Garnet Brown, PhD
Dr. Brown is the consumate public servant. I firsr met him in 1986 when he was a consultant to Agro 21 Corporation Ltd. I often wondered what this hard working consultant was doing and was soon to learn that he was to have a significant impact on Jamaican agriculture when he establioshed the National Irrigation Commission (NIC).
The NIC is mandated to use the available resources to develop irrigation systems and to provide the most efficient and effective service possible to the agricultural community in Jamaica. This organisation has served Jamaica successfully for over 21 years during which time Dr. Brown has served as Chairman for almost 20 years. Under his stewardship the National Irrigation Development Plan (NIDP) was conceived and developed, with the obnjective of bringing irrigation water to many new areas and farmers through a meticulously designed programme of feasible projects islandwide.
Dr. Brown's exploits did not start or stop at the NIC. He has spreaheaded organisational development in Africa and the Caribbean. The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RARA) and the Managament Institute for National Development (MIND) are among the entities critical to sustainable economic development that he was instrumental in creating.
After being a successful Commonwealth scholar he went on to become the youngest Permanent Secretary on record in Jamaica. Surely he has been a source of inspiration to me and as Commonwealth scholar myself and an appointed young Permanent Secretary, I cant help but feel that somehow I might be attempting the enviable task of daring to walk in his foot steps.