by MICHELLE SPRINGER

ABOUT 40 PLANTATIONS in Barbados are lying idle and at least 62 more have gone into residential purposes.

Estates such as Exchange, Alleynedale, Ebworth, Bushy Park and Vaucluse are contributing nothing to the agricultural sector, while those at Rowans, Grove, Foursquare, Durants, Coverley and Endeavour have either gone into development over the years, or are in the process of doing so.

This information comes from research done by Dr Frances Chandler, president of the Barbados Society of Technologists in Agriculture (BSTA), who is a staunch advocate for the maximising of arable land for active production.

The information also comes on the heels of a declaration from Ronnie Brathwaite, agricultural services manager of the Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (BADMC), that the Land for the Landless programme organised by the BADMC was running short of land reserves for its applicants.

He was at the time speaking at an agricultural symposium, National Forum On Agriculture-Food Sovereignty, Security And Nutrition: Agriculture Our Food at the Sherbourne Conference Centre, last Wednesday.

The newly revamped programme, which was on hold since 2004, is seeing about 30 applicants a month who are in need of at least five acres of land each.

Possibilities of agricultural development are still there, but would need some creativity and revamping of current land use policies and legislations to be successful, agriculturists said.

Agriculturalist and member of the BSTA Keith Laurie said Government would need to reconsider the use of land in these areas so as to meet the demand for available arable land.

"We should look at the total ban on agriculture in Zone One. It would also bring a lot of land back into active production," he said.

This idea found favour with Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Senator Haynesley Benn, who agreed the legislation restricting activity in these areas needed to become more flexible.

"I don't agree that you can't put a poultry farm in a Zone One designated area. If there was a ground with cement or compacted with bagasse or some other litter, after a period of time when there is need to change the litter, it could be used for mulching or to manure someone else's land. In so doing no seepage would take place to affect the water protection areas," Benn said.