Future generations of Bermudians need to be taught the importance of agriculture on the Island and how to grow crops and learn the art of responsible fishing.

Those are key areas brought to the fore by Environment Minister Neletha Butterfield in Friday?s Throne Speech. Explaining the importance of a proposed agricultural and educational outreach programme to familiarise secondary school students with farming on the Island, she said: ?In terms of the agricultural school, that is something I always wanted to do to.

?We have to teach our children how to manage arable land. Without food, we would not be here. Students have to be able to see how food grows.?

Another new initiative is a fishing apprenticeship scheme to teach students about local and offshore commercial fishing.

Asked if she was aware of a new report that global fishing stocks face total depletion by 2050 through over-fishing, Ms Butterfield replied: ?We are very keen on how we control fishing.

?Not so many months ago we brought forward the White Paper on the fishing industry so now we are able to control the fish stocks here in Bermuda.?

She is also Telecommunications Minister and hinted at a link up between the two roles with regard to the ongoing environmental project at Cooper?s Island.

?At Cooper?s Island we have some things planned along with Telecommunication. They are now calling me the open space and cyberspace minister. There are things on Cooper?s Island that we are going to be doing with open space and cyberspace.?

Although there was no specific mention of sustainable development in the Throne Speech, Premier Ewart Brown said everything the Government is planning to do is designed ?to fit within the context of sustainable development.?