 The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Rural Development continues placing heavy emphasis. Agriculture on the move. Agriculture on the move. Agriculture on the move. Agriculture on the move. Agriculture on the move. Hello again St. Lucia and welcome to the program Agriculture on the Move by me Philip Sidney. Today we are discussing a very important topic. When I'm sure you will realize how important it is when we get into the integrity of the program. We're talking about soil care and of course the impact on our sustainable food systems, of course our food and nutrition security. And with me are two gentlemen to my immediate right is Mr. Alvin Donnelly who is the Chief Forest Officer in St. Lucia. And of course Mr. Geass Eudoxy who is a lecturer in soil science at the University of the West Indies. Welcome to the program gentlemen. Thank you, thank you. Donnelly tell us something about this soil care program. Here there's a project on the St. Lucia. I think St. Lucia need to know about it because I'm sure you would realize that soil care is one of the problems that we have here in St. Lucia. The acidity of our soils and farmers talking about the use of inorganic fertilizers that's causing a lot of acidity. So tell us about this project. So soil care is a project that developed probably about four to five years ago when the concept actually came to the fore. You had a number of, I think they were UNCCD focal points from a number of the OECS countries who met together with the PISLM. And I'll explain what is PISLM. You know it's a partnership initiative for sustainable land management. PISLM is more like a secretariat, a sub-regional organization that helps to implement UNCCD within the Caribbean. UNCCD itself, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. It's a convention that St. Lucia ratified since 1997. And PISLM came into being around 2004 as a result of, you know, agreements by the Caribbean countries. And that includes Haiti and, well, right now Haiti and Suriname as well. But those islands came together and just the sub-grouping of these islands, more the OECS ones. And they were looking at the issue of land degradation. Now the UNCCD has the main agency for dealing with land degradation, soil degradation. In an effort to address the life on land, that's the Sustainable Development Goal 15, Life on Land. Did initiate this land degradation neutrality program, you know, which country parties, you know, have to adopt, developed their country programs and as well to be able to transform, you know, from just theoretical reporting, you know, to something that's practical. So soil care came about in terms of looking at how, you know, these countries could deal with land degradation neutrality. But realizing that soils, since I think 1966, when there was the previous or the last update of soils information, you know, in St. Lucia. And I'm sure for a number of the other Caribbean, you know, islands too. So the project really developed, you know, around that concept, that thinking, you know, that there is a weakness, you know, with our soils. Our soils need to be upgraded and that would be critical to help to implement, you know, the land degradation neutrality. But also to be able to do, you know, other things as the soil care project seeks to create a mechanism for land restoration as well as climate resilient food systems. You know, so that has taken a while. We've gotten, we've used our, the Jeff Global Environment Facility allocations. I think that was Jeff 6 to be able to develop, you know, that project. So each country, I think had to put about maybe a million, a little over a million US dollars. That's the Jeff allocations for each country into that project. So it's a regional project. It's being implemented by the PISLM as that regional mechanism, you know. And last year we had the launching, you know, right here at St. Lucia, at our facilities in Forestry. We had the launching of, you know, that project. So there are a number of components and I'm sure one of the critical components is, you know, looking at our soils, our soils, updating our soils, the maps, the labs and I'm sure, you know, guys will talk about that, you know, in a lot more detail. It's also looking to identify and come up with potential solutions for addressing land degradation. And also for addressing issues of climate change, how to mitigate resilience. But it's also looking at livelihoods and agriculture. Coming up with smart agriculture, what do you do in our mohometums? Smart agriculture to be able to build, you know, resilience to climate change, you know. Great. So over to you, Mr. Geas. Tell us something about you. I heard you, I didn't realize your solution. Yes. Briefly, tell us about yourself. Thank you for having me on the program. It's always a pleasure being in St. Lucia. And it was really reminiscent for me to have the project start in St. Lucia, obviously. You know, where I'm from and making sure that you can contribute back to the country in terms of its own development. My full name is Gea Sudoxi. I am a soil scientist, senior lecturer at the University of the West Indies, faculty of food and agriculture. I also serve at the campus as a deputy dean of outreach in our faculty. And I also serve as a task force member on the PISLM. And it is through that arrangement that I had the opportunity to share with Mr. Donnelly's predecessor, our current minister of agriculture. Some thoughts about soils as a resource and the fact that we have shunned that resource over time and not necessarily paid the kind of attention to it