The leadership of the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS) has made public the upcoming retirement of its long-serving Chief Executive Officer James Paul, with his final day in office set for September 1. The official confirmation of Paul’s departure was delivered publicly this past Wednesday by Henderson Williams, the current president of the organization.
Over his tenure leading the society, Paul built a well-earned reputation as a dedicated and influential figure in Barbados’ agricultural landscape, with prior experience as a sitting member of the country’s parliament giving him a unique platform to advance sector priorities. Throughout his career, he has been a consistent and vocal champion for three cornerstone issues that are critical to Barbados’ food sovereignty and rural development: scaling up local domestic food production, strengthening national food security frameworks, and safeguarding valuable agricultural lands from overdevelopment and misuse.
Beyond his policy advocacy, one of Paul’s most enduring legacies highlighted by the BAS is his instrumental role in founding and launching Agrofest, the annual agricultural showcase that has become a staple event for connecting local producers with consumers, promoting Barbadian agribusiness, and raising public awareness of the sector’s economic and cultural importance. As Paul prepares to step away from his executive role, the society has publicly acknowledged the profound impact of his decades of work shaping Barbados’ agricultural policy and community.