Caribbean AgTech Investment Opportunities

| DOMINICA INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Caribbean AgTech Investment Summit, 2021

and crop production while at the same time addressing the growing environmental concerns related to improper management of biodegradable material. Consultation with players in the organic sector (CARDI, 2001) has led to the conclusion that one of the major constraints to the development of a viable organic industry is the uncertainty of the availability of organic fertilizers and natural crop protection products. As such, it is recognized that if an alternative andmore naturally inclined agriculture system of production is to be competitive, it must largely produce these input products preferably within the countries themselves, but certainly within the Caribbean region. Among the many goals that now drive the interest in low input sustainable agriculture, two stand out: profitable and productive farming; and protection of resources and environmental quality. Companion objectives include ensuring safe and nutritious food supplies and reducing health risks to farmworkers. However, the economic rationale for low-input sustainable farming has other roots. Farmers remain concerned about the rising costs and uncertain availability of pesticides and fertilizers based on the growing cost of petroleumproducts with an assumed absolute shortage of mineral P fertilizer. This project will thus streamline the management of biodegradable waste to create an array of appropriate and affordable soil amendments using applicable technology. The project will establish a standard operating procedure; introduce a consolidation system for organic wastes produced from various operations and develop alternative agricultural inputs (compost teas, botanical sprays, bio-pesticides) and high quality affordable compost for sustainable agriculture. Estimated Investment Cost: US$856,000 Mode of Investment: Partnership and Joint venture Email: psagriculture@dominica.gov.dm Website: agriculture.gov.dm

Development of Alternative Agriculture Inputs and Composting Technologies Ministry of Blue and Green Economy Agriculture and National Food Security Public Sector Dominica’s agricultural productive base has seen a prolonged and moderate use of agrichemicals stemming from the banana era. Though Dominica fertilizer consumption fluctuated substantially in recent years, it tended to decrease through 1999 - 2018 period ending at 21.9 kilograms per hectare in 2018 (FAO, 2018). This prolonged and questionable indiscriminate use has led to adverse on- and off farm effects such as soil erosion, depletion of natural soil fertility, soil acidification, and loss of wildlife habitats. Despite efforts to curb erosion, loss of topsoil persists in lessening the productivity of farmland and causing sedimentation and other runoff problems. Moreover the conventional approach and agriculture’s reliance on synthetic chemical fertilizers and pesticides has caused or aggravated many environmental problems such as indiscriminate disposal of pesticide containers. Hence there is a trend away from conventional agriculture toward alternative farming practices. With an ever increasing generation of organic waste materials, these resources need to be recycled back to tropical soils in order to increase farm productivity

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