{"id":265376,"date":"2026-01-27T13:32:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T17:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=265376"},"modified":"2026-01-27T13:32:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T17:32:10","slug":"newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/","title":{"rendered":"Newton Urges Residents to Return to Backyard Farming"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n
\n\n\n\n

Newton Urges Public to Return to Backyard Farming<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Senator Lamin Newton<\/strong>, the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) caretaker for All Saints East and St. Luke, is urging residents to return to backyard farming, warning that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the country\u2019s vulnerability to food shortages and overreliance on imports.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Speaking on The Morning Point<\/em> programme, Newton said the pandemic demonstrated how quickly global supply chains can collapse, leaving small island states at risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCOVID taught us a very, very, very damning lesson,\u201d Newton said. \u201cNo one would have ever thought, in their wireless imagination, that the world would have come to a complete stop. But we saw it. We lived it.\u201d<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

He said the experience underscored the importance of local food production, noting that sustenance is fundamental to survival.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe first and most important thing in life is sustenance,\u201d Newton said. \u201cAnd if you can\u2019t do that, you cannot survive, you cannot exist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Newton said many people initially embraced backyard farming during the pandemic but abandoned the practice once normal conditions returned.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverybody wanted a backyard garden when it was COVID,\u201d he said. \u201cSince then, that has just gone to sleep. Nobody wants to do it anymore because we\u2019re back in a state of comfort.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He warned that comfort could again be disrupted by global events and urged the public to take proactive steps.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith all the geopolitics that we\u2019re seeing now and what\u2019s happening across the world, you never know,\u201d Newton said. \u201cWe should find ourselves in a place where local produce should be able to sustain us a month or two until things get back to normal.\u201d<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Newton encouraged residents to use whatever land is available to them, even small backyard spaces, to grow food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGet a piece of land, even if it\u2019s in your backyard, produce something,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said food security should be viewed as a matter of survival rather than convenience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA lot of people laughed,\u201d Newton said, recalling earlier calls for local production. \u201cHowever, the first and most important thing in life is sustenance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Newton Urges Public to Return to Backyard Farming Senator Lamin Newton, the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) caretaker for All Saints East and St. Luke, is urging residents to return to backyard farming, warning that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the country\u2019s vulnerability to food shortages and overreliance on imports. Speaking on The Morning Point […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":239100,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-265376","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nNewton Urges Residents to Return to Backyard Farming - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Newton Urges Residents to Return to Backyard Farming\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Newton Urges Public to Return to Backyard Farming Senator Lamin Newton, the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) caretaker for All Saints East and St. Luke, is urging residents to return to backyard farming, warning that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the country\u2019s vulnerability to food shortages and overreliance on imports. Speaking on The Morning Point […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Antigua News Room\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-27T17:32:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-27T17:32:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_3638.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1086\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"570\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Editor\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\"},\"headline\":\"Newton Urges Residents to Return to Backyard Farming\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-27T17:32:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-27T17:32:10+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/\"},\"wordCount\":356,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1086\/h:570\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_3638.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/\",\"name\":\"Newton Urges Residents to Return to Backyard Farming - Antigua News Room\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1086\/h:570\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_3638.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-27T17:32:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-27T17:32:10+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1086\/h:570\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_3638.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1086\/h:570\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_3638.jpg\",\"width\":1086,\"height\":570,\"caption\":\"Newton\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Newton Urges Residents to Return to Backyard Farming\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"name\":\"Antigua News Room\",\"description\":\"News As It Happens\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Antigua Newsroom\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"width\":1260,\"height\":1260,\"caption\":\"Antigua Newsroom\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\",\"name\":\"Editor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"caption\":\"Editor\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Newton Urges Residents to Return to Backyard Farming - Antigua News Room","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Newton Urges Residents to Return to Backyard Farming","og_description":"Newton Urges Public to Return to Backyard Farming Senator Lamin Newton, the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) caretaker for All Saints East and St. Luke, is urging residents to return to backyard farming, warning that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the country\u2019s vulnerability to food shortages and overreliance on imports. Speaking on The Morning Point […]","og_url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/","og_site_name":"Antigua News Room","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","article_published_time":"2026-01-27T17:32:09+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-27T17:32:10+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1086,"height":570,"url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_3638.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Editor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_site":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Editor","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/"},"author":{"name":"Editor","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5"},"headline":"Newton Urges Residents to Return to Backyard Farming","datePublished":"2026-01-27T17:32:09+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-27T17:32:10+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/"},"wordCount":356,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1086\/h:570\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_3638.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/","name":"Newton Urges Residents to Return to Backyard Farming - Antigua News Room","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1086\/h:570\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_3638.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-27T17:32:09+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-27T17:32:10+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1086\/h:570\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_3638.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1086\/h:570\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_3638.jpg","width":1086,"height":570,"caption":"Newton"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/newton-urges-residents-to-return-to-backyard-farming\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Newton Urges Residents to Return to Backyard Farming"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","name":"Antigua News Room","description":"News As It Happens","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization","name":"Antigua Newsroom","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","width":1260,"height":1260,"caption":"Antigua Newsroom"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5","name":"Editor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","caption":"Editor"},"url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265376","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=265376"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265376\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":265377,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265376\/revisions\/265377"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/239100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=265376"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=265376"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=265376"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}