Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Investing in Agriculture
‘Terrance’ is a young "Vincy" agri-
preneur. He comes from a farming
background, producing fruits and vegetables for sale to hotels
promoting a wider
appreciation of and restaurants. He has ten years of experience in installing
information and greenhouses for other farmers. He has a vision of becoming a
knowledge successfully entrepreneur; his plan- invest in his own
management for greenhouses.
agricultural
development Using his acquired expertise in greenhouses, ‘Terrance’ started off in
generally and 1997 with three greenhouses specializing in three crops- sweet peppers,
specifically, lettuce and tomatoes. The market was growing and he maximized the
support for the enabling environment; government policy promoted diversification and
IICA/CTA modernization; and financial, technical and business support that
MEAgrISys project matched his growing needs. As his business grew, expansion was
inevitable. Terrance needed additional financing to purchase more
greenhouses. While the financing was being negotiated, he did not wait!
He used his own resources and invested in used greenhouses, increasing
#6, 2008
from three to eleven in about seven years.
Research and
Preparation: His initial investment of his ‘time, treasure and talents’ paid off! His
Naitram Ramnanan carefully planned efforts for success included thorough preparation by
CaRAPN Member educating himself in greenhouse technology; taking risks through his
initial investments in greenhouses; matching his technical know-how
Concept, Artwork, with business sense through systemized farm management practices and
Editing: outsourcing services where appropriate, such as, land preparation
Diana Francis
Trade Policies and
services. Now, in 2008, he has 28 greenhouses with an additional range
Negotiations Programme of crops, which now includes red and yellow sweet peppers, cucumbers
IICA Caribbean Region and cabbage that made him even more sought after in the market place.
But, he did not do this all alone! He was able to secure one essential
partner – a micro-financing institution whose mission is to support the
Financed by: growth of a vibrant micro and small enterprises by providing client-
Technical Centre driven services. Terrance and his micro-financier took the ultimate
for Agricultural and plunge– they invested in agriculture and by extension St. Vincent and the
Rural Cooperation
(CTA –ACP)
Grenadines together.
What are some benefits to investing in What are some key information needs to
agriculture? support these investment decisions?
Increased output leading to higher Trends in consumer demands for market-
availability of fresh local food products based products to allow agri-businesses to
with positive impacts on stability of food make the necessary timely adaptations ;
supplies, prices and food and nutrition Research and Development in production
security. technologies to ensure access and use of
Reduced unemployment, especially among most efficient and competitive processes;
vulnerable groups both directly in Product-specific cost of production and
agriculture and from downstream and marketing vis-à-vis competitors to ensure
service industry. capacity to maintain market presence and
Development of rural areas, enhancing the generate returns to investments;
lives and livelihoods of rural peoples and Details on service providers both in the
reducing the tendency to relocate into public and private sectors that will allow
urban areas in search of perceived better individual businesses to grow and proper
prospects. by accessing them.
Arguably the most important factor in creating the right environment for investment in
agriculture is a general positive attitude to business in general and also agriculture in
particular. This must start in the school from a very early age. School gardens and programmes
like junior achievement should an integral part of any school curricula.
The right INFORMATION, provided to the right people, at the right time and used
in the right manner, can stimulate INVESTMENTS.
Investment opportunities exist in virtually all aspects of the agri-food value chain, such as:
Pre-Production Services: from soil testing and land suitability assessment, land preparation,
environmental friendly inputs and planting material, etc;
Production and Post Production Services: from technical advice in fertility management,
pest and disease control and other areas of crop husbandry, marketing and value adding;
Production: an ever-growing range of fresh and processed products that are in high demand;
Marketing and Distribution: specialized supply chain and business management services etc.
Pg.3
“Never believe that a few caring people
Information can’t change the world. For indeed that’s all
who ever have”
and the Agricultural Margaret Mead, Source: Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneur’s Soul
Pg.4
……. an information learning process for a difference!
Information binds all of us in the agricultural development process.
We all play a role in providing key pieces to fill the agriculture
information puzzle. Building that puzzle takes partnerships!
MEAgrISys is>
. . . a project on “Building a Monitoring and
The Bottom-Line…Absolutely!
Evaluation Agricultural Information System” “The competitiveness of the United States in many
managed by IICA and the CTA to strengthen the commodities has stemmed from its large
quality of information generated by and used for investment in agricultural education, research,
decision making in agriculture. and extension. As the priority of these activities
MEAgrISys development philosophy is that> diminishes, so too will the competitiveness of the
. . . agriculture has evolved “beyond the farm, agricultural sector”. from Impacts of globalization on
agricultural competitiveness: The case of NAFTA, Journal of
food and rural areas”; Agricultural and Applied Economics, Aug 2002 by Kennedy, P
. . . development must be built on principles of Lynn, Rosson, C Parr III.
‘full participation, integration and
sustainability”; Information is central to agricultural education,
. . . information must evolve beyond statistical research and extension. Hence investing in
economic indicators”. information systems that support and help to
sustain the benefits from investments in these
MEAgrISys originated from> areas is a must for agriculture. A critical area for
. . . a hemispheric wide process in 2001 that agriculture in the Caribbean is investment in
recognized agriculture as of strategic importance human capital through ‘entrepreneurship’.
to sustainable development and took a political Effective entrepreneurs internalize all types of
decision to include it on the agenda of the Summit information from all types of sources to start a
of the Americas. In 2003 Caribbean Heads of State business, access markets and maintain their
and Government and Ministers of Agriculture presence in the ‘value chain’.
endorsed actions towards improving agriculture
and rural life, including the development of an Just like the Vincy greenhouse entrepreneur, many
information system to facilitate the process and of us have ideas and have access to information
follow-up on progress. that can be used to convert the ideas into viable
business. However, for many of us, information on
MEAgrISys is built on three pillars> investment options and tools is not so common.
. . . Expectations of leading social partners that Information systems that can efficiently provide
express the opinions of their peers on progress and that type of intelligence tailored meet the needs of
prospects for developing agriculture; would-be, new and established entrepreneurs is
. . . Experiences (actions, results and challenges) critical to agricultural development!
of social partners, including Ministries of
Agriculture, as they implement development What is that information? Where does it come
projects and activities for agriculture; from? How can it be harnessed and channeled to
. . . Performance Indicators that measure, in strengthen the efficiency and efficacy of decisions,
quantitative terms, the results, progress and at all levels that benefit most, if not all?
impact of these projects and activities against the
stated objective. Information is a right!
Its use is not an option!
Integrating these three types of information into an
information system can provide, for example: We must work together to build good
a more balanced explanation on the situation in information systems.
agriculture; MEAgrISys will help build the puzzle.
more actor-specific issues, challenges and What can You do to fill the missing pieces?
development requirements leading to more What’s in it for YOU!
practical and focused interventions and actions.
Pg.5