Lenworth Fulton

The Government is to provide more than $100 million to implement school-garden programmes within educational institutions across the island over the next three years.

The initiative, dubbed the Jamaica 4-H Clubs National School-Garden Programme, was officially launched at Jamaica College, Old Hope Road, St Andrew, yesterday.

Lenworth Fulton, executive director of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs, said the initiative could be described as an important and significant programme for young people.

"This programme is here to revolutionise the general perception of agriculture," said Fulton.

The major aim of the three-year initiative, under the theme, 'Youth Response to Food Security', is to bring a new perspective to school gardening by equipping public institutions with technology-driven gardens.

Producing more

J.C. Hutchinson, minister of state in the Ministry of Agriculture, said the initiative was in keeping with the Government's plan to place greater emphasis on producing more for local consumption.

Hutchinson officially opened the first garden plot, consisting of vegetables, at the Old Hope Road school.

The programme has a total cost of $108 million, and in year one, some $34 million will be required. The Government has already provided approximately $14 million.

The programme is a policy directive from the ministry and will be implemented by school-garden officers in institutions at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels.

The project, which officially started in June, aims to establish roughly 1,000 school gardens by 2011.

Fulton said in year one, the Government hoped to establish 300 gardens.

Currently, 95 schools have already received inputs including seeds, farm tools, broilers, layers, goats, rabbits, chemicals and fertiliser.

Among the objectives of the programme are to encourage practical agricultural training in schools, to improve entrepreneurship among youth, and to provide healthy, fresh food for school canteens.