By Admin. Updated 12:16 p.m., Saturday , February 15, 2025, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
The Zero Hunger Trust Fund welcomed a donation of a wide range of seeds on Friday, February 14, from the Still Kickin Charity based in Canada.
Hundreds of West Coast packaged seeds were handed over to the CEO of the Zero Hunger Trust Fund (ZHTF), Safiyah Horne-Bique.
The ZHTF said this contribution will be used to bolster the National Food Security Drive – Seed and Seedling Distribution initiative, which is geared towards the promotion and advancement of home and backyard gardens in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation, Industry and Labour Saboto Caesar said :“We want to ensure before the end of this year in every single backyard in this country that you have some form of production.”
Minister Caesar indicated that “the country is currently engaged in the process to reduce hunger and undernourishment,” and added that it is being done against the backdrop of significant global increases in prices.
Minister Caesar expressed his elation with the donation made by the Still Kicking Charity and its Executive Director, Dwight Anderson who also made a significant contribution of seeds to the recovery efforts after the eruption of the La Soufriere volcano.
Minister Caesar emphasized that with the immense growth of the tourism sector, the demand for food is increasing and urged farmers to dedicate their efforts towards that platform. The Agriculture and Rural Transformation Minister highlighted that the development of more community markets that cater to the sale of fresh fruits and vegetables should be
pursued.
Safiya Horne-Bique thanked the Still Kickin Charity for its generous donation. The ZHTF CEO disclosed that checks will be made to backyard garden owners who have already started to produce, to see what they have produced, how it has been going for them, and provide other support. Horne-Bique said gardening tools and kits will be distributed to support ‘newbies’.
Executive Director of the Still Kicking Charity, Dwight Anderson, took the opportunity to make
recommendations to assist in the progression of the National Food Security Drive. Anderson noted that with the help of Minister Caesar and others, there can be an establishment of an agricultural reserve, “lands that are set aside for continuous food generation in the form of fruit trees and all other edible plants or vegetables, as well as medicinally applicable vegetables and plants.”
The Executive Director reiterated that “considerations of issues relating to global geopolitics and negative impacts towards shipping must be made, since “anything can happen, and we might not be able to get the prescriptions that we need.”
Marketing Executive of the Farmers Support Company Alex Barnwell said, “this initiative is a step forward to self-sufficiency, resilience and ensuring that every single Vincentian has a means to thrive even in globally uncertain times.
The Zero Hunger Trust Fund said the distribution of seeds and seedlings will continue next week.
One News SVG 