- Richard Moraise photoDonald Livingston Robinson, parish manager of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), Trelawny.
This week, Farmers Weekly presents the second in a series of features on parish managers of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) with Trelawny's Donald Robinson.
Richard Moraise, Gleaner Writer
FALMOUTH, Trelawny:
DONALD LIVINGSTON Robinson, 50, has been the manager of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), Trelawny for just over one year now, and he has been loving it.
But according to Mr. Robinson, who has also served as deputy parish manager and as acting parish manager for several years, his job is quite challenging and requires the full support of his staff as well as farmers in order for the Authority to attain its mandate, which involves the provision of technical and other forms of assistance to farmers in their planning and implementation of agricultural projects.
A graduate of the School of Agriculture (now College of Agriculture Science and Education), Mr. Robinson, a trained manager, has specific responsibility to co-ordinate all agricultural activities in the parish.
"I head a team of extension personnel and support staff for the parish, which produces 73.8 per cent of the nation's yam," he said.
One of his colleagues told Farmers Weekly that Mr. Robinson takes a technological approach to business, noting that it was through his instrumentality that the RADA parish office in Trelawny was computerised and the majority of its staff made computer-literate.
Addressing the matter of engaging in technological practices, Mr. Robinson said "Many traditional ways of production combined with new trends work excellently," But he said it was the responsibility of farmers to adopt these trends.
Mr. Robinson is especially interested in minisett yam production, which makes it possible for several plants of yam to be derived from a main piece. He noted that through this technology, Trelawny yam farmers could further increase production of the tuber.
Trelawny, the top yam-producing parish, has been ranked second in the all-island domestic crop production charts with 17.9 per cent or 88,086 tonnes.
Mr. Robinson, the father of two daughters is married to Julia, a teacher. A Seventh-Day Adventist, he is also an avid sports fan and computer enthusiast.
