ST. KITTS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PROMOTES ECO-FRIENDLY FARMING SOLUTIONS AT FIELD SEMINAR
(MOA Basseterre, St. Kitts, 12 May 2025):
In a collaborative effort to promote sustainable agriculture, the Department of Agriculture, St. Kitts and Caribbean Chemicals Ltd hosted an impactful field seminar on Thursday, May 8, 2025, at Fahies Estate in Newton Ground. The event welcomed a wide cross-section of local farmers and agricultural stakeholders to explore innovative, environmentally conscious alternatives to conventional farming practices.
Central to the seminar was the introduction of SOCA, a new line of biologically-based, environmentally-friendly agricultural products now available through the Department of Agriculture. This ground-breaking product suite includes Serenade, Organeem, Cyclops, and Aramite, each designed to reduce the dependency on traditional chemical pesticides and support healthier, more sustainable crop production.
Participants received in-depth technical guidance from leading Agronomists from Caribbean Chemicals, including Dr. Kennedy Paul, Technical Sales Agronomist, and Mr. Jesse Jarvis, Product Development Agronomist.
“We are the primary import suppliers for the Department of Agriculture here in St. Kitts and we were just here parting some valuable knowledge on the farmers in the area. We dealt with quite a few topics, we dealt with viruses as it pertains to fighting viruses, viruses that tend to affect our cash crops like tomatoes and beans and other plant diseases that tend to affect papayas and so forth. We also dealt with crop production as it pertains to sweet potatoes, the practices involved in cultivating sweet potatoes as well as controlling major pests of sweet potatoes, which are sealers from the carriers, the sweet potato weevil, and finally we dealt with worm control as it pertains to the cultivation of cabbages, peppers, as well as tomatoes. We went through insecticide-resistant build-up and practices we could use to avert the consequences of insecticide-resistant build-up,” explained Dr. Kennedy Paul
Meanwhile, Mr. Jarvis emphasized the importance of shifting toward safer plant protection methods and emphasized the value of the new products and the importance of sustainable methods.
He said, “We shared insights into new technologies biologically based solution for plant protection now available at the Department of Agriculture in this north westerly region in St. Kitts and the session was a very interactive session it was a much needed session in that we tried to show farmers the benefits and the importance of utilizing a lot more biologically based solutions or even organic solutions where plant protection is concerned and we were successful in terms of bringing together the local farmers in this region to more less see and hear from the Agronomist like myself about these new technologies which goes a long way into yes helping us achieve food security from primary production but also in terms of showing that we look after the environment with the usage of a lot more environmentally safer fitter products.”
One of SOCA’s most notable advantages is its safety for pollinators, particularly bees, which play a crucial role in food production and biodiversity. Additionally, the products are non-toxic to beneficial insects that support crop health, making them ideal for integrated pest management. Unlike conventional chemical pesticides, SOCA leaves no chemical residues on produce, allowing for cleaner, safer food
Ian Chapman, Head of the Crops Program within the Department of Agriculture, highlighted the department’s ongoing efforts to provide safer, organic options to farmers, emphasizing the government’s commitment to food producers and consumer safety:
He explained, “We are stepping in the right direction and moving away from some of these harsh organophosphates and those stuff which are more toxic and harmful for both man and environment. So, the department is making this drive in order to make sure that we provide safer and more environmentally friendly products to our [farmers] well not just our farmers but making sure that the products end results that our consumers consume are safe. We looked at different approaches [used] to ensure that the products that we in terms of implementation or regimes of the implantation schedule or production schedule of our production of crops. So, this is where now we encourage our farmers [because] we had our farmers being taught of the safe application of these products because these products have zero-day harvest interval. You can harvest and it has no pesticide toxicity or residual effect on the consumer.”
The seminar also provided practical demonstrations and implementation schedules to guide farmers in adopting integrated pest management strategies using eco-friendly products throughout the crop cycle—from planting to harvest.