SOCIAL SECTOR INVESTMENT PROGRAMME
38
SUSTAINING GROWTH, SECURING PROSPERITY
CHAPTER 3: NATIONAL SOCIAL SITUATION
• Charlieville Government Primary School
• Pleasantville
Government
Primary
School
• Mayo R.C. Primary School
• Santa Rosa Government Primary School
• Continued involvement in the International
Development Research Centre (IDRC)
CARICOM Food Security 2011-2014 Project.
Through this undertaking:
• Food Safety Training and Bulk Food
Production Training was conducted for
the staff of the school Feeding Kitchen,
St. Kitts (January 2013);
• Recipe testing and standardisation
and nutrient analyses of menu cycles
occurred.
• Engaged
in
collaborative
work
with
NAMDEVCO to develop and implement a
monitoring system with registered farms
aimed at further increasing the use of local
produce to the SNP;
• Launched an initiative with the Ministry of
Tertiary Education, Science and Technology
through which OJTs will have access to SNP
kitchens to develop and hone their skills in
culinary arts (January 2013);
• Facilitated the placement of OJT and Multi-
sector Skills Training (MUST) trainees at
SNP kitchens.
3. L
INKAGES WITH
A
GRICULTURE
AND OTHER
P
RODUCTIVE
S
ECTORS
In order to encourage innovation and
competitiveness,
and
facilitate
a
more
sustainable and expanding agri-business sector,
the GoRTT recognised that it was imperative to
create linkages between agricultural and other
productive sectors. To this end, Government
funded the Trinidad and Tobago Agribusiness
Association (TTABA) to develop new products.
Several new products have been launched for
public consumption in 2012, inclusive of plantain
whole-wheat bread; sweet potatoes multigrain
bread; coconut water and cassava fries.
4. A
GRICULTURAL
L
ABOUR
Labour shortage continues to be a key challenge
for the agricultural sector. In this regard, theMFP
has implemented a number of programmes
aimed at training a cadre of agricultural
labourers:
Under theUnemploymentRelief Program(URP),
40 workers were trained in vegetable and root
crop production, hydroponics cultivation and
landscaping; 165 workers were also recruited
and trained in the harvesting of cocoa by the
Community Based Environment Protection
and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP).
Additionally, under the Agriculture Now (URP)
Retraining Programme, whichwas first launched
as a pilot project in November 2011, a total of 361
persons have been trained since its inception.
Tobuildandstrengthencapacityamong farmers,
26 persons were trained in the programme
‘Strengthening
and
Building
Farmers
Organisation,’ which focused on increasing the
competencies of farmers in the production
of selected commodities. Recognising that
the training of farmers is essential to improve
efficiency and productivity at the farm level, 146
training courses were conducted specifically for
farmers.
The Ministry also continued to provide farmers,
potential farmers, communities, youth and
other interested persons, with information and
training on various aspects of agriculture. For
the period 2010-2011, the MFP conducted a
total of 118 training courses reaching 2,375
individuals at various Farmers’ Training Centres
and outreach venues throughout the country.
For 2011-2012, a total of 41 training courses were
conducted reaching 839 persons. Additionally,
approximately 452 persons were trained via
the Mobile Outreach Unit of the MFP, and 141
participants fromYouth and Community Groups
were exposed to various outreach courses.
Killed pool of labour for private farms, training
and working on Government Stations; routine
work on Government Stations and minor
maintenance of the Ministry’s infrastructure.
