Projects

1) Farmers COLLECTIVE

The WHYFARMers Collective, represent a comprehensive compilation of young people with like-minded Agri ideas gathered to exchange and share resources and results of their Agricultural Activity and in most cases to collectively start up some activity. This collective brings together farmers from different communities to exchange; Motivation, Labour, Knowledge/Training and Markets. This project is a holistic one which comprises the following: hunger eradication, employment creation, entrepreneurial inspiration/awareness, life skills/ developing problem solving tactics and charity work. Additional Information Currently many youths lack the required skills and resources to conduct a successful commercial farming venture. We have identified five (5) main resources that youths lack in order to start a sustainable Agricultural Activity that can develop into a major Farm Business activity of high returns for their livelihoods. These resources are as follow;

1. Land
2. Money
3. Time/Skill/Labour-
4. Knowledge
5. Motivation

However there are many young people that have access to either one of the resources listed above, in some cases two, but in very few would they have access. This makes it very difficult to have a start –up farm business functioning productively.

2) Grown in East Port of Spain Collective.

Food security and Livelihood Development are growing challenges for low income households in the East Port of Spain. In this vein, The Volunteer Center of Trinidad & Tobago (VCTT) in partnership with the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme, WhyFarm and other agencies are joining hands to expand our pilot Community Garden initiative; launched in Gonzales in April 2018; to other communities in East Port of Spain through the Grown In East Port of Spain initiative. 

Through this initiative community members from East Port of Spain will be trained in home gardening, agripreneurship and build their professional and economic capacity through the production of value-added products from the community gardens. Products
will be sold through weekend markets which will be set up in East Port of Spain on a monthly basis as well as through direct trade to supermarkets.

3) Ampitup

The Agripreneur Mastermind Program (AMPitUP) is a “Call to Action” for youth agripreneurs to commit 1) to mastering their individual crafts and scale-up their existing business, 2) to engaging in dialogue with other agri-youth, and 3) to leading and sustaining the creation of bridges and spaces for collaboration between agri-youth and policy makers on topics of mutual interest. Agri-youth participated in field trips and professional development activities on social entrepreneurship, innovating along the agri-value chain, business model development, business pitch delivery, fund-raising, building partnerships and collaborations, and effective communication strategies. Participant’s views and perceptions of opportunities in agri-entrepreneurship were also expanded as they were mentored by WHYFARM’s global network of subject matter experts.

4) AGRIman AGventures

AGRIMAN and PhotosyntheSista, the world’s 1st Food and Nutrition Security Superheroes, that inspires future feeders. AGRIMAN AGventures was designed to develop and introduce simple, attractive, and creative Agricultural messages to encourage and educate youths in Agriculture. To build capacity and knowledge in agriculture among children / youth for the long term improvement of livelihoods and food security in communities.

5) Dasheen Yuh Doorstep

Dasheen yuh Doorstep Market is an online fresh produce delivery service that allows the customer to stay at home and order his/her fresh produce and it will be delivered to their doorstep. This project was developed as a response to COVID-19 attempting to serve the elderly/vulnerable individuals in our community. You can choose from several packages including fruits package, seasoning package or fully loaded package. Delivery is free of charge for clients within close proximity to Siparia.

6) Plant Yuh plate Movement (PYPM)

PYPM is a virtual community where beginner farmers and farm-hers (of any size) can share their agriculture/gardening advice, tips, tricks and even produce.
Here & some of the benefits to this group :
*Send your photos/videos of your gardening.
*Send your questions and share knowledge, our community is here to help.
*Barter your produce, don’t be bitter.
*Have a surplus of crops and want a bit of variety for your plate? Then reach out to one of our members and see if they are willing to trade.

The aim is to increase the number of things on your plate that you planted. Send us a pic of your success or failure. It’s not too late to secure your plate. We encourage you all to grow as many items as you can. This is one of the ways you can guarantee household food and nutrition security Follow this link to join my WhatsApp group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KPJuopcqaXp8c50LHmc7GM

7) Fun Food Factory & Heritage Park – (AgriCoolture park)

WHYFARM is developing a Fun, Museum and Food Factory Park at its farm headquarters in Siparia. A series of educational tours have been created to lead visitors through the farm introducing them to different crops, some of which undergo value addition in the food factory. The Park shall provide young farmers with an opportunity to produce chocolate from their cocoa harvests and/or to sell the cocoa from their harvests to persons who will produce the chocolate at a factory which is to be constructed under this Project. Additional Information The chocolate factory shall offer tours to local and foreign tourists together with farm tours of the cocoa lands surrounding the factory and the wider community of Siparia and its environs. The Project shall also include the construction of a market/café where farmers shall be able to market their cocoa and/or chocolate products in addition to food and products from other crops cultivated on the lands for sale in a “farm to table” concept environment. The café shall serve other local cuisine to visiting tourists, thereby providing an all-in-one food tour experience. Additionally, the space shall be home to a brand store that sells and showcases all products that are to be developed by the youth and women of the community. These products shall include
handmade crafts and art.

The space shall be used to host the following events:
– Agri-entrepreneurship Workshops.
– Technology in Food production training.
– Showcases which focus on agricultural techniques that reflect modern engineering and technology in food production.
– Development of bed and breakfast bunks to allow for visitors to stay at the park and experience the full process.
– Commercial kitchen for food production.

The creation of an avenue to not only market but also to produce consumables from the cocoa farmed in Siparia shall preserve heritage lands. Further, by educating the community on sustainable farming practices to ensure continued access to fertile land for cocoa farming, the Project shall directly promote sustainable development.

The development of an agri-heritage museum that :
1. showcases indigenous practices that were used in the development of food production by our ancestors. (Including tools)
2. conducts research and development seeking strategies to merge traditional practices with modern technology.
3. showcase how our heritage affects food production strategies and food consumption choices.

Development of a space known as the FARMacy: continuously exploring the use of food as medicine based on indigenoues knowledge and research. This space shall also be used as a knowledge transfer base creating a legacy which shall assist in the preservation and continuation of indigenous knowledge within the youth.

8) School of AgriCoolture

The WHYFARM School of AgriCOOLture is founded on the core principle that there should be a farmer in every household so that no one goes to bed hungry or malnourished. Our AgriCOOLture School embodies a unique approach to teaching utilising cultural heritage as it pertains to food and indigineous techniques in Agriculture. High emphasis is placed on using the arts such as theatre, spoken word, poetry, music, dance in our teaching methods. A Lot of our content will be done via digital labs and online platforms. Practical sessions will be conducted on the farm and at agricultural facilities throughout Trinidad and Tobago to complement theoretical sessions. Video learning resources will be recorded at the respective locations for the online audiences. We will utilize partnerships to help with content development and teaching resources.