Eric Evelyn

Members of the Department of Agriculture on Nevis are organizing their annual Open Day, scheduled for Thursday 25th, and Friday 26th of March.

Communications Officer for the Department of Agriculture on Nevis, Mr. Eric Evelyn, told The Observer that there is a wide variety of produce which they intend to sell.

"The produce that will be on sale are: sweet pepper (coloured and green), honeydew melon, cantaloupe, sweet corn, tomato, butternut squash, watermelon, sweet potato, cucumber and an assortment of fruit trees as well including mango, citrus, wax apple and avocado," he said.

Revealing one of his department's plant growing techniques, Mr. Evelyn said, "Here at Prospect, we are heavily into plastic mulch, bearing in mind the very warm conditions that we are experiencing. Plastic mulch will improve the quality of the produce."

He continued, "Apart from what we are doing here at Prospect, the [local] farmers are doing quite a bit in producing their own crops, so at least they will be present at the Open Day as well."

This year's theme is "Promoting Food Security Amidst Financial Challenges," which Mr. Evelyn explained thusly: "A lot of our exhibits will be tailored around the theme, where we are going to be using as little financial resources as possible."

He further stated that they will also be focusing on 'container production,' and expressed optimism for the event's prospects: "We expect this Open Day to be just as big as last year or even bigger and better, and we are promising that the public will maintain the high standard that has been set over the years."

The patron selected for Open Day 2010 is Ms. Almena Cornelius.

Open Day began as an a1l-day event in 1994, whose venue was at Prospect until 2003. In its tenth anniversary year the event was extended to 2 days, with its venue being changed to the Charlestown Secondary School Villa.

Some of the themes previously used are:

2009 - "Promoting Economic Stability through Greater Agricultural and Marine Efficiency

2008 - "Micro-farming, the Driving Force for Agriculture Past and Present"

2007 - "Implementing Science and Technology to Increase and Sustain Agricultural Productivity."

The Department of Agriculture takes an active role in encouraging the public to depend more on local agriculture. They promote the teaching of agriculture in the primary and secondary schools. Also, the department champions the use of technology in the growing process, so that farmers can be more productive and effective - all with the ultimate goal of increasing the farmer base on Nevis.

Mr. Evelyn pointed out why naturally grown food is better for health by saying, "Money is the bottom line." He said that imported food often contains chemicals and can have side effects that we are not aware of.

"Naturally grown food is better because no chemicals are used," he explained.

He also noted the benefits of learning how to grow vegetables and other plants: "We encourage persons to grow local and eat local. When persons do this they can save money, be more active, be healthier and make good use of wastelands in their backyards."