On Wednesday, November 15, 2023, Youth Development and National Service Minister, the Honourable Foster Cummings, visited students of the Youth Agricultural Homestead Programme (YAHP), at the University of Trinidad and Tobago’s Eastern Caribbean Institute of Agriculture and Forestry (ECIAF) Campus, in Centeno.
During his visit, Minister Cummings received positive feedback from the students of Cohort II of the full-time Programme as he shared words of encouragement with these young agri-entrepreneurs.
The Minister also held discussions with key stakeholders, on the future of the Youth Agricultural Homestead Programme. Following these dialogues, Minister Cummings toured the facilities which are provided by UTT, to deliver comprehensive training for the YAHP. The progress and work of these students were evident by the number of crops and animals that were flourishing across the farms.
The Youth Agricultural Homestead Programme is a two-year training programme that affords young people ages 18 to 35 the opportunity to become successful 21st century agri-business entrepreneurs. The YAHP offers comprehensive training in crop production, agro- processing and animal husbandry in the first year. On completion, successful trainees are awarded a Certificate in Agriculture and Agro-Processing, gain access to land, and technical and financial support, to prepare for the second year of training. Year 2 offers practical training on the land assigned to each trainee.
The Ministry of Youth Development and National Service (MYDNS) remains committed to bringing all stakeholders together to promote youth development and encouraging civic-minded citizens to contribute to national service across Trinidad and Tobago.
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