by Linda Straker
- New Upland Dasheen varieties called Somoa and IND512, and also CARDI Red
- Plants purchased from St Vincent and the Grenadines
- Pilot shipment planted on farms in Clozier, Belvidere and Morne Longue
Grenada has introduced 2 new varieties of dasheen plants to farmers involved in the growing of tubers, which have proven to withstand harsh climate conditions that can cause devastating impacts on the agricultural and natural ecosystems.
Called the Somoa and IND512, this Upland Dasheen varieties also called the CARDI Red, were purchased from St Vincent and the Grenadines where the variety has been in production after a pilot programme in 2022.
It was developed by the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) which carries out research and development for agriculture in the Caribbean region. Its headquarters are on the campus of the University of the West Indies, at St Augustine in Trinidad, with national offices throughout the region.
“Our first order for the variety that are already planted on pilot plots was funded by the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) as a part of collaboration with The Climate Smart Agriculture and Rural Enterprise Programme or SAEP,” said Kenley Edwards who is the Climate Smart Agriculture Coordinator.
SAEP is a 6-year programme which began in 2018 and is funded by the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the Government of Grenada.
The programme focussed on assisting beneficiaries improve their livelihoods through skills training, investments in agriculture, teaching climate smart practices and providing business skills training and technical services to rural enterprises in the rural communities throughout Grenada.
Edwards said, “The pilot shipment of this climate smart variety was planted on farms in the farming communities of Clozier, Belvidere and Morne Longue,” and explained the reason behind the selection of these communities. “These are highly elevated belt areas that have significant root crop production in Grenada and the research has shown that they have an excellent adaptability to varying climatic conditions, soil types and soil fertility status.”
Explaining the involvement of the NIS he said, “The NIS partnered with SAEP as part of its wider approach to educating self-employed people about the benefit of contributing to the NIS as a self-employed person. Most farmers are self-employed.”
These dasheen varieties, according to a survey conducted in St Vincent in 2022, were also identified as being less susceptible to pests and diseases such as aphids, mealy bugs, moulds, leaf spots and phytophthora as well as other infestations that targets tubers.
Speaking about the potential benefits of the dasheen Edwards said, “Based on the size of the yield from the survey conducted, I think it will be very beneficial for our farmers, so moving forward we will be doing more training about these plants so that we have a good stock.”
Edwards, who was responsible for introducing the plants to Grenada said, “From farms in St Vincent it has been proven that these varieties of dasheen have excellent adaptability to varying climatic conditions, soil types and soil fertility status and it also produces larger corm sizes.”
He re-enforced the point that the varieties are drought tolerant, and research by CARDI has shown there will be less post-harvest losses and longer shelf life of the tuber. “We see this plant as having the potential to contribute to our nutrition and food security because they are resilience to harsh climatic conditions that are link both directly and indirectly to climate change conditions.”
In February 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture announced that an opportunity had become available for Grenadian farmers to export agricultural commodities to Trinidad and Tobago. “This is being made possible through discussion and collaboration with Salisha’s Traders BV, an agricultural trading company in Trinidad and Tobago,” said the release, which identified 6 commodities required by the company in the first instance: dasheen, sweet potatoes, mangoes, green bananas, plantains and ginger.
