Zero Hunger Initiative

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Thursday, 28 February 2013 02:30

By Delana Isles

Antigua St. John's - Residents of the Villa community are being invited out to a meeting with officials of the Agriculture Ministry and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) this evening to discuss how they can help the agencies help them in their efforts to eradicate hunger from the twin island state.

This is the first round in a series of meetings the Ministry and its partner agencies will be undertaking in its Zero Hunger programme which it officially signed on to last week with the FAO and the  Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA).

The first phase of the programme has been identified as the backyard gardening programme whereby the three agencies will first conduct discussions with residents at the Villa Primary School at 7pm this evening and again at the Green Bay Primary on Friday, March 1, at 7pm.

Extension Officer within the Ministry of Agriculture, Owalabi Elabanjo told Caribarena that he hopes persons come out and listen to what the officials have to say and hopefully they can work together to help make food more accessible.

“The programme aims at self sustenance initially and then based on viability, persons can branch off and provide enough to sustain their families economically”, Elabanjo explained.

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“We are going to offer all materials that is necessary for production; seedlings, fertilizer, irrigation equipment, watering cans or water hoses depending on the need and with the irrigation system, we will try to restore it as well, so we set you up nicely.”

He added that in cases where persons may need protective covers for their sheds; they will provide the required materials. “ depending on when we come to your yard and what you already have and what we can give you for fair use.”

Elabanjo said, “It is very important that people should attend , especially with this programme, we are trying to ensure that everybody in Antigua is fed and not just fed, but they are fed with nutritious food.”

The Zero Hunger Challenge was given by United Nations Secretary General, and so far Antigua and Barbuda is the only Caribbean country that has implemented the programme.

FAO Regional Director designate JR Deep Ford thanked the Minister for his leadership, and commitment to the implementation of the Zero Hunger initiative in the country.

The initiative has five areas of work; three of which are being launched immediately. These include home-based gardens, school feeding programmes and social protection. Another very critical part of the programme is governance and employment creation.

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