Campbell calls for youth in agriculture pipeline

Dr. Dayton Campbell, the Opposition Spokesman on Agriculture and Fisheries and Member of Parliament for Westmoreland Eastern, has called for Jamaica to establish a clear and structured youth in agriculture pipeline. Campbell believes this initiative is crucial for the future of the sector.

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That pipeline should begin in our schools and continue through training, land access, financing, business development, and market opportunities.

Campbell outlined that this pipeline should commence in schools, providing practical agricultural learning experiences. He suggested that high schools should offer opportunities such as school gardens, greenhouses, hydroponics, livestock projects, or agro-processing. "Agriculture must be experienced, not simply studied," Campbell stated, emphasizing that students should be involved in planting, managing, harvesting, processing, marketing, and evaluating agricultural products.

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Agriculture must be experienced, not simply studied. Students should have opportunities to plant, manage, harvest, process, market, and evaluate agricultural products as part of their learning experience.

Furthermore, Campbell advocated for repositioning agricultural science as a dynamic field that extends beyond traditional cultivation. He highlighted its modern components, including technology, science, engineering, entrepreneurship, climate resilience, logistics, and food processing. "We must ensure that young people see agriculture as a sector of innovation, opportunity, and professional growth," he urged, aiming to attract youth to the sector.

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It encompasses technology, science, engineering, entrepreneurship, climate resilience, logistics, and food processing.

The Opposition Spokesman also stressed the importance of providing young farmers with better access to land and financing. He called for a transparent framework to connect trained young farmers with suitable public and underutilized lands through lease arrangements. Additionally, he argued for greater access to affordable financing, grants, and equipment support, asserting that "talent, commitment, and innovation should determine opportunity, not whether a young person was born with land, collateral, or inherited resources."

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We must ensure that young people see agriculture as a sector of innovation, opportunity, and professional growth.