 Small machineries among the innovations that could be critical to St. Lucia's food security as autonomous farming promises to produce more crops with less effort and less environmental impact. Farmers, extension officers as well as students recently completed a small machinery training as part of the latest feat of the second phase of the enhancement of the efficiency of the production distribution supply chain in the fruits and vegetables sector project also known as the Seven Crops project. Participants learned how to operate tillers and bankers to perform primary and secondary tillage for vegetable farming. Project coordinator for the Seven Crops project Adeline Nunovic says the training is in preparation for the shipment of small machinery due to arrive later this year as the ministry works towards adapting to farm mechanization. In the past we've had several machines that we have received but when it comes to maintenance and how to operate the machines properly it becomes an issue so we have some young farmers today and also some school children and extension officers as well who are receiving first-hand training in how to use these machines the proper use of the machines so that when these machines arrive we would have had that done already so it could move smoothly into operations. Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Rural Development, Honourable Alfred Prosper says the introduction of small mechanization particularly labour saving agricultural technology is aimed at making the agriculture sector more appealing to the youth. He notes that farm mechanization not only saves time and energy but it is also more efficient and can contribute significantly to the development of value chains. I've always said that we have to change the way things are done in the sector. Farmers have been complaining of the unavailability of agricultural or farm labour to be exact and given the whole process of food security it is time that we, our farmers, change the way things are done all in an effort to reduce the cost of production. Farm machinery is one new technology that I think is very very close and really very important because it drastically reduces the cost of production. The small machinery that you see there will reduce the cost of maybe if you have to use manual labour. What is happening with the small machinery there would probably be done in one hour if we have taken four days for one worker to do. That is generally going to be reducing the cost of production of the farmers and I think that will be a cost of farmers scheme going to be a lot more. Minister Prosper encourages farmers to adopt sustainable agricultural mechanization methods as the agriculture ministry leads efforts to address the interconnected challenges of livelihoods and food security. From the communications unit of the ministry of agriculture I am Anisia Antoine reporting.