Our 2015 Photo Story

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Let’s do this story!

We’ve come to the end of another year! This time around we had some ups and downs. And we think it best to give you the highlights of our blog, our web series and our colleagues, as we wish you and yours all the best for the season and happy and prosperous New year!

Do ensure this photo story!

We started the year with our usual tech topics such as robotic farming, renewable energies and bringing old techniques back into modern production. It truly is astonishing what exists out there in the world both simple and complex technologies and sciences which make agriculture interesting to us youth. But behind all of this are people…young people!

Growing out TFF community – Photo courtesy Thought for Food

In came the Thought for Food Challenge and summit where we met some of the greatest and most enthusiastic young minds in food and agriculture today. The event was truly motivating having been introduced and are still in contact with finalist teams and other participants.

Tech4agri: the podcast that failed…but it will return!

Then came a bright shining light and complete failure….well it depends on how you look at it. Tech4agri launched its very own podcast. We got some great feedback from you, our followers but reality hit, in that we just could not keep it up. When delivering our stories we want great quality and interesting content. While the podcast was great we found it difficult to find the type of content we needed while simultaneously handling our other projects. It lasted three episodes but it’s not dead it will return!

Tech4agri Team

As an entrepreneur, failure is ever present. So Tech4agri regrouped and focused on what was needed to get its long planned web series off the ground! We finally got our team together! Meet our team again!

Agri journalists of Tech4agri

We started our work in  agri journalism and got great feedback with our mini documentary Agripeople! #Motivation

LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 25: The 2015 Online News Association Conference at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel on September 25, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Daniel Petty/for ONA)

Again we were #winners having earned a fellowship to the Online News Association conference for 2015 held in Los Angeles. We were humbled to be selected as one of the best early career young digital journalists for the event. #mindblown at all the tech we learned of that can be used for journalism!

Tech4agri: The Web series: Ep 4 – It’s called Hydroponics

A method of production using soil less medium and a circulating nutrient water system! It’s called Hydroponics, a long awaited episode of the web series.

Mr. Dipsingh, operator of the Choon Hydroponics farm, shares tips on how he brought his enterprise into a success.

He constantly seeks ways to improve upon the farm. He has maximised his space, ensured regular access to seedlings with his own nursery, looks after the well being of his employees and has cut cost by sourcing all material and inputs for the operation right here in Trinidad and Tobago.

Mr. Dipsingh also explained that Agriculture is a sustainable endeavour for himself and his family as he left a high paying job in the IT sector at the executive level, to pursue farming.

Watch the series for more and do share with your friends and colleagues! Stay dedicated!

 

 

 

Launched! Tech4agri: the web series

We are live! We have finally reached the day of the launch of our web series.

It has been difficult to get to this point but we are moving forward. We hope you will watch, enjoy and learn! We need your support to move forward and improve upon our delivery and quality.

As a reminder there will be 12 episodes in all for our first season and even stories coming from other Caribbean islands. These will be posted every Monday from now until Christmas, where we will take a break, then air the remaining episodes next year.

The first episode takes a look at a variety food innovations as one of the simplest ways to establish an agribusiness. That being said innovation is not always an easy thing. Took a look to find out more!

Being our launch we have a special two part episode: Part One above and Part two below.

Enjoy and Stay Dedicated!

A Rural Story: Value Chain approach for developing sustainable profitable market linkages

Originally posted on the blog for the Caribbean-Pacific Agri-Food Forum 2015. 

The Journey to Rafi’s rural farm in Trinidad and Tobago

A two and a half hour drive, over pockets of traffic, past aggressive transport truck drivers, across the rural landscape, and then barefoot through a ravine – all to meet “Rafi”, a Chadon Beni (Shadow Benny) producer of Rio Claro located in South Trinidad. This is a common herb used for seasoning in food preparation across the Caribbean.

The journey was long but so be it, as this is what it takes to meet with rural farmers across the country and many other parts of the region. The visit was meant to assess any possible pests and diseases which may be affecting Rafi’s Chadon Beni crop. Earlier he described a yellowing and stunting effect occurring with the crop. After a few minutes of conversation the situation became clear.

The bowl as it stands

Rafi explained that he farmed Chadon Beni for 15 years, acknowledging it as a crop that holds great profit, specifically due to the fact that a large percentage of Trinidad and Tobago’s local cuisine utilises this herb. Suffice to say the demand for the crop is heavy as the general local preference is that “the food must taste good” in which Chadon Beni is key. Additionally, the crop is highly demanded for export.

Also to note that Rafi has shifted from a farmer, as he also produced dasheen, dasheen bush, plantains and other crops, onto a middleman. This means he has significantly reduced his production levels in order to act as an in-between for other producers and their buyers at the country’s largest wholesale market. Living in the south of the country, he traverses the long journey every day as this activity is also profitable.

Sustainable charcoal: Is that possible?

 

Members of the Eastern Timbers, Sustainable charcoal project

Originally posted on The #Forests 2015 Blog

“For many persons the concept of charcoal and sustainability is a contradiction. However we have been able to develop a method to do just that” said Kurt Harris, SLAFY representative.

The St. Lucia Agricultural Forum for Youth (SLAFY) is a part of the Caribbean Agriculture Forum for Youth (CAFY). As a larger Caribbean initiative, CAFY was set up to encourage greater youth participation in agriculture. It’s meant to be the youth voice in the field for the region with chapters throughout the islands.

SLAFY as part of its mandate seeks to assist its members in developing and participating in agriculture, be it through agribusiness, training, policy making and consultancy.

The Eastern Timbers proposal, managed by SLAFY, was successful in gaining grant funding from the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and is well on its way to establish full sustainability. Kurt tells us more:

Tech4agri: the podcast Ep 3: Forgotten Lands

There’s a notion in general agricultural diaspora that the small farmers of the world are the majority group of food producers who truly feed the world. I would say this is true to a large extent but others may dismiss this an opinion. Regardless small farmers do make a contribution.

They are a majority that is treated like a minority. The issues this group of stakeholders face are many and yet they continue in their lives because agriculture is their life. It is a sustainable means to supply a livelihood for themselves and their families. And yet, I’ll say it again, they are a majority that is treated like a minority.

Welcome to Tech4agri: The Podcast episode 3 – Forgotten lands.