National School Garden Programme Relaunched

The National School Garden Programme, aimed at establishing a garden in every school, was re-launched by the Hon J.C. Hutchinson, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, at the Mocho Primary School in Clarendon on October 28.
Speaking at the re-launch ceremony, Minister Hutchinson said a new feature of the programme will be the establishment of a breakfast programme in the schools.
The school gardens will be used as demonstration plots for the training of farmers within the communities. They will also be used to make students aware of the earning potential and the importance of choosing agriculture as a career. Areas of training will include site selection, land preparation, plant and animal husbandry, record keeping, small business development, management and marketing.
Under Phase 1 of the programme, each of the 13 participating schools will receive seeds, fertilizer, irrigation systems, small hand tools, chemicals, knapsack sprayer, fencing, water storage tanks and livestock in some instances.
The programme will be managed by the Jamaica 4-H Clubs in collaboration with the Rural Agricultural Development Authority, which will provide technical support in the form of training and technology transfer.