A new generation is ready to farm, but needs clear opportunities and support to succeed, agriculture minister Dr Shantal Munro-Knight has said, challenging long-held views about youth disinterest in agriculture.

Months of meetings with farmers, she said, had convinced her that Barbados was overlooking a new generation eager to build careers in agriculture.

“I also learned that it’s a myth that young people are not interested in agriculture. It’s an absolute myth,” she told the Looking Forward: Agriculture 2030 colloquium hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Nutritional Security on Monday.