department of Food Production and Chairman of the workshop and Drtechnology are key to the success of CACCA. Mark Wuddivira, Department of Food Production According to Mrs Golah, her companydoes not hesitate to provide funds for thistype of project because of its importance andrelevance in the Caribbean, being one of themost vulnerable regions of the world to climateAgroecological Transition for Sustainable Small Family FarmingTAPAS (Agroecological Transition for Sustainable 264 participants from 22 countries, opened the strategicSmall Family Farming) held a two-day workshop debate on the major challenges facing agriculture infrom 4th to 5th April 2017 in the Faculty of Food and the region, climate change and its consequences for theAgriculture. The work of the TAPAS project follows the vulnerability of small island economies.The TAPASdeliberations of the 52nd Congress of the Caribbean Food project has as its central theme the agroecologicalCrop Society (CFCS), held from 15th to 16th July 2016 transition of Caribbean agriculture in which family farmsin Guadeloupe. This congress, which brought together play a decisive role. The goals of the workshop were to:Participants attending workshop • Share and validate the foundations and perspectives of the TAPAS project • Deepen the strategic workings of TAPAS • Determine future actions and agenda Participants attending the workshop came from Cuba, Guadeloupe, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominican Republic, Barbados, St Lucia, French Guiana, St Vincent, Haiti, Suriname, Dominica and St Martin.

Volume 6 Issue 1 9FFA supports hosting of Indigenous Geographies, Environmental Sustainability and Social Justice What, then, is our responsibility to Indigenous Indigenous community representatives, inclusive of peoples’ claims to sovereignty here in the leaders from Akawaio, Garifuna, Kalinago, Lokono Arawak, Machushi, Maho, Mopan Maya, Q’eqchiCaribbean, and what might their worldviews offer Maya, Wapichan, and Warrau First Peoples, from the planet regarding issues of sustainability and across the Caribbean to the symposium, which had as its main goal to create a space where Indigenous social justice? attendees could speak freely about their experiences and viewpoints on issues related to land rights,Necessary, yet complex, research often emerges farming techniques, environmental sustainability, from everyday musings about issues that are capitalist exploitation, state negligence, corporateeither quickly dismissed, or not given all that much extraction, and community organizing.credence in the first place. The query above is case The pressing need for such a discussion toand point. The question of Indigenous peoples’ take place, as well as be comprised of Indigenousright to sovereignty is not merely hypothetical, nor people themselves, was also the position taken bydoes its marginal status mean that it is not worthy the Antipode Foundation, which sponsored theof investigation. It is, indeed, a legitimate political symposium. The foundation, which publishes thequery with real, material consequences that are journal Antipode: A Radical Journal of Geography,bore out in everyday life. The same can also be conferred a grant to Dr Levi Gahman (Geography)said of Indigenous peoples’ histories, languages, and Dr Gabrielle Hosein (IGDS) to convene aknowledge systems, traditional agricultural symposium on the topic of social justice, Indigenouspractices, and perspectives on the environment. geographies, and Caribbean feminisms. While Indigenous peoples’ worldviews have by and organizing the event, both Impact Justice andlarge been deliberately forced to the margins, and the Faculty of Food and Agriculture threw theircontinue to often be met with confusion or contempt. support behind the endeavor, thereby allowingThis is an issue of social justice, and one that contributors from Guyana, Suriname, Dominica,university workers are implicated in, particularly Martinique, Belize, Honduras, Trinidad andthose of us who are researching and writing about Tobago, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Canada,food, agricultural, sustainability, and the environment. and the United States to attend the workshop, A research team from The Institute for which was held from 30th March to 1st April.Gender and Development Studies (IGDS) andthe Department of Geography invited nearly 30 Participants at symposium Submitted by: Dr Levi Gahman, Lecturer, Department of Geography

10 Faculty of Food and Agriculture Newsletter Visiting Professor supports work on Environmental EconomicsProfessor Ståle Navrud, a renowned expert in environmental and resource economics at the School of Economics and Business at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), visited the FFA and the Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension (DAEE) in January/February 2017. Professor Navrud has published more than 100 journal articles and book chapters on economic valuation of environmental quality, ecosystem services (marine, terrestrial and aquatic), cultural heritage, landscape aesthetics, public health, and external costs of energy; and has co-edited three books on environmental value transfer, cultural heritage and environmental valuation in Europe. He was Review Editor of the 5th Assessment Report (Climate Change 2014) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and is currently Expert Reviewer for United Nations (UN) \"Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services\", (IPBES) and \"UN Global Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment, including Socioeconomic Aspects\". Professor Navrud generously shared his expertise and broad international experience by leading a one-day workshop on \"Tools for economic valuation of environmental quality, public health, cultural heritage and ecosystem services\", targeted at UWI academic staff, students and external stakeholders such as the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) and the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA). He also held a public guest lecture entitled “Economic Valuation of Ecosystem Services – From Coastal and Marine Ecosystem Services in Norway to the Amazon Rainforest”, as well as had meetings with the EMA, IMA, Dean FFA, Head of DAEE, and several one-on-one meetings assisting staff and students with their various projects. During his guest lectures and stakeholder meetings, Professor Navrud identified topic areas of interest including cost-benefit analysis and willingness to pay studies, by referencing local sites like the Caroni Bird Sanctuary and the West Coast, and comparing their potential to that of similar international sites. He also suggested that these topic areas can be the foundation for potentially impactful research projects for both undergraduate and postgraduate students. Professor Navrud’s visit thus proved very valuable in disseminating state-of –the-art knowledge and promoting new research efforts and collaboration in the field of environmental valuation. Professor Navrud in discussion with students after his guest lecture Submitted by: Professor Mattias Boman, Deputy Dean FFA, and Mr Moses Mike, DAEE

