It is so unusual to see the word "agriculture" in the Bermuda context these days that when I read that Ministers Burch and Blakeney visited local farms and are encouraging Bermudians to support local agriculture I was delighted.

However, I wondered if there would be any follow-up to ensure that agriculture has the structural support it needs in order to survive and expand.

Ten years ago when the Department of Agriculture was dropped and the remaining agriculture functions were divided between the Departments of Conservation Services and Environmental Protection, farmers and others were concerned that if the name went so would the form.

Well, these fears were not unfounded. There exists today a Board of Agriculture, a Marketing Centre that primarily serves local farmers by refrigerating produce, supplying bulk seeds, seed potatoes, and pesticides, and placing embargoes; the lab at the Botanical Gardens still functions to identify pests and diseases but there is virtually no extension work that would normally be a duty of a Department of Agriculture — to advise farmers on new techniques and varieties, promote education in agriculture, and assist home gardeners.

In these economic times agriculture seems like an obvious area to give much more attention to as the cost of food rises and people begin to be laid off. No matter what the economy is doing people need to eat. Somewhere else in the world land is being farmed by workers who help keep the 60,000 of us fed.

Agriculture seems so far off the radar screen locally that many people are requesting the Department of Planning to remove the zoning of Agriculture Reserve from their land. Go to www.planning.gov to see that there are 452 objections to the Draft Bermuda Plan 2008, most of which are requests for the removal of Woodland Reserve but there are 49 requests for removal of Agriculture Reserve.

What's going on here! Do we realise that with the exponential growth in world population there will be a need for more agricultural land, not less, and a much higher percentage of every country's population engaged in agriculture?

Why hold on to arable land when we can make so much money building on it? Why should arable landowners pay the cost? We need to make sure that arable land is held in perpetuity for obvious reasons. Some have suggested giving arable landowners property tax breaks; others suggest that Government buy privately owned arable land and commit to keeping it in production.

None of this is likely to happen unless Bermudians show far more interest in agriculture than they are now.

There is only a handful of Bermudian farmers; the bulk of farm workers are foreign. Aside from the unfortunate view that it is hard work, agriculture is not seen as a realistic option for many because the pay for farm labourers may be inadequate for locals. However, taking a cut in pay while learning a life skill like farming is something to consider for someone without a family to support and high rent. If anyone wants to study agriculture there certainly should be financial support for it. Another way that many more people can immediately demonstrate support for agriculture is to buy locally grown food. The most self-reliant action is for more people learn how to grow food themselves at home — 20 square feet at a time.

Over 150 people have taken the gardening course called GROW BIOINTENSIVE since I began teaching it in 2000. Courses were interrupted for two years in order to set up and run the Bermuda Farmers Market, the purpose of which was to bring more people in direct contact with farmers and to support local agriculture.

I believe it is important these days for more Bermudians to become producers rather than mere consumers. Producing food fulfils a fundamental human need; it is a satisfying activity and will keep food growing skills alive for generations to come.

The next GROW BIOINTENSIVE course starts April 4th. For more information e-mail franceseddy@logic.bm