Dominican Compost Tea Party!
This June, a “compost tea party” hosted by the Dominican Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry gave area farmers a hands-on experience of compost tea and the Growing Solutions Compost Tea System100.
Held at the newly renovated Hillsborough Horticultural Centre, the site visit provided ornamental flower and vegetable producers with a detailed overview of the uses and benefits of compost tea.
The use of brewing machines, while a relatively new technology to the Commonwealth of Dominica’s agricultural sector, brings enormous potential. The Giraudel farmers—from Dominica’s “Flower Capital”—and the Bellevue Chopin organic farmers expressed deep appreciation to the extension personnel for exposing them to such new and innovative technology. They were more than convinced that within the community of Giraudel, the production of cut and ornamental flowers would see a significant boost with the use of compost tea. And, they agreed it was necessary to embrace organic production to further enhance Giraudel’s ecological integrity.
Mr. Keian Stephenson, Agricultural Officer, explains that the biology of compost tea and its effect in the plant phyllosphere are complex.
The Bellevue Chopin Organic Farmers will use their grant-funded Compost Tea System25 to develop biological crop protection solutions and botanical sprays for on-farm adaptive research trials.