that probably is required where we seek to try to address global threats like food and nutrition security as well as climate change. And it is through that we had this wonderful conversation and we were able to see where in focusing on soils as a central node that we were able to address some of the key concerns under the UNCCD. You know, they have some key indicators that they have to report. And one of those indicators is a very key soil property that is now globally talked about called soil organic carbon content. You know, carbon dioxide, et cetera. So it's a very important property of the soil for many things, particularly in regards to soil health. So soil care was developed around our ability now to better understand our soil resources and to make sure that in understanding those resources that we institutionalize our knowledge and we make sure that we do not do the same thing that we did before. Mr. Donnelly was explaining that the last time we had information on soils was from the 1960s. You know, that is a very long time ago. And that is the information that our farmers are using. That is the information our technocrats are using. That's the information our policymakers are using to make decisions about now. And it certainly does not necessarily give them the best information for decision making. And as such we want to make sure that that never happens again. So that is how soil care really came forward. And we're really looking to guarantee that we have that resource base in a manner that allows for us to continuously benefit. Not only for us, obviously, but for the generations that are following us. Where are we now with this program? When it started off? And you know, when is there an end point to the previous project? Well, I will speak specifically to the component and I'll let them speak a little bit more about the overall project. The university was engaged particularly to deliver on one of the components. The only regional component in the actual project, which is the updating of soils information and strengthening of our capacity to continuously monitor and assess our soils. So we are anticipating that within this particular component, we would complete the exercise of updating our soils probably within the next two years. When I say our soils, not just in Lucia, but the other eight participating countries. So updating all of those within the next two years. And by doing so what we are trying to do is to have an information system available. So all countries will have a platform where they can access their soils information, update their soils information, use it as a see fit. Whether it be for land use planning, whether it be for zoning, whether it be for farmers needing information about their soil at their site. And we also want to ensure in that period of time that all of our countries, and I have to say Saint Lucia is at the forefront running strong, when you compare them to the other countries because Saint Lucia already has the infrastructure, a national diagnostic facility. So our mission on the project is to strengthen that facility to make sure that in Saint Lucia we can continue to provide that very critical service to all of our stakeholders in a meaningful way. Before we move to our break, it's coming soon. When you say, I know there's a survey coming on board, right? What is it that you're going to capture out there? So we have already started and I want to certainly extend my thanks to the ministry and to all the departments that have supported thus far. So what we are going out there doing is that we have already developed a random sampling design that is stratified across Saint Lucia based on land use and soil types. So we already have that and now what we're doing is going across the country picking up those samples. And as we pick up those samples, what we're going to do with them is that we're going to analyze them for a range of properties, including the many things that the farmers interested in, which is the fertility of the soils. But we are also going to expand that to guarantee that we can satisfy international conventions, requirements, but also to provide an opportunity for other ministries to use that same information, whether it be for the environment, whether it be for utilities, et cetera, to know that they have information for doing work that involves our soils. So over the last couple of weeks, we have been on the ground, we have been taking samples. We have probably a mass, probably about 70 to 75 sample points. The whole point because you do for our break. You're watching agriculture to move, stay tuned, we'll be back soon. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Rural Development continues placing heavy emphasis on the concept of food security. It's our prosperity, our future. The crop production unit conducts surveillance and monitoring for trans, boundary pests and diseases of quarantine importance for St. Lucia. It provides technical assistance in the areas of post harvest technology, agro processing and soil and plant tissue diagnosis. The unit facilitates prudent management of agrochemicals and toxic chemicals in an environmentally friendly manner for sustainable development. Soil analysis is also being carried out. Need further assistance on crop production? Contact the Senior Research Officer at 468-5601. Welcome back to the program, Agriculture on the Move, of course, as you have heard. We are discussing soil care and its impact on our food systems in St. Lucia. And of course we have here Mr. Gears, Udoxy from the University of West Indies and also Mr. Donnelly