Volume 6 Issue 1 11FFA Lecturer Trains Technicians in Tissue Culture of Ginger in Jamaica Rhizome rot disease is a serious constraint in the production of ginger in Jamaica. The disease has resulted in decreased productivity of the crop in major growing areas. The disease has further affected the availability of healthy mother rhizomes for cultivation. The Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries (MICAF), Jamaica, is embarking on a structured industry revitalization programme centred on the sustained open field production and distribution of pure stand ginger, in order to capitalize on existing market opportunities and realizeLaboratory technicians receive training the socio-economic development potential of on tissue culture of ginger the local ginger industry. This is supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO) through a project titled, “Support for the development of the ginger value chain in Jamaica”. Dr Duraisamy Saravanakumar, Senior Lecturer, Department of Food Production, FFAworks on this project as the Plant Pathologist, to support the development of certification protocolfor production of healthy ginger planting material. He visited Jamaica from 4th to 13th January,2017 to review the ginger production system, in particular rhizome rot disease management. During his visit, he designed and conducted a 2-day training session on how to producehealthy ginger planting materials without rhizome rot, to 12 tissue culture laboratory technicians.He continues to work on the project to develop mass multiplication system for production ofdisease free planting materials through micro-propagation and macro-propagation techniques.Submitted by: Dr Duraisamy Saravanakumar, Senior Lecturer, Department of Food Production FFA Opens Students’ Facility The official opening of the Students’ Facility of the Faculty of Food and Agriculture was held on April 20th, 2017. This facility was created to provide a safe, practical and comfortable space where the student clubs and committee members can meet to foster, not just academic but emotional intelligence via social interaction. To commemorate the occasion, a brief ceremony which included ribbon cutting by Dr Mark Wuddivira and Mr Tariq Ali (former FFA Guild Representative), was held to declare the facility officially open. Mr Tariq Ali, with the assistance of Dr Mark Wuddivira, cuts the ribbon to open the facility

12 Faculty of Food and Agriculture Newsletter FFA Alumnus receives “Knight of the Order of Agricultural Merit (France) for a lifetime promotion of Agriculture” Mr Antoine Marie Moustache, who received his BSc and MSc degrees from the Faculty of Agriculture, The University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago, was rewarded with the Knight of the Order of Agricultural Merit (France) for a lifetime promotion of Agriculture, for the work he has done in tropical agriculture for nearly 40 years in Seychelles. He was the first Seychellois to receive this award in the agricultural field. He received his award from the French Ambassador to the Seychelles, Mr Lionel Majesté- Larrouy. Mr Moustache has written several books on agriculture in the Seychelles, and has played a major role in lifting the ban on fruits and vegetables from Reunion Island.Mr Antoine Marie Moustache Mr Moustache is currently the special adviser to the Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture. Mr Moustache’s son, Mr Ravi Moustache, also completed the BSc amd MSc programmes at the Faculty of Agriculture, UWI.Source: Seychelles News Agency (translated by Ms Thara Gabriel, Dean’s Office, FFA).Shushanna receives Professor George Moon Sammy bursaryMs Shushanna Ms Shushanna Marshall, a current student in the MSc Agri-Food Safety and Quality Marshall Assurance programme, Department of Food Production, FFA, has been awarded the Professor George Moon Sammy bursary. Ms Marshall was presented with the bursary on January 17th, 2017 at the Offices of the Design Engineering Services Ltd. Ms Marshall has completed all her taught courses for the MSc Agri- Food Safety and Quality Assurance Programme and is currently working on her research project titled, ‘An investigation into rabbit meat quality post application of Moringa oleifera (antioxidant producer) feed supplement’. Submitte d by: Pr ofessor Neela Badrie, Department of Food Production

13 Volume 6 Issue 1 Faculty of Food and Agriculture Newslette1r3 techAGRI Expo 2017 Chocolate products on saleVendor in food court prepares barbeque for salePatrons purchase “geera pork” prepared from pigs Visitor examines home made candles reared at The University Field Station

14 Faculty of Food and Agriculture Newsletter techAGRI Expo 2017An entrepreneur preparespineapple products for sale Chef prepares pig for roasting. Below is the final productDr Floyd Homer displays coffee from Cafe Vega