标签： Barbados

For years, conventional wisdom has held that young people across Barbados have turned their backs on agriculture, writing off the sector as an unappealing career path. But the island nation’s top agricultural official is pushing back against that long-held narrative, revealing that months of on-the-ground engagement with producers and educators have uncovered a hidden truth: a growing cohort of young Barbadians are eager to build sustainable careers in farming, if only given clear pathways and structured support to thrive.

Delivering remarks at the “Looking Forward: Agriculture 2030” colloquium hosted by Barbados’ Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Nutritional Security on Monday, Agriculture Minister Dr. Shantal Munro-Knight called the idea of widespread youth apathy toward agriculture an outright myth. “We have young people every single year who are doing courses at BCC, SJPI and the University of the West Indies. You want to tell me that young people are not interested? Those courses are there,” she told attendees, pointing to consistent enrollment in agricultural training programs across the country’s post-secondary institutions as tangible proof of unmet demand.

During her months of one-on-one and group meetings with working farmers across the country, the minister said she encountered numerous examples of young producers already building successful operations, naming onion farmer Shimon Agard as a standout example of the untapped potential waiting to be unlocked across the sector. “Young people are interested in agriculture. What is lacking is the strategic pathway for how we provide opportunities for them,” she emphasized.

To address that gap, Dr. Munro-Knight announced that expanding access to opportunity for young entrants will be a core pillar of the ministry’s ongoing agricultural transformation agenda. A suite of new and expanded initiatives is already in development, starting with a scaled-up national internship program designed to give agricultural students from Barbados Community College, Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology, and the University of the West Indies hands-on professional experience across all ministry departments and regulatory agencies. The minister has personally committed to opening the program to every eligible student who wishes to participate, guaranteeing a placement for all interested candidates.

Additional planned programs include a nationwide summer camp focused on introducing teenage youth to farming, agribusiness management, agricultural science, and modern agritech, alongside deeper partnerships with primary and secondary schools to build a culture of agricultural entrepreneurship from an early age. Existing school greenhouses will be redeveloped into hands-on learning hubs, where students will not only grow crops but also manage the full commercial lifecycle of their produce, retaining all revenue from sales to embed practical agribusiness skills within a working student-led model.

Beyond structural support for new farmers, the minister argued that reconnecting young Barbadians to agriculture requires a national shift in public attitudes toward the sector. “I don’t believe that the average Barbadian has really connected with the value of agriculture,” she said, noting that a public outreach campaign focused on winning “hearts and minds” will be a key component of the strategy to reframe agriculture as a valuable, dynamic career path for young people.

James Paul, chief executive of the Barbados Agricultural Society and the leading spokesperson for the country’s farming community, threw his support behind the minister’s agenda, but called for deeper, long-term commitment beyond preliminary outreach. Paul warned that efforts to attract young people to agriculture have too often been treated as a symbolic showpiece rather than a core policy priority, arguing that sustained systemic support is required to help new farmers build lasting, profitable operations. “We need to [ensure]… that we have systems in place to support them so that those do not fail and sometimes send a negative message to persons who want to invest in the sector too,” he explained.

For Dr. Munro-Knight, the work of nurturing the next generation of Barbadian farmers is about far more than expanding career opportunities: it is a critical investment in the country’s long-term food security and agricultural resilience. By shifting public perceptions, opening clear pathways to entry, and building robust support systems, the ministry aims to turn growing youth interest into a stronger, more sustainable agricultural sector for all Barbadians.

Barbados’ House of Assembly has approved a landmark piece of legislation that will transfer ownership of 224 state-constructed residential properties directly to long-term tenant families, marking the second major phase of a national initiative to turn decades of rental occupancy into full outright home ownership. This latest approval pushes the total number of properties transferred under the programme to 428 within just three months, dramatically accelerating a policy push designed to deliver tangible wealth to ordinary households across the country.

