Food security and sustainability have been the talk for many governments and organisations for many years, but with the onset of the covid19 pandemic, it has become evident that more work must be done to address the issue.
The global impacts of covid19 restrictions on imports, the ability to work and other logistics have seen increases in corn, wheat, soy prices. Climate change and demand-and-supply surges have all also contributed to rising food prices.
There is no doubt that what you once considered basic and regular monthly goods at the supermarkets and markets are much more expensive today than a couple of months ago.
In light of this the Kids in Need of Direction (Kind) Foundation has embarked on its Plant What You Eat programme which provides families with the skills and knowledge to grow basic foods.
Kind's founder Karina Scott told Business Day that the programme came about as part of its ongoing covid19 relief efforts to provide aid for affected people.
She said conversations with people receiving aid showed the foundation should create a programme to help people help themselves.
The ongoing programme is supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, United Way, the 4H Club, breadfruit trees.com and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, and has been carried out in La Fillette, Blanchisseuse, Morvant, Beetham, Sea Lots, Aranguez, Laventille, Cascade and St Ann's.
Scott said, 'We did training sessions at the community centres which included how to germinate seeds, how to treat with heavy rains,
'We provide seeds and seedlings such as tomato, blackeyed peas, corn, pumpkin, cucumber, sweet pepper, pimento, cantaloupe, kale, eggplant, poi, spinach and ochro.'
She added that covid19 has affected the number of people who could be trained at a time and the types of training, but there has been interest in the programme.
Scott said the communities were engaging, and were keen to learn about the different techniques to grow their own food in whatever space was available to them.
'Videos, literature, demonstrations and fully interactive sessions were held to guide the participants. Sprouting is a big thing and rather than throwing seeds away, it can be reused to create new plants.
'We also share information on composting, which is good for areas with terrible soil conditions. We are also teaching recycling so that people can reuse containers such as milk cartons and plastics to start their gardening process.'
Scott added that the programme teaches about not just the planting process but also the additional personal benefits it brings, like managing stress, promoting good mental health, the connection with nature, and as a leadership tool.
'It is great for parents to connect with children. It is a great feeling to show you child how to plant and gives a sense of control of what is being put into the human body.
'It is the responsibility of each
