By RUTH COOMBSLINSTEAD, St. Catherine:
Several rural farm families in St. Catherine are gearing towards food sufficiency, bearing in mind that the gulf war may be longer than anticipated.
On Saturday, the Gleaner was invited to visit pig and poultry projects at Mountain Pass, in Northwest St. Catherine. The project was started some three years ago by Lady Ivy Cooke, wife of the Governor General of Jamaica.
One of the participants, Matilda Baccus, said the chicken and pigs were provided by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA). The housewives said the women in the Mountain Pass group were given funding for feeding. When the pigs and chickens were ready for market, RADA assisted in finding a market.
The women in the group said they were able to assist their families, finding money to send children to school. Several housewives said they were also able to make modest additions to their homes to cope with the growing demands of their families.
Although residents in St. Catherine are bracing themselves for economic hardships, most are sure they will survive.