Officially titled the State Acquisition and Vesting of Property Number 2 Bill, the legislation paves the way for title transfers for homes spread across seven residential estates: Eden Lodge, Haynesville, Silver Hill, Deacons Farm, Bonnetts, Grazettes and Wotton. According to Housing Minister Chris Gibbs, this round of transfers will mark the first time residents in areas including Eden Lodge have received formal legal titles to the homes they have occupied for generations.

The first round of the current accelerated programme, concluded three months prior, transferred ownership of 204 state homes. Combined with this latest batch of 224, the government has moved more than 400 properties into private hands in a single quarter – a pace that Minister Gibbs says outstrips the slow progress of earlier policy efforts.

Minister Gibbs framed the new legislation as a cornerstone of the government’s commitment to advancing social equity and building lasting intergenerational wealth for Barbadian families. Unlike prior efforts that relied on slow, convoluted administrative processes, the current programme leverages existing constitutional powers to acquire the properties for public benefit and transfer titles directly to eligible residents, cutting through the bureaucratic red tape that delayed past initiatives.

“This reaffirms the government’s unwavering commitment to place property ownership into the hands of ordinary Barbadians,” Gibbs told the legislative chamber during debate. “Because of this government, housing policy does not end when we build a house. Housing policy is complete when a family owns its home.”

Gibbs drew a clear contrast between the current administration’s progress and the 2013 Tenanties Transfer of Terraced Units Act, which saw only 597 home transfers completed over the course of 12 years between 2013 and 2025. The current programme has nearly matched that 12-year total in just three months, a shift Gibbs calls a testament to the government’s innovative, people-centered approach to policy.

“In three months, we’ve reduced that backlog,” Gibbs said. “This administration, this government is about innovative ways to further our agenda to help people, to empower people in this country. We’ve found ways to empower people, and this is but another way to do so, simple but transformational.”

To address ongoing concerns raised by residents and community stakeholders about public infrastructure and neighboring property rights, the legislation includes explicit protections for community interests. It preserves public access rights to common areas, protects utility corridors and legal easements, and upholds the residential zoning of the affected areas while safeguarding the property rights of adjacent landowners.

The National Housing Corporation will also provide transitional support to new homeowners as they make the shift from renting to owning, including guidance on routine property maintenance and navigating residential insurance requirements, Gibbs confirmed. He extended recognition to public servants across the Land Registry, the Land and Surveys Department, and the National Housing Corporation for their work verifying resident eligibility and processing the hundreds of new title documents.

Minister Gibbs added that the government stands ready to introduce a third phase of the programme if needed, to ensure that every eligible resident across the country has the opportunity to gain ownership of their long-term occupied home.

“Every title we transfer is another Barbadian family moving from tenancy to ownership, from uncertainty to security, from shelter to wealth,” Gibbs said. “Governments are remembered for the buildings that they construct, but the truly transformative governments are remembered for the assets that they place in the hands of their people.”

Law enforcement authorities in Barbados are turning to the community for help in tracing a missing teenager who has not been seen for nearly a week. Kemera Murray, a 13-year-old resident of Blackman Field in The Pine, St Michael, was last reported seen on Monday, June 29, and has not made contact with family or friends since that date.

Authorities have released a detailed description of the missing teen to help members of the public identify her. Standing approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall with a slim build and dark complexion, Kemera was last spotted wearing a distinctive blue crew-neck T-shirt printed with a bear graphic on the front, paired with dark blue cargo shorts and brown-and-gold slide sandals. Police also confirmed that the teenager is known to regularly visit two areas in the neighboring parish of Christ Church: the coastal district of Oistins and the residential neighborhood of Sayers Court.

In their official public appeal, law enforcement officials are urging any resident or visitor who may have seen Kemera since June 29, or who holds any information that could lead to her safe location, to contact authorities immediately. Multiple tip lines have been opened to accept information: the main District ‘A’ Police Station can be reached at 430-7242 or 430-7246, the 24/7 national police emergency line is available at 211, anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477, and information can also be provided in person at any local police station across the island.

