{"id":16298,"date":"2025-11-21T14:16:56","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T14:16:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/?p=16298"},"modified":"2025-11-21T14:16:56","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T14:16:56","slug":"ccraf-on-the-road-day-three-drone-technology-and-plant-propagation-training-at-greencastle-agricultural-station-by-brent-simon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/2025\/11\/21\/ccraf-on-the-road-day-three-drone-technology-and-plant-propagation-training-at-greencastle-agricultural-station-by-brent-simon\/","title":{"rendered":"CCRAF on the Road \u2013 Day Three: Drone Technology and Plant Propagation Training at Greencastle Agricultural Station by Brent Simon"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">Day Three of the CCRAF on the Road \u2013 MSB Project (Antigua &amp; Barbuda Chapter) unfolded at the Greencastle Agricultural Station, where the same cohort of roughly 30 agricultural science students from Jennings Secondary, Antigua Grammar School (AGS), and St. Mary\u2019s Secondary continued their deep dive into practical, modern agriculture.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">The day opened with a dynamic drone technology demonstration led by Mr. Itejah Simmons, who introduced the students to how unmanned aerial systems are reshaping farm management.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">The session covered: aerial mapping and crop monitoring, identifying plant stress and disease hotspots, assessing water distribution, using drones for rapid field diagnostics, and demonstrating how data collected from drones supports smarter decision-making.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">For many of the students, it was their first time seeing agriculture through a digital lens \u2014 a clear look at the future of precision farming in small-island contexts.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">The objective was straightforward: to strengthen students\u2019 understanding of innovative agricultural applications that support long-term food and nutrition security.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">The second half of Day Three shifted from high-tech to hands-on as students took part in a plant propagation workshop facilitated by Mr. Victor Harris, Station Manager, along with Mr. Rennice Nicholas, Propagation Specialist, and the staff of the Greencastle Agricultural Station.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">The students were equipped with foundational skills in several plant propagation methods.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">During the session, they were introduced to techniques such as seed propagation, cuttings, air-layering, division, and preparation of propagation media.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">Students practiced identifying suitable plant material, preparing cuttings correctly, and understanding the environmental conditions needed for successful root development.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">The pairing of digital agriculture (drones) with fundamental horticultural skills (propagation) gave the students a rounded understanding of how traditional knowledge and modern technology work hand-in-hand.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">By the end of Day Three, students had broadened their skill set in two very different but equally essential areas of agriculture \u2014 precision technology and plant production fundamentals.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">The CCRAF initiative is proving an important point: when you combine knowledge, practice, and innovation, you build the next generation of resilient agricultural leaders.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net\/v\/t39.30808-6\/586511646_1280099207470423_4061640602813965845_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&amp;ccb=1-7&amp;_nc_sid=833d8c&amp;_nc_ohc=Gu6ZD55BvhMQ7kNvwEsKtmW&amp;_nc_oc=Adl_o-5LDvqM5kPCBkNt2X2UeKjjxwePRkCMF_ovsWAXVDN9uQv2Xum80GXaHcoBOQ4&amp;_nc_zt=23&amp;_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.xx&amp;_nc_gid=6iappSvCLB1usWtQpaQz8Q&amp;oh=00_AfhyR1Gten89CglnUg-O2yLLkYIFMHgIdXgvGtBXcaa3cg&amp;oe=69263E74\" alt=\"May be an image of tree\" width=\"315\" height=\"210\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net\/v\/t39.30808-6\/585900905_1280101340803543_7405876427950510669_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&amp;ccb=1-7&amp;_nc_sid=833d8c&amp;_nc_ohc=Gr7qUimtrJoQ7kNvwFFgVDD&amp;_nc_oc=Adm1KoMg4K_5oFTedOXAs79XMDFEZGmdMJANu18vz1Cxp7wdU_xTzbs8uQJNXyT9NeQ&amp;_nc_zt=23&amp;_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.xx&amp;_nc_gid=UJRS_HNcp7u0jnzbtbgl8Q&amp;oh=00_AfiJSwaJSrZeBj-HiOQistj7m_dImkM5GQZw6ArH4ZQIuw&amp;oe=69264F8D\" alt=\"May be an image of tree\" width=\"317\" height=\"211\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent-atl3-3.xx.fbcdn.net\/v\/t39.30808-6\/585404007_1280095837470760_783895681476844121_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&amp;ccb=1-7&amp;_nc_sid=833d8c&amp;_nc_ohc=aNlhpPKtDHUQ7kNvwE-j-oV&amp;_nc_oc=Admmq2Z0a1-OER6zsVHOhWlhTZRX3qkli9jz38xaJxiaOaJTasYodU5tU0-5t9Jv9dA&amp;_nc_zt=23&amp;_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-3.xx&amp;_nc_gid=C7rzsRjFVkhpkmScEDm4Kw&amp;oh=00_AfhqvF23o2gpKMkdBixq0-d0x3DjPxecSiQCJ8boqlktQQ&amp;oe=69263195\" alt=\"May be an image of one or more people, tree and text that says '\u5c46 GRAMMA \u0d0e\u0d3e A.G wa GRAMMAR SCHO At A.G.S SE B al'\" width=\"314\" height=\"209\" \/><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Day Three of the CCRAF on the Road \u2013 MSB Project (Antigua &amp; Barbuda Chapter) unfolded at the Greencastle Agricultural Station, where the same cohort of roughly 30 agricultural science [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-iica","category-news-notices"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16298"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16298\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16300,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16298\/revisions\/16300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}