By: Precious Mills
BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Monday 30th July 2018) – Agricultural Officer at the Department of Agriculture Versailles Stuart is encouraging citizens and residents to engage in back yard gardening so as to assist in the interest of nationwide food security.

Speaking with this reporter during an exclusive interview, he explained that one of his responsibilities “is to ensure that to ensure food security for the entire community and entire country actually, and what we are trying to do is organise back yard gardening for every single yard for every single person that have a house in the Federation.”

Commenting on some of the key benefits of back yard gardening, Versailles touched on areas like physical health, environmental protection and lowered grocery bills.

“Having a back yard garden actually lowers your grocery bill. For example, if you have to go to the supermarket and buy let’s say three pounds of sweet pepper for $9 to $12, I can actually, from one of those peppers in my house, take the seeds out and plant it so that’s extra money that I would not have to spend and can save monthly by growing my own sweet peppers in my yard and imagine if I am saving $40 to $50 a month from buying sweet peppers, what can happen to other produce like tomato and sweet potato? All of these things add up so I can actually save $200 to $300 per month by having my own back yard garden.”

He went on to say: “It makes food more personal because you are the one growing it so it feels better eating because you actually know what you’ve been giving to the plant and what the plant actually has in; not buying food from overseas or any other market where you don’t know what injection is inside of the food in order to make it appear as delicious as you might think it is and then when you buy it and go home you’re disappointed.”

On the issue of physical wellness and the environment impact, the Agriculture Department official had this to say: “It improves your health; keeps you fit. It keeps you fit because you have to go out and do the work in the garden. You also have to do some hoeing so you burn some calories in the process. It’s also positive for the environment because with you planting, it gives off oxygen which helps to control the carbon dioxide that is in the air.”

He highlighted that the St.Kitts Back Yard Gardening Association (SKBYGA) was recently formed noting that such has been in the works since 2012 and that group is focused on encouraging other persons to join.

Versailles along with other SKBYGA members participated in the 2018 Agriculture Open Day held in April. In that particular section, there was a variety of plants growing styles-using recycled material- to accommodate backyard gardening including methods for individual and families whose homes do not have soil access for such activity.

Display styles included stepping, vertical, roof, fence and house side in exhibiting foods like watermelon, cucumber, tomatoes, sweet pepper, lettuce, onion eggplant and sweet potato.
Water and beverage bottles ranging in sizes such as 500ml, 5ml, and 1ml were used as well as wooden pallets and vehicle tires.

“If you don’t have the space in your yard because you live in a two storey house where you don’t have access to soil, the side of the landing can be used. Most of the stuff you use inside your kitchen you can plant them right at the side of your house to the side of your fence, and what you actually can’t grow or don’t have access to you can then go to the supermarket,” the agricultural officer remarked.

Versailles added: “We are not encouraging you to go out and buy these expensive pots or soil. You can use the soil in your own back yard. At the Agriculture Department, we have [items]…to put the plants in and grow out.”

He also urges neighbours to have garden networking in supplying each other with produce that the other does not.

“So we are building the community so encourage persons in the community to get friendly with your neighbours. We are trying to bring the community together through agriculture.”
The Agriculture Department official is inviting interested individual and families who do not know how to go about organising a back yard garden to contact him for assistance at 467-1829 or 476- 1841.