By Karishma Matthew,
Government Information Service
Practitioners of organic and conventional farming, as well as persons interested in sustainable agricultural practices and soil management with an emphasis on organic nutrient techniques are expected to benefit from a lecture and series of workshop on soil management and compost technologies, next week.
The workshop which will run from Monday July 18th, to Friday July 22, 2011 is being organized by the Dominica Organic Agriculture Movement Inc. (DOAM) and the Florida Association of Volunteer Action in the Caribbean and the Americas (FAVACA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
DOAM’S President, Olu Obonyo, said that one of the primary objectives of this initiative is to train participants in the techniques of soil nutrient management for tropical organic crop production systems and to provide intensive technical training at composting sites with the potential to lead a composting industry.
 DOAM’S President,
Olu Obonyo
“I also must mention that we are looking (this series of workshops are being done through VIO) to setting a composting industry so that the actual locations of the workshops are at areas where you really want to have composting being done: Bellevue Chopin, La Plaine, Castle Bruce and Calibishie. We intend to do some composting down there.”
Topics to be covered during the workshops are: basic principles on compost technology, measurement of compost, and physical and chemical parameters, to name a few.
Mr. Obonyo is hoping that interested persons, especially farmers who are moving from traditional to organic agriculture, will take advantage of these training workshops.
“The way it works is that paid up members of DOAM will get in free of charge. So if you are a DOAM member and you have not paid your membership fees, you are encouraged to do so and if you are not a DOAM member, you will have to pay EC$30.00 if you an individual and you will get in. That is tied in with membership of DOAM. Essentially, it is free (for paid DOAM members) and also lunch is provided; it is included in the $30.00.”
The lecture and workshops will be presented by Dr. Fitzpatrick and Dr. Lamberts.
“Dr. John Fitzpatrick is a professor of environmental and horticulture at the University of Florida. He is a member of the University of Florida faculty since 1976 and he teaches courses in palm production and aviculture, composting technology and other horticulture products. Dr. Mary Lambert, who happens to be his wife, is a horticulture extension agent at the University of Florida Cooperative Extension. She also is not very new to Dominica. She was in Dominica in 2008 as part of the Caribbean Trade Expansion Project and she also visited in 2009 as part of the WIBDECO/WINFRESH project.”
The week of activities will begin with a public lecture on ‘Soil Management for Organic Farming’ presented by Dr. George Fitzpatrick.
The lecture is expected to begin at 7.30pm.
Workshops will begin at 9.00 am daily and will be held at four locations across the island namely the Bellevue Chopin Tourist Information Centre, the Calibishie Government School, the Castle Bruce sports complex and the La Plaine Agriculture Centre. |
