Today we visited the National Foodcrop Farmers Association (NFFA), high in the mountains of Cauro Valley, where the President of NFFA showed us his paw paw trees. Terrance showed us the two different kinds of trees, the female and hermaphrodite, that he has on his small farm. These plants are genetically modified as seeds, so they do not need a male plant in the area to pollinate the other trees. He also told us how one of the biggest downfalls in this country is the lack of youth involved in agriculture. That is why he is constantly advocating and trying to make sure it is implicated in the youth of Trinidad.
Seeing how proud the farmers are of their small fruit farms, really makes you appreciate the food that they produce and we eat. Terrance also showed us some of his pumpkins, and how the agouti are the biggest pest for this crop. Unlike the other farm we had visited, the African black snails are not yet a problem up in the mountains, the other pests for the paw paw are the usual mites and worms. One of the most important things he highlighted on was how he wishes there were an agronomist in every county in Trinidad. Due to the lack of agronomists here, if they don’t have the necessary technology to look up what to use on their crops, they are spending way much for the chemicals needed to keep their plants healthy. He would also like to see the policy change for the right to land.