from here, our Chief Forest Officer. I'm very happy to hear where you're going with your survey and the collection of your collect samples as you go around. And to hear of during the break that the farmers that give you all that kind of level of assistance, they will do that because it's a long overview. Farmers are complaining. Our soil fixation is causing issues for our farmers. So production levels are reduced. So they will give you all that assistance that you need. So moving forward, tell us again what it is that you're doing with all the samples you get and how soon you're hoping to end that program. So as we collect the samples, are we going to analyze the samples for a range of properties that are going to be beneficial to many different stakeholders, including our farmers? Once we have collected those, analyzed those soils, collected the information, we are going to develop different maps for the country. So the maps of the properties. So for instance, let's say pH, which is one of the things that farmers are very well aware of noting our history, you know, in our bananas. So what we're going to see is a map of San Nusha that shows the variability of pH across the island. So farmers can see where the pH has changed and how it varies from one location to the next. So they will be able to understand better what is happening at their site and what they will likely have to do if they need to address it. And I will also give for instance our public stakeholders the opportunity to say, okay, there is a need for us to have some intervention for the farmers in this particular area because of what we are seeing here. And that is where we want to go with it. I think very importantly as well is that we also want to guarantee that the access to the information is there. And when I say access, not only to the public stakeholders, but to anybody who wishes for that information. So the platform is going to have a user interface. Well, if a farmer wishes to go and see what that information about this was in the area, they would be able to go and get it on the platform. And that is one of the most important things. Sometimes we have information, but it's not necessarily as accessible to all the persons who may need to use it. From the process, I'm thinking too that, you know, even out of the agriculture sector, that even in the construction industry, I mean soils and soil types are very important to that industry. And I'm not sure how much of that would have been a focus even for the units or the departments who are responsible for that. But I'm certainly sure you know that would be very helpful, you know, to that sector as well. Yeah, I was asking from the forestry standpoint. I heard you talk about land degradation. How does the project, you know, take on that encapsulate that program? Yeah, well, the project has a phase, so right now we're into the phase one. And we're developing a phase two at the moment. We're looking to see, you know, how we could pull in again the resources, you know, from the Jeff star locations. But under the current phase, we've identified areas which we believe have been exposed, you know, to deforestation, loss, you know, of the vegetation that would have, you know, given it, you know, the value, the fertility. And these areas, you know, we believe in a state where that we could look at them. We could analyze and we can, especially after these analyses, you know, with the soil analyses are done, that we can see, you know, describe certain actions that we could take, you know, to help to bring back, you know, the value, the fertility, you know, of these areas. So some of those areas are dry. You'd barely have any vegetation, you know, going there. Now, we had selected, we had some sites around the Choselle area. I think Choselle, we had in around the Ruzu area. We were looking at that site where the Sao Paulo, the Sao Paulo Community College have the agricultural station that's down by Guamivir in January. Yes, in the valley there. So we're looking at a site, you know, just adjacent to that area. And there may be other potential, you know, sites, you know, that we can look at. But we have those general areas as selected, you know, for sites of interventions. So there would be some sampling, you know, of the sites there as well. So besides just going to the physical points, you know, we had these three areas where you take in-depth information, you know, of the soil to be able to help make decisions, some decisions as to what we might need to do, you know, to bring back the vitality. So some of the problems I have sometimes with programs, you have programs starting, you know, there's an end point and you have nothing again. So let me know, tell me, where are we heading? I mean, I'm sure there's, as a first phase, so I'm hoping to a second phase. Well, I mean, definitely that's why I mentioned the soil care phase too. So the soil care phase too is meant to build on that. And the land degradation neutrality program that I mentioned initially. And that is meant to address degradation. So the project is taking that. And to bring it to what we call a transformative phase. So while our now minister, when he was... He initiated that land neutrality, land degradation neutrality program. And we do have, you know, a report of where our targets will be, you know, for that program. So the soil care phase two is looking to transform that into a more practical, you know, state. Also, there are some of the original countries who are not part of the phase one. So they now have a chance and they are coming on board. So they're