Fifty Saint Lucians recently participated in an aquaponics training workshop held from March 4-14, 2023, and facilitated by Taiwanese experts.
The purpose of the training was three-fold:
• To increase the capacity of the Ministry of Agriculture’s staff to deliver accurate and sound technical advice in the design, operation and maintenance of aquaponic systems;
• To train farmers in the principles and practices involved in setting up and effectively managing aquaponic systems with the goal of up-scaling their operations to a commercial business; and
• To develop a manual as a reference document for farmers and Ministry staff which can also serve as a tool to teach climate-smart agriculture.
On Thursday, April 6, 2023, some of the participants received their certificates of participation in the workshop at a ceremony held at the Department of Fisheries Conference Room at Pointe Seraphine, Castries.
In his remarks, His Excellency Peter Chia-yen Chen, Taiwan’s Ambassador to Saint Lucia, stated that he was pleased that many farmers were interested in developing their own systems, noting that some have actually started.
“This makes the certificate more than just an encouragement, but also the beginning of a new journey to a more sustainable and innovative agriculture process,” Ambassador Chen said.
Ambassador Chen said the occasion also marked the renovation of the local aquaponics system, on which the Governments of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Saint Lucia collaborated from 2011 to 2016 to implement an aquaculture project.
“We established aquaculture facilities, introduced various varieties of tilapia and freshwater prawn, and conducted training on the operations and good practices, which have set out a basic foundation for the aquaculture industry in Saint Lucia, with a view to expand the circle of opportunities for farmers and promoting agriculture diversification,” Ambassador Chen explained.
With climate change continuing to pose a number of challenges on the local agricultural sector, Ambassador Chen noted that there is a pressing need to explore more innovative agricultural strategies, including aquaponics.
“Taiwan will continue to collaborate with the Government of Saint Lucia,” he said. “My Embassy will continue to work with Hon. Minister Prospere to work on farming innovation and search for ways to better utilize resources for ensuring a striving and resilient nation.”
Ambassador Chen expressed gratitude to Hon. Alfred Prospere, for his leadership and support on this programme, and to staff from the Ministry of Agriculture, especially the Department of Fisheries.
Hon. Alfred Prospere, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Rural Development, said aquaponics is another important area in agriculture that his Ministry is promoting, adding that the agricultural sector needs to be diversified.
“We cannot be focusing only on bananas and the main crops,” Hon. Prospere said. “We have to move in other directions to diversify the sector, and aquaponics is a critical aspect of agriculture. It is a simple system, from what I have read, that can be placed in anybody’s backyard. It reminds me of our single women and unemployed youth taking advantage of an opportunity in the agricultural sector that can impact their livelihoods and cause them to make money.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Barrymore Felicien, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Rural Development, noted that the contrast between demand and supply globally has forced Saint Lucia to commit to eradicating hunger and achieving its 2030 targets.
“We cannot continue to utilize traditional fisheries and agricultural production systems,” he said. “It is fitting that we move towards more sufficient and responsive production systems.
Felicien added: “The Ministry, therefore, advances training in the use of aquaponics within our agricultural space, which is a hybrid of aquaculture and hydroponics, where the benefit of both systems can be simultaneously harnessed.”
To capture and preserve the resources and lessons learned during the aquaponics workshop, the Taiwan Technical Mission (TTM) and Ministry of Agriculture also collaborated to publish a technical manual. An online version of the manual will be available soon.
At the ceremony, Ambassador Chen and Hon. Alfred Prospere exchanged signed copies of the new technical manual on aquaponics, following which attendees at the ceremony visited an aquaponics demonstration system within the Department of Fisheries compound.