A Stimulating Trip

I have just returned from a most refreshing two weeks in Canada. Refreshing not only from the point of view of the cool weather after the sweltering heat I have endured over the last few months, but also refreshing from the point of view of the attitude towards farmers in Canada versus here in Barbados.

There I get the impression that farmers are respected, whereas here they are usually at the bottom of the heap and agriculture seems always to be the poor relative of all the other sectors.

Since summer was at an end, the corn was matured and being harvested to be ensiled for cattle feed during the winter, so were the soya beans, oats and wheat as well as sugar beets.

It was heart warming to see acres upon acres of farmland, farmhouses and buildings kept in pristine condition. An increase in the use of alternative energy was evident, with some farms having wind turbines, while others were using photovoltaic panels. Of course some larger wind turbines had been installed on farms by energy companies and the farms were being paid rent for the land.

I also visited the world’s largest operating photovoltaic farm, producing 80 megawatts of solar power for Ontario’s electricity grid. The Sarnia Solar Project is located across an 1100-acre farm in Sarnia, Ontario, near Port Huron, Michigan. It consists of more than 1.3 million thin-film solar modules. In addition to generating emission-free power, the Sarnia Solar Project produces no waste and uses PV technology that was designed to create the smallest carbon footprint of any PV technology available.

First Solar, an Arizona-base manufacturer, developed, engineered, and constructed the facility, using its advanced thin film solar panels, and operates and maintains the Sarnia Solar Project for the owner, Enbridge, under a long-term contract. Enbridge is a Calgary-based energy and pipeline company that has focused on the transportation and distribution of oil and natural gas but is moving towards cleaner power solutions. The power produced by the Sarnia facility is being sold to the Ontario Power Authority with a 20-year solar power purchase agreement.

The project is reported to have used no water during it construction and was completed without noise pollution and limited material waste. The cost was less than US$5 per watt of power production.

The company estimated that installation of the solar farm provided employment to about 800 people during it peak period of construction, and extended job opportunities to design and engineering companies in the area as well as for service providers, suppliers and sub-contractors. Enbridge’s green energy assets also include seven wind farms, a geothermal project, four waste heat recovery facilities, integrated energy recovery and fuel cell technology.

Enbridge inc., a Canadian energy company, achieved commercial completion of the 80 megawatt Sarnia Solar Project in September 2010, making the project the largest operating photovoltaic facility in the world at the time.

I also visited 11-acre greenhouse in Petrolia, Ontario. They were growing coloured peppers, using a bagged coconut fibre medium with nutrients applied by drip irrigation. While some of their problems differ from ours as a result of difference in climate e.g. their need to heat the greenhouse for a large part of the year using hot water, it was interesting to note that we do share some common problems – like cooling the greenhouse which we need to do all year around while they need to do only in summer.

The method used was the same as the one we use here. The insect and disease problems were similar, but it was interesting to note that they biological control through beneficial insects as well as introduced bumble bees for pollination quite successfully while our farmers abandon that method because of bureaucratic hurdles.

The pepper plants were pruned and were over ten feet tall and bearing profusely even though they had been bearing for nine months. However, in recent months the company had face competition from field grown pepper and were forced to offer special prices.

All in all, I found the trip extremely stimulating since it seemed that ideas are converted into action despite challenges, whereas in Barbados and the Caribbean in the general we seem to suffer from “acute implementation deficit disorder”. I trust that we will soon see the light and realise that these challenging times we need to make decisions and act in a timely manner before we miss the boat.

Taken from: The Nation News Paper

Written By: The Agrodoc