Politician of the Week: Jomo Campbell Grows Young Farmers

lol242.com Politician of the Week · November 2, 2026

By Michael Elijah Muhammad Clare

Welcome to the very first lol242 Politician of the Week. Every week we will shine a light on one Bahamian leader doing real, documented work for our people. This is not about party colours. It is about the work. And this week the work is food, the farm and the young people who will feed this country tomorrow.

Our first pick is the Hon. Jomo Campbell, Member of Parliament for Centreville in New Providence and Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources.

Who he is

Mr Campbell, a lawyer by training, won Centreville for the Progressive Liberal Party in the September 2021 general election and first served as Minister of State for Legal Affairs. In a Cabinet reshuffle in September 2023 he was moved to Agriculture and Marine Resources. Centreville sent him back to Parliament in the May 12, 2026 general election, and when the new Cabinet was sworn in that month, he kept the agriculture portfolio.

Growing the next generation of farmers

One of the biggest questions for Bahamian farming is a simple one: who is coming behind the farmers we have now? Mr Campbell’s ministry has been working on that answer.

On October 6, 2025, the Agriculture and Marine Cadets Programme was officially launched in four public high schools: Government High, R.M. Bailey, C.I. Gibson and C.V. Bethel. It is a partnership between his ministry, the Ministry of Education and the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI). The students get hands-on training in farming, aquaponics, composting, livestock and caring for our marine resources. At the launch, ZNS reported, Mr Campbell said agriculture must be seen as a necessary and vibrant part of our country.

Just over a year later, the cadets got land of their own. On World Food Day, October 16, 2026, the ministry formally presented farmland to the Cadet Programme so the young people can learn by planting, growing and harvesting, the ministry said. That same day, according to the ministry, staff gave away breakfasts at St George’s Church, planted trees at D.W. Davis School and served soup to elderly residents at the Centreville Urban Renewal Centre, with Mr Campbell and Permanent Secretary Janice Miller taking part in the whole day.

Coconut trees for farmers on four islands

In a visit reported by CARDI on October 7, 2026, Mr Campbell and Permanent Secretary Miller toured the coconut nursery run by the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) to see the Brazilian Green Dwarf coconut seedlings that will go to approved farmers and landowners under the GEF-7 Integrated Landscape Management project. According to CARDI and the ministry, the project aims to bring tired land back to life, improve the soil and make farms stronger and more productive. The first phase covers New Providence, Grand Bahama, Abaco and Andros, and applications were open from October 1 to 22, 2026.

Help closer to home in the Family Islands

Family Island farmers know the struggle of waiting on supplies from Nassau. Earlier this year the first BAIC Fish and Farm Store opened in Smith’s Bay, Cat Island, giving farmers and fishermen there a place to get supplies, registration and technical help without leaving the island. In his budget communication in the House of Assembly on June 17, 2026, Mr Campbell also reported grants to farmers, fishermen, cooperatives, vendors and small businesses across New Providence, Grand Bahama and the Family Islands, and announced plans for a national apprentice programme to train a new generation of commercial fishermen, the Bahamas Information Services reported.

Safer streets for people and animals

Not every job in agriculture is about crops. After a string of dog attacks worried communities, the ministry launched Mission Pawsible on August 31, 2026, a national drive for responsible pet ownership built on education, compliance and enforcement. Dog owners got a 30-day amnesty through September to get licensed and contain their animals before citations were due to start, with the Bahamas Humane Society, BAARK, the Veterinary Medical Association and the Royal Bahamas Police Force as partners. At the launch, ZNS reported, Mr Campbell said the goal is to move from reacting after a tragedy to preventing the next one.

Why we picked him

None of this is flashy. Nobody cuts a ribbon for soil health. But putting land in the hands of teenagers, getting seedlings to farmers on four islands and bringing a farm store to Cat Island is the kind of quiet, steady work that builds a country. For that, Jomo Campbell is our first Politician of the Week. Well done, Minister. Keep planting.

Do you know a Bahamian leader, from any party or any island, doing good work that deserves a shout? Tell us in the comments. For more good news from home, read Good News Bahamas: What’s Going Right at Home, catch up with Bahamas News Today for November 2, and if you are planning to visit the islands, see our guide to the Bahamas in November. More news every day on lol242.com.

Sources: Government of The Bahamas; Office of the Prime Minister; Bahamas Information Services; Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources; ZNS Bahamas; The Nassau Guardian; The Tribune; Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI); Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI); Bahamas Press; Wikipedia.

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