LOCAL FOOD HERO’S - WHYFARM

World Food Day is scheduled to take place on October 16th 2020 with the theme Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together. This theme seems fairly simple however, it has become significantly more potent in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and its implications for food security. One of the major sub themes presented was that of Food Heroes who have continued to produce food during these uncertain times. These Food Heroes are considered part of our frontline workers and they require our attention and support more than ever during this time. Trinidad and Tobago has a multitude of Food Heroes who strive to Grow, Nourish and Sustain our nation daily. One such noteworthy Food Hero is Alpha Sennon who is the founder and executive director of the non-governmental organisation WHYFARM (We Help You-th Farm).

Mr. Sennon is an Agripreneur (agricultural entrepreneur) who’s skillsets allows him to operate on all levels of the agricultural spectrum. He works from the ground up beginning at the farm level, to working with local, regional, and international bodies to help make our food systems more sustainable.

Mr. Alpha Sennon Executive Director and Founder of WHYFARM

WHYFARM is a local NGO with international recognition from major international bodies such as The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

One of the methods to do this was through the development of the superhero character known as AGRIman. This superhero is featured in published comic books with intentions of eventually being a television series. Mr Sennon stated that the vision behind AGRIman was for “Youth to now have a superhero that they can look up to in society” and that “We keep telling young persons that AGRIman is a farmer and this is important”. The character was based around Captain Planet, a show from Mr. Sennons childhood and this is what cultivated the idea to have a branded superhero for agriculture that a child can read about and see on television. Mr Sennon aimed to make the character as relatable and realistic as possible because as he emphasised the fight against key concerns such as drought, hunger and famine are very real. An interest of Mr. Sennon’s is

marketing psychology and by using the character AGRIman he hopes to convince the entire population to grow their own food, understand why they are growing their own food and to show them how to do it utilising the most sustainable methods possible. He fondly terms this venture as “AgriEdu-tainment” where he hopes that AGRIman will “Win over the hearts and minds of young people”. AGRIman/ WHYFARM is currently doing short educational videos in partnership with FAO and UNDP. Soon Mr. Sennon intends to add a female superhero and an agricultural robot to his line of characters. Some of the other current initiatives of WHYFARM include teaching kids how to grow their food from seeds. The organisation also has a farmers collective which engages young persons who are already farming or intending to farm. These farmers come together and helps on each other’s farm. WHYFARM also had a recent fundraiser themed “Back To D’ Land” as a means of raising funds to purchase equipment for the farmers collective. Another initiative is the “Plant to your Plate Movement” which is a form of information exchange for new and emerging farmers and home

AGRIman comic book character

gardeners to get assistance and knowledge about growing their own food and also it permits the bartering of items such as seeds. In the future Mr. Sennon plans to brand AGRIman onto food items utilising produce from the farmers collective. Another long-term goal that WHYFARM intends to develop is an agricultural museum where persons can come to learn about indigenous agricultural techniques along with a fun park at the WHYFARM’s farm in Siparia.

When asked about the COVID19 situation regarding farmers Mr. Sennon had an optimistic outlook regarding the impact of the pandemic on agriculture. This is because he stated that during the pandemic persons decided to become home growers especially in the first phase of restrictions. When persons realised that there was the potential of restriction on food imports and a looming threat of food insecurity persons began to become innovative and go out and purchase gardening items to work from home and also to utilise land for gardening. Mr. Sennon even stated that COVID-19 allowed for a boost in WHYFARM’s sales as persons came to purchase seedlings, soil, and grow boxes. All the plants sold were accompanied by tutorials showing how to plant, grow and harvest various crops. To assist persons particularly the elderly during this time WHYFARM also implemented the “Dasheen your Doorstep” initiative where food items were packaged and delivered to persons homes. WHYFARM also distributed a variety of hampers and brought farmers together to distribute food to persons in need. COVID-19 also brought forth the importance of agriprocessing to avoid wastage. He stated that with all these positive shifts in mindset toward the need for more agricultural production and agriprocessing needs to be accompanied by proper investments and budgetary allocations. Overall, he believed that the virus raised the concern of having resilient and sustainable food systems.

To make our food systems more sustainable Mr. Sennon reiterated the critical point of succession planning by getting youth involved in agriculture, retraining the minds of persons currently involved and of those who intend to become involved in the field. He believes that we must now utilise climate smart technologies that fit our local climate and ecosystem through merging indigenous techniques and information technology which he termed “Merging legacy with modernity”. He also believed in the utilisation of natural methods for pesticides and fertilisers over the use of harmful unregulated imported chemicals that many of our local farmers use. Also, in these food systems it is important to recycle as Mr. Sennon believes that nothing should be wasted, and all products should be reused in a continuous looping ecosystem.

World Food Day is one day before WHYFARM’s 5th anniversary which is on the 15th of October 2020. When asked about the theme for World Food Day 2020 Mr. Sennon believed that the theme encompasses all that his organisation does. He stated that, “Growing is one thing and getting the nutrients from the food is another thing”. This then brings in the importance of sustaining the cycle and to do that persons must be provided with the inspiration and motivation to begin the farming journey and this is what WHYFARM is all about.