ARD Agricultural Planner Keith Owen presented a detailed outline to
Minister of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry and Fisheries Hon. Gregory
Bowen on Wednesday (July 5) at the ARD Board Room.
An Enterprise Database, a Farm Planning Module and a Loan Processing
Facility comprise the new information and evaluation tools that will
help to increase efficiency and production through better planning, as
well as assist stakeholders in developing strategies, programmes and
work plans that help support and promote further growth of the sector.
“I am appreciative of the work of the ARD in developing these facilities,” Minister Bowen said.
The Minister said the current Workshops for Extension Officer Trainees should address these new initiatives.
“By the end of the two year programme, I envision that all of the 90
individuals being trained will know how to use the system,” the
Minister said.
ARD Agricultural Planner Keith Owen, in presenting the details for
the Minister, explained the logic in developing the Enterprise
Database, the Farm Planning Module and the Loan Processing Facility.
“We need to change the approach we take to agriculture; it is time
we started treating the industry more as a business,” Mr. Owen said.
The Enterprise Database, which has been set up in the Ministry, is a
central location for compiling information from Extension Officers
about crop yields, frequency of planting, planting technique and other
information gleaned from farmers about their particular operations. The
Database contains research information pertaining to farmer needs,
which can help to determine future research requirements.
The Farm Planning Module draws on the Enterprise Database and helps
generate Business Plans for specific farms and crops, as well enabling
national planning in order to provide valuable information on future
marketing requirements, labour, planting materials and other inputs in
order to support the sector.
The Loan Processing Facility, which will be used to implement the
Agricultural Enterprise Development Programme, is designed to establish
suitable loan scheduling to suit the needs of various farming
enterprises, and may also help to encourage integration of the commercial banking sector into the process.