RDC programme in full swing

THE Rural Development Commission (RDC) “Grow What You Eat” Programme is giving Barbadians that needed push to make healthier food choices as well as reduce their food bill.

Yesterday, scores of rural residents converged at the National Housing Corporation (NHC) headquarters to receive free planting receptacles, which included pallets and tyres, as well as seeds and seedlings to start the process at their homes.

“We decided that to really encourage people to grow what they eat and to help cut back on their food bill, a step in the right direction would be to actually give them some growth receptacles, along with two crops each, so that they can start the process… We have given them some options in terms of how they can convert the pallets and staff are on hand to answer all queries to get the process going,” Public Relations Officer with RDC, Wendy Burke, told members of the media.

“It is even more critical now for Barbadians to grow their own food. Not only to help save on your food bill, but as things get tighter stress gets higher. So, if you are growing what you are eating – growing healthy foods – you are also helping yourself in terms of controlling non-communicable diseases… And the actual gardening process as well is a moderate form of exercise. If all of us as individuals can see and understand the importance of self-sustainability and food sovereignty, then we are in a much better position to take the country forward collectively.”

Interested persons were required to first register with the programme, by simply providing identification and proof of address, to gain assistance needed in cultivation and for follow-up purposes.

“While it is a project with a timeline, it is not something that we are going to do and abandon – so there is going to be a follow-up. The Commission offers a loans programme to farmers, so should any of these individuals start the process and realise it is something they want to take further, we want to be able to leave the doors open for them in case they want to come get a small loan to do it on a more commercial scale.

“We also want to be able to offer some technical assistance should they need it, because any programme has to have some monitoring structure. So at the end of it, we need to know what kind of reach we have in terms of the whole distribution process,” she explained.

Burke also revealed that the “Grow What You Eat” Programme will be targeting six schools – primary and secondary – in north, central and southern zones within the island’s rural corridor, with an aim to boost their agricultural initiatives. (TL)