RDC hosts ‘Grow What You Eat’ seminar

The Rural Development Commission (RDC) held its first indoor ‘Grow What You Eat’ Seminar to encourage Barbadians to grow their own food, as much and as often as they possibly can.

The seminar on ‘Selecting the Best Crop for Your Environment’ was presented by Senior Extension Officer with the Ministry of Agriculture, Alvin Romeo, and Senior Loans Officer at RDC, Osmond Harewood. Both of the presenters have a combined 50 years in the Agriculture industry.

Delivering remarks at the opening of the two-hour session on Wednesday, RDC’s Director Randolph Outram, indicated that the seminar is of great importance since the Commission is focussed on engaging and encouraging rural residents in the area of food security.

He said the programme which is part of the Barbados Sustainable Recovery Plan 2018, is aimed at helping people to grow their own food with a view to reducing their food bill, noting that the more individuals plant, the greater the impact on the food import bill.

“So far, the two open farm workshops, which have stimulated great interests, and the growth receptacle and seedlings distribution programme yielded over 250 people collectively and that was only four days of work. Imagine the scope of this programme in another two months.

“Barbados is a small developing state and it is of paramount importance that our citizens understand that in the event of the occurrence of an international crisis, in which the transport of food to our country is critically affected, we should place ourselves in a position to survive by eating what we grow,” he said.

Outram stressed that Barbadians therefore have to protect the island’s food security and for that reason, the RDC is targeting every resident of rural Barbados, man, woman, and child, to encourage them to participate in the programme and to equip them with the skills to grow what they eat.

“In this regard, the RDC has developed a pilot programme for school children, which will be launched next week at six schools, as part of this programme,” the Director explained.

On Friday, at noon, RDC will be hosting a lecture in the Queens Park Steel Shed, another event in the Grow What We Eat programme. The lecture will be on the subject, “Investing in Food Security”, and will be
delivered by Dr. Lystra Fletcher Paul, the Food and Agricultural Organisation’s Sub-Regional Coordinator for the Caribbean.

Those who attended the session, at RDC’s Training Room, Bridge Street, St Michael, learnt the importance of growing their own food, and received information on how to grow their own food, in addition to factors influencing crop growth and yield,and types of vegetables. (AH)