25th January
Agribusiness And Family Island Employment
In The Bahamas the rural community is our Family Islands. Those of us who live in the urban centres, Nassau and Freeport, of our country do not appreciate the extent to which Family Island people depend on farming, fishing, food processing, livestock production and forestry activities like cascarilla bark and coal burning for livelihoods. Most of the Small Farmers and many of our agribusinesses are located in the Family Islands.
Over the years, the southeastern Bahamas has been the main locale for the small farmer who is facing extinction as the numbers are dwindling. Young people are no longer attracted to traditional farming.
With the government’s policy of an anchor touristic project for each island, Family Island manpower will be attracted to tourism rather than devising production activity to supply these facilities with fresh produce, meat and fish.
The following article provides some insight.
Despite significant progress in income diversification of rural households, agriculture is still the principal activity of rural households in developing countries, according to a study released today by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The study, covering three regions of the developing world, shows that 84 percent of rural households participate in agricultural activities and in some countries the number reaches as high as 99 percent.
However, the study also shows that rural households derive a large share of their incomes from non-farm rural activities, and these are often more remunerative. The share of money earned by rural households from such activities varies from region to region and from country to country. For more developed countries like Panama, the share of rural household income derived from non-farm activities reaches 75 percent while for Nicaragua, a lower income country, the share is 28.5 percent.
Institutional Cooperation Leads To Improved Data
The findings are the preliminary results of a joint project by FAO, the World Bank and the American University in Washington, DC. The project, known as the Rural Income Generating Activities (RIGA) project, is building a detailed database to show sources of rural income based on nationally representative household surveys. The ultimate objective is to use country-by-country analysis and cross-country evidence on rural income-generating activities to help reduce rural hunger and poverty.
To Be Continued...
The Bahama Journal - Bahamas News Online Edition
Copyright Jones Communications Ltd. ©2005 - Nassau, Bahamas
Agribusiness And Family Island Employment
In The Bahamas the rural community is our Family Islands. Those of us who live in the urban centres, Nassau and Freeport, of our country do not appreciate the extent to which Family Island people depend on farming, fishing, food processing, livestock production and forestry activities like cascarilla bark and coal burning for livelihoods. Most of the Small Farmers and many of our agribusinesses are located in the Family Islands.
Over the years, the southeastern Bahamas has been the main locale for the small farmer who is facing extinction as the numbers are dwindling. Young people are no longer attracted to traditional farming.
With the government’s policy of an anchor touristic project for each island, Family Island manpower will be attracted to tourism rather than devising production activity to supply these facilities with fresh produce, meat and fish.
The following article provides some insight.
Despite significant progress in income diversification of rural households, agriculture is still the principal activity of rural households in developing countries, according to a study released today by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The study, covering three regions of the developing world, shows that 84 percent of rural households participate in agricultural activities and in some countries the number reaches as high as 99 percent.
However, the study also shows that rural households derive a large share of their incomes from non-farm rural activities, and these are often more remunerative. The share of money earned by rural households from such activities varies from region to region and from country to country. For more developed countries like Panama, the share of rural household income derived from non-farm activities reaches 75 percent while for Nicaragua, a lower income country, the share is 28.5 percent.
Institutional Cooperation Leads To Improved Data
The findings are the preliminary results of a joint project by FAO, the World Bank and the American University in Washington, DC. The project, known as the Rural Income Generating Activities (RIGA) project, is building a detailed database to show sources of rural income based on nationally representative household surveys. The ultimate objective is to use country-by-country analysis and cross-country evidence on rural income-generating activities to help reduce rural hunger and poverty.
To Be Continued...
The Bahama Journal - Bahamas News Online Edition
Copyright Jones Communications Ltd. ©2005 - Nassau, Bahamas
