Minister of Agriculture and Lands, Roger Clarke, is urging farmers to practise sustainable environmental habits on lands that are prone to flooding.

Minister Clarke, who was addressing a Food and Agriculture Organization-(FAO) sponsored workshop on the improvement of agricultural preparedness in Caribbean countries proned to hydro-meteorological disasters (hurricanes, floods, droughts) recently at the Hotel Four Seasons, in St. Andrew, said that preventing loss of farm crops through prudent environmental stewardship was the first step to mitigating the effects of natural disasters.

Get back to the basics

"We need to get back to basic things. What we have been experiencing over the last few years is a direct result of what we have done to the environment. We are cutting down trees and doing malpractices on the hillsides," he pointed out.

Noting that these unsustainable agricultural practices were widespread, Minister Clarke said, "I have gone into the hills of the Blue Mountains and these are large farmers doing coffee and they have gone through and denuded the hillsides planting coffee. After a while, the coffee moves off the hills and down into the valleys."

Minister Clarke pointed out that while compensation was important in the event of unforeseen losses, it was important to exercise prevention through good agricultural practices.

He further urged farmers to make use of the technical advice provided by the extension officers of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), noting that the failure of farmers to accept advice was the main drawback to prevention efforts.