into the second phase. And some of what we are actually doing in phase one now, they'll be doing, you know, in phase two. So the thing is, and you're quite right, you know, a number of projects that we have... We hear them and they come and the money finishes. And that's it. And that's it, you know. But soil care we're looking to get out of that. If I may. I think one of the very well thought of aspects of soil care is the fact that we wanted to make sure that some of what we are doing was institutionalized. So that we won't ever lose, you know, it wouldn't be a project, but it will be maintained as a program. And I think that is one of the roles that the university took on board. So for instance, with the information system that we want to develop, it is going to be housed in the university. So it doesn't make a difference if I am not there. The information is there. It will always be there. We'll always have a home in the institution because we anticipate it's our original institution. That institution will last. So we will always have that information there as accessible. And one of the other things soil care did is to create networks. So we have, for instance, a laboratory network of all the labs, national soil labs across our region, including our national diagnostic facility. And the essence of that is when you have a network is that you have persons working towards things that they have an interest in. And they will ensure through their own participation that the work continues. So I think we have some entrenched within the project some very good activities that are going to allow for some level of longevity and sustainability of our actions. I'm happy to hear that because I'm speaking the farmers language. And I'm sure you have heard some bizarre stories about officers going out to get soil samples. And up to now they have not gotten the results. We have a diagnostic lab. We're hoping stemming from your intervention, the U.S. intervention, going out and taking your soil samples and creating information for the farmer. What's next? In other words, he knows his soil is high in acidic. He wants to get production. So what is next for the farmer? So let me see if I can answer that question in a very short way, I guess. One of the things we require as well with it is to have the capacity for us to support our stakeholders, particularly our farmers. That means we also need to ensure that our technical persons have the capacity to be able to interpret and provide the necessary information that will support the farmer. So in addition to what soil care already has and what we have said, soil care has a very strong knowledge management capacity building component. Within soil care there are five academic scholarships available to the participants and we are just about to advertise for two. And the essence of it is to continuously build capacity within countries, within the region. In addition to that, we have several trainings that we are organizing, actually upcoming. There is one on the digital soil mapping, so that is upcoming in April. And there will be several others. Once we have the information, we will also train persons to be able to interpret the information so that when they are interacting with our farmers, they have an understanding of this is what we need to indicate to them based on the results that we are seeing. But that doesn't mean as well, and I am a very strong proponent of that. If we can organize to have farmers themselves participate and get the knowledge hands-on. So they will be a training component to that as well for that. Good, good. I think also it will be very important or essential that from a ministerial point of view that there could be some, if it needs to be a policy change or adaptation to be able to work with the farmers because I know you create that expectancy and people would want to see some change in this number of things. Yes, yes, yes. And sometimes you need to have a photo plan of how you could bring that change about. And I think it would be very important for us to be able to use that information and show the farmers that take the lead in bringing about that change that we are expecting to get. I am sure once the information is well passed on to them, I am sure they are yearning to get so that they can see the results in production. They would definitely be satisfied. I was about to end in final words from you. I think I want to follow up on Alwyn's comment there. One of the things also that is very critical for us and some work will be done with Soeke on that is the fact that within our region none of our countries have a policy an instrument that speaks specifically to how we want to manage soil as a resource. I want to say soil, I like to differentiate soil from land. Land we own. But we should not be owning soil. And we have to understand that resources are all of ours and we must think about how we manage it. And I think in doing so we will be able to address some of those concerns. So I think that is an area that we really have to pay attention to. Thank you. Alwyn, I want to thank you for being here. And I wish you all success in that project. And it is long overdue. And I am hoping that the farmers will definitely see some success and some results because all we want to do is to get our food and security secured. That is what you are talking about. Thank you again for being here. Thank you for being here. You have been watching Agricultural in the Move. I remember again agriculture is our business. And Eat Fresh, St. Lucia's Best. I'm Philip Sidney saying goodbye and see you again.