Move to secure agricultural land

CHIEF TOWN PLANNER Mark Cummins says his agency is halting the flow of agricultural land out of food crop production.

“One of the main things that we are trying to do now is to ensure there is no further fragmentation of agriculture land. . . . We will be focusing on maintaining as much of the existing agricultural land as possible especially the super prime lands,” he said, while adding that a number of residential lots were vacant and buildings unoccupied.

Barbados was once regarded as an agricultural society, but between 1991 and 2013 agricultural land was reduced by 53 per cent as areas went to housing. Some of it has become fallow and some portions went to other uses.

The 91 000 hectares of super prime lands, those areas with the highest yield and has the most fertile soil, are found in St John, the St George Valley and St Thomas, though there are pockets of similar soil across Barbados. (AC)

Please read the full story in today’s Sunday Sun, or in the eNATION edition.