Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 19, 2021 (SKNIS): The effects of COVID-19 are felt globally, and many persons are seeking ways to minimize these effects on themselves and their families. Through a collaborative initiative – the backyard garden competition – between the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Agriculture in St. Kitts is well on its way to helping with the fight against the negative effects of the Novel Coronavirus through gardening.
The backyard garden initiative seeks to mitigate the effects felt by nationals through several means as highlighted on the government’s weekly radio and television programme “Working for You” on February 17, 2021.
Kyle Flanders, Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, said that providing food security is one of the many advantages of having a backyard garden. He said, “backyard gardens can be used to make sure that persons have nutritious meals or food at their fingertips”. Backyard gardens also seek to alleviate hunger and its side effects.
Mr. Flanders said that having a backyard garden seeks to minimize the onset of food insecurity. Due to job loss, some individuals may not be able to maintain a consistent supply of healthy and nutritious food to feed their families or have their eating patterns changed due to the lack of money. According to him, by engaging in the backyard garden competition, the individual can provide food for his or her family and by extension food for the country if there is a surplus.
Covid-19 and its impact on the changing lifestyles of the human population have contributed to the rise in mental distress for many. The panelists agreed that participation in the backyard garden competition is one way to minimize stress and thereby contributing to the mental well-being of the gardener.
Mrs. Therez Ambrose-Versailles, Tourism Research Officer in the Ministry of Tourism, in citing the findings of a study conducted by the International Association of Horticulture stated, “Farming in general increases life’s satisfaction, the quality of life and builds a sense of community”.
Through gardening, persons are exposed to a productive way to lessen their stress while reaping the benefits of maintaining physical fitness.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 18, 2021 (SKNIS): Thirty-seven (37) persons – 26 in vegetable and 11 in ornamental – are registered to participate in the 2021 National Backyard Garden Competition, an initiative by the Ministries of Tourism and Agriculture, aimed at encouraging more locally grown food.
During her appearance on Wednesday’s (February 17) edition of “Working for You” Shaline Welcome-Lewis, Community Tourism Officer said the competition, which was launched in October 2020, is designed to promote healthy eating, as well as to encourage persons to beautify their communities and homes.
“The project is to encourage the development of backyard gardening while increasing the awareness of healthier eating for persons with fresh daily consumption. We want to encourage locals to grow what they want to consume and with the economic impact that we would have all endured recently we want to ensure that persons can reduce their supermarket bills, they eat healthier and spend less,” said Mrs. Welcome-Lewis.
The competition will be judged on plant cultivation and health (40 points), layout (15 points), and environment (25 points). A bonus segment using drone footage will allow persons to score an extra five points.
Under plant cultivation and health, participants are required to implement and adopt creative measures, demonstrate proper use of the garden space, have healthy plants, as well as label plants properly so they can be easily identified, just to name a few.
Kyle Flanders, Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, said that the physical layout of the garden is an important component of the competition.
“We are going to look and see exactly how you decided to lay out your garden, where the footpaths are, and the organization of plants in the garden. We want to know if you are going to pair the plants properly and we want to know that you have clear, comfortable access to your overall garden,” said Mr. Flanders.
Mrs. Therez Ambrose-Versailles, Tourism Research Officer, stressed the use of recyclable materials as recycling can help to protect the environment.
“We want persons to utilize recyclable materials in their garden. We will be able to see the impact of the recycled materials used. [I want to see] the uniqueness when I enter your garden and what materials were used that I have never seen before. We want to have this wow factor when I enter your garden,” said Mrs. Ambrose-Versailles, adding that the sustainable aspect of the competition is important because “it is not about just gardening for a competition but to be able to feed yourself and your family.”
Participants hail from all around the island including St. Peter’s, Sandy Point, Half Way Tree, Old Road, and Newton Ground to name a few.
In the vegetable section, the top three competitors will be rewarded while the top two will be rewarded for ornamental. Some of the prizes include an irrigation system, wheelbarrow, gardening tool kit, plaque, basket, and gardening hose with control head.
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