| Agriculture Specialist Highlights Organic Farming Benefits |
| By Teshell Samuel |
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Tom Syverud together with Basseterre High School students |
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Organic Specialist Thomas Syverud, in a recent interview with The Observer, posited that there were a number of benefits to be derived through the practice of organic agriculture.
The retired University of Wisconsin educator, on a two-week stay in the Federation as a part of the USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer Program, is training youths from the Basseterre High School, along with a number of farm managers, in the organic production of fruits and vegetables, with a future objective of marketing locally grown organic products.
During the interview, Syverud indicated that there were three main areas that he touched on in the training sessions: the production of organic fertilizers, pesticides, and the proper way to test for soil fertility. He said when the various techniques taught are properly utilized, they can be very beneficial to the soil, food safety, and production costs.
“For the small producer, the organic route to farming can be less expensive because they don’t have to buy the commercial fertilizers, or pesticides and herbicides. They can also market produce that is known as organic, which more and more people are becoming interested in purchasing. So, they can save money in the production stages, and make money when marketing,” he said.
The specialist also stressed that foods produced organically were in many ways healthier than those grown through other forms of farming because of the minimal amount of chemicals used in crop maintenance, not the case with most commercial products.
“If commercial fertilizers and pesticides are used appropriately, testing has shown that there is a minimal extent of damage to humans. The problem is many times farmers will fall into the trap that if a little is good then a lot is better, and that leads to misuse. Also, if they don’t know what type of insects they are spraying for, then they may be using a chemical that is ineffective. This can, in turn, lead to underground water pollution and insects developing a resistance to the chemicals,” he informed.
Syverud, who heartily endorses organic food production, opined that using the said approach to fertilizers posed a more beneficial solution for plants, the grower, and potential consumers. Using a backyard garden as an example, he indicated how a grower could care for his or her crops.
“There are some homemade organic sprays that people can use, and the first, easiest, and safest is just mixing a teaspoon of soap in a quart of warm water. That’s a great insect control for any of the soft-bodied insects, including white flies, mill bugs, and their young, aphids. For diseases, one of the easiest is dissolving a tablespoon of baking soda in water, and that can be sprayed on plants. To make any one of these stronger, just add a tablespoon of good cooking oil and this will allow the solution to coat the insects and kill them faster,” he explained.
Syverud stated that there was great potential for the growth of organic vegetable production in the Federation. He posited that the land was available, and noted that there would be no need for a large investment to get production started. |
