At this week’s pre-cabinet briefing, Minister of Agriculture Alfred Prospere expressed concerns about the shortage of farm workers on the island.
According to the minister, local farmers report difficulties in securing enough labour to manage their daily operations—an issue he believes is worsened by the declining presence of young people in agriculture.
Sharing an interaction with a local farmer, Prospere said, “Farmers are saying they are not getting the labour support that once existed. There is a farmer in Soufriere with 30 acres of good agricultural land, but he may have to leave the sector because he needs about 20 workers and is only able to get three or four.”
The minister noted that while some young people have shown interest in the sector, a lack of long-term involvement may be contributing to the labour shortage.
“I don’t know what has happened to some of our young people, but they do not seem attracted to providing farm labour,” he added.
Prospere referenced the Youth in Agriculture program, aimed at engaging local youth in the farming industry, but he admitted the initiative has not been successful.
“We actually engaged a number of young people in the south, and if you drive down to see those massive greenhouses that were assigned to a few young people, they only stayed for about a year or two before abandoning the project. I think it is because their concern was financial support, but I do not think that was the case. We had an arrangement with a particular bank to provide the support, but [the young farmers] just eventually left, and now we are upgrading those greenhouses to lease to other farmers,” Prospere explained.
To address the labour shortage, the minister revealed that it has been suggested that Saint Lucia import farm workers. However, he has reservations about this approach.
“ I know if that happens in Saint Lucia, there are political implications to be considered, the first thing that will be said is that the government of Saint Lucia is actually importing farm labour into Saint Lucia and it is creating further problems for the unemployed young men in the country,” he said.
While other countries, like Dominica, have turned to importing labour from places like Haiti, Prospere hopes Saint Lucia can avoid this. “I wish we would not have to go that way because we have so many young men who are available, who are unemployed, but they seem not to be interested,” he remarked.
Prospere believes introducing technological components to agriculture may attract more youth.
“There are a number of young people that, since I became the Minister of Agriculture, they are [showing] interest in agriculture… but I believe there is something that has to happen to get them [involved]—and I believe it’s new technology and innovation,” he said.
The minister’s long-term concern is the impact this shortage could have on the island’s food security.
“It is a concern for the government and should be a concern for every Saint Lucian because if we do not get young people in agriculture, the older folks who have been there for 40 and 50 years, they are on their way out. We are going to have a serious gap and it’s going to make more problems for us in terms of our food import bill and food security,” he warned.
