Agrofest ends on a high note
From innovative agricultural solutions to student-led beauty services and mouth-watering new food products, Agrofest 2026 closed on a high note yesterday that left patrons buzzing and vendors counting the possibilities.
The three-day exhibition once again transformed Queen’s Park, The City, into a vibrant crossroads of Barbadian life. Visitors from every walk of life poured through the gates, drawn by the sights, sounds and smells of a festival that has become a cornerstone of the island’s agricultural and cultural calendar.
The aroma of food wafted through the venue, animals drew squeals of delight from younger attendees, and stalls brimming with plants, clothing, jewellery and produce lined the perimeter.
Among the most talked-about exhibits was a cutting-edge egg production system unveiled by the Centre for Agricultural Research and Innovation at the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies. Dr Michele Singh, the centre’s director, explained how the “D-frame battery layer cage” is poised to change the game for small-scale farmers.
“This system can hold between 42 and 50 chickens, which means that the average farmer can easily produce 350 eggs a day in a six-by-six square foot space,” she said. “It really is talking about climate-smart, landless agriculture.”
The system, priced at around $1 200, features automatic waterers, feed dispensers and a built-in egg trap that reduces cracking and wastage. Its compact, wheeled design makes cleaning easy – a practical boon for householders with limited space.
The public response was telling: over the three-day festival, the booth welcomed 423 patrons, with 187 expressing interest in purchasing the system.
“Many times you’ve heard patrons say there’s a shortage of eggs,” Singh noted. “This solves the problem, because it’s really landless agriculture.”
Equally popular was the booth of the Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation’s booth, where director of commercial operations Corey Glasgow reported an enthusiastic reception. The Corporation brought back its crowd-favourite sorbets after a twoyear absence and debuted two new products – a jerk pork burger and a beef-and-pork jalapeño sausage – that quickly became the talk of the festival.
“The experience thus
far has been quite overwhelming. Patrons were asking where are we hiding these products [and] where can we buy these from,” Glasgow said, adding this was the kind of feedback that “helps us plan a lot more for the next couple of months so that we can get these products into production and get them on the shelf so that the Barbadian public can enjoy them”.
For students at Grantley Adams Memorial School, Agrofest offered something beyond a showcase – it was a confidence builder. CVQ cosmetology students from fourth and fifth year provided patrons with natural hair styling, palm roll and style, manicures, pedicures and facials.
Teacher Gillian Trotman said the event has become a fixture they look forward to every year.
“As a seasoned Agrofest participant, it is always awesome because there are people who come looking for us every year,” she said, adding the experience has a transformative effect on her more reserved students.
“The students who come here and perform at their best are the students who are really, really nervous at school. It really brings out their courage when they come here.”
(DDS)
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