Barbuda has witnessed significant community engagement through a recent seedling distribution initiative, forming a crucial component of the ongoing Plant 2Plate Backyard Gardening Competition. This program, designed to bolster household food production and enhance national food security, has generated enthusiastic participation from residents of the sister island.
Ika Fergus, Acting Chief Extension Officer, reported exceptionally strong response from Barbudan residents, noting both impressive turnout and positive energy throughout the agricultural outreach visit. The collaborative effort between the Barbuda Council’s Department of Agriculture and the Extension Division of the Ministry of Agriculture resulted in the distribution of 20 full trays of seedlings to participating households.
The distributed seedlings encompassed a diverse array of crops ideally suited for backyard cultivation and domestic consumption, including watermelon, cucumber, tomato, sweet pepper, and Chinese cabbage. This careful selection provides households with both nutritional variety and practical growing options.
Beyond distribution, the initiative served a dual purpose of comprehensive data collection and verification. Extension officers meticulously updated records on backyard gardens throughout Barbuda, identifying active producers and assessing their production scales. This crucial information enables authorities to quantify the substantial contribution of backyard gardening to the national food supply.
The collected data proves indispensable for accurate food security assessment, particularly in determining how household cultivation supplements Antigua and Barbuda’s overall food provisions. This intelligence allows the Ministry of Agriculture to strategically deploy technical support and advisory services where most needed.
The program’s overarching objectives remain firmly focused on promoting the ‘Grow What You Eat’ philosophy, enhancing the quality of locally grown produce, and diminishing reliance on imported food items. A structured follow-up mechanism has already been established through the Backyard Gardening Committee and Extension Officers, incorporating ongoing crop cycle monitoring to ensure continued support and measurable outcomes from this vital food security initiative.