SUNDAY 5 MAY 2019 – UWI TODAY
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recognisable. No need for acres of land to harvest these fruits,
they’ve been adapted for medium-sized pots and even indoor
living in some cases.
Home gardening is one of the free courses on offer at theMin-
istry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, giving everyone a chance
to develop a green thumb. Another exhibitor was WHYFarm, a
local NGO with a mandate to promote food security using agri-
cultural education and entertainment. AGRIman and his trusty
sidekicks, farming superhero characters, greeted visitors at their
booth and the accompanying comic book drew a young crowd.
We Help You-th Farm (WHYFarm) is aptly named for their efforts
to create a sustainable, self-sufficient mindset in younger children
regarding the challenges of food security in local communities.
Nearby, at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
of the United Nations booth, “zero hunger by 2030” was promi-
nently displayed as well as ways to achieve that goal. It is second
on their list of sustainable development targets, just after poverty
reduction.
Artisans and entrepreneurs were scattered amongst the
exhibitors, each showcasing their best goods or services, from
handcrafted jewelry, ceramics, cosmetics and crafts to local sweets,
fresh produce, flowering plants and homemade soaps. Vendors
proudly detailed their efforts to reduce, reuse or recycle. Beyond
the good-natured jokes about buying reusable shopping bags at
local supermarkets, local craftmarkets promoted a “green” policy,
asking patrons to bring their own utensils and eliminate the use
of Styrofoam, which is in the process of being banned for food
and beverage use.
Both vendors and customers are now expected to contrib-
ute to larger national efforts to reduce pollution in the seas and
on land. It’s these small but significant attempts to protect and
conserve our environment that lead to larger changes in public
policy and frameworks. This is one way to address the elephant
in the room – with minor adjustments that may seem as incon-
sequential as a mouse.
Opportunity
T H E R T O N
Avah Atherton is a writer and aspiring cultural archivist.
A student from the College Appel du 18 Juin in Lamentin, Guadeloupe inspects a hydroponically grown plant at the
Technology Demonstration Park. Through technology such as hydroponics farmers are able to produce crops with much
less land and higher yields.
PHOTO: ANEEL KARIM
An exhibitor from the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and
Fisheries’ Extension Training and Information Services
Division (ETISD) gives a demonstration to an interested
onlooker. The ETISD booth exhibited agro-processing
techniques such as fruit wine making, fruit drying, and the
making of cassava flour.
PHOTO: GUYTN OTTLEY
PHOTO: KEYON MITCHELL
PHOTO: KEYON MITCHELL