Two leading Barbadian fishing industry associations have issued an urgent plea to the national government for targeted interventions to fix crumbling infrastructure, update outdated equipment, and implement internal pricing reforms, as mounting challenges threaten the sustainability of the sector and drive up consumer costs for fresh seafood. The heads of both the Oistins Fisherfolk Association and the Paynes Bay Fisherfolk Association outlined overlapping and unique challenges facing their coastal communities during recent discussions with government officials, calling for swift action to protect livelihoods and make fish accessible to local consumers.

Neil Cougar Bourne, president of the Oistins Fisherfolk Association, opened with a breakdown of the critical utility failures plaguing the iconic Berinda Cox Fish Market that have brought daily operations and vessel maintenance to a standstill. The jetty that serves as the hub for the market currently lacks access to consistent electricity and running water, forcing fishers to improvise solutions for even basic tasks like repairing damaged vessels. “Our challenge is clear: we need power restored to the jetty, we need upgraded utility lines run out to the docking area, and at minimum we need functional 220-volt plugs for work,” Bourne explained. “If a fishing vessel needs emergency repairs and a mechanic comes out, we can’t do the work without power right at the dock.”

According to Bourne, the issue was raised directly during a recent meeting with a government minister, who has committed to conducting an on-site inspection of the facility to assess the full scope of repairs needed. Beyond restoring basic utilities, Bourne emphasized the urgent need for climate-resilient infrastructure upgrades, after severe tropical weather destroyed three on-site storage structures in recent years. To avoid repeated losses, he proposed constructing a collapsible diesel storage station that can be moved or disassembled ahead of major storm events, rather than rebuilding permanent structures that are vulnerable to damage.

The Oistins market also faces a critical disruption to its cold supply chain from a broken commercial ice machine. While a smaller backup unit remains operational, it only produces enough ice to keep catches fresh on fishing vessels, leaving onshore vendors without the stock they need to preserve product for consumers. When addressing growing calls from some fishers to extend natural gas fuel lines directly to the jetty, Bourne urged careful consideration, warning that the plan carries unacceptable safety risks. He noted that natural gas is far more flammable than the diesel currently used, and the prevalence of smoking among many fishers creates a major hazard for explosions or fires at the docking area.

Bourne also raised a longer-term challenge facing the entire industry: attracting and training younger generations of fishers, while avoiding overreliance on digital navigation tools. Reflecting on his own early career, when he mastered traditional open-sea navigation techniques before GPS became widespread, he warned that young fishers who depend entirely on technology put themselves at severe risk if their equipment fails far from shore.

On the island’s West Coast, the Paynes Bay Fisherfolk Association is grappling with its own set of economic and infrastructural challenges, which association president Eulene Haynes says cannot be blamed solely on annual hurricane season disruptions to supply. Haynes pointed to a shrinking active fishing fleet, widespread ice shortages, and inflated retail prices that are pushing local consumers away from buying fresh seafood. “Barbadians are traditional fish eaters – we love our fish, and people want to buy it locally,” Haynes explained. “But the constant high prices keep turning people away, even when they want to purchase.”

Haynes added that unregulated pricing practices among some vendors worsen the issue, with many failing to pass lower costs onto consumers when there is a surplus of fresh catch. “When we have a glut of fish and wholesale prices drop, some vendors keep their retail prices artificially high, so the savings never reach the consumer,” she said. Beyond pricing reform, Haynes is calling for government support to redevelop underused public space in Paynes Bay, specifically clearing out a long-abandoned bar on association land to repurpose it for community and commercial use.

She noted that Paynes Bay holds important historical significance as the original hub of Barbados’ popular fish fry culture, decades before the Oistins market grew to national prominence. Haynes hopes that redeveloping the vacant space will allow the community to revive the vibrant nightly fish fry economy that once drew locals and tourists alike, boosting incomes for local fishers and vendors. “We started this tradition here – long before Oistins became the go-to spot, we had dozens of small huts and a thriving night scene,” Haynes said. “We want to reclaim this space, bring back our weekly night markets, and redevelop the area for the next generation.”