The Ministry of Agriculture has underscored its commitment to strengthen food nutrition
and security in Antigua Barbuda.
Senior Extension Officer, Mr. Owolabi Elabanjo said that the newly appointed Minister
of Agriculture, Fisheries and Barbuda Affairs, Hon. Samantha Marshall is supporting the
relaunch and rebranding of the Zero Hunger Challenge which is basically the Backyard
Gardening Program, to strengthen food nutrition and security in Antigua and Barbuda.
“The new Minister of Agriculture, the Hon Samantha Marshall has already instructed me
that she wants to relaunch and rebrand the zero hunger initiative which is the backyard gardening program and we agreed to that in a nut shell as soon as possible, so we are working on the new face of the zero hunger and back yard garden programme to re-start the process” stated Mr.
Elabanjo.
Antigua and Barbuda is one of the first countries to sign on to the Zero Hunger Challenge.
The challenge, issued by former Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon, aims for a future where every individual has adequate nutrition.
The Zero Hunger Challenge, is a sponsored program by the FAO (Food and Agriculture
Organization).
“The Zero Hunger Initiative is done in collaboration with the United Nations, SDG 4 (Sustainable Development Goal #4), food security, nutrition and livelihood so the backyard
gardening program is going to secure us closer to our food security for the families and homes to have better nutrition.”
Its five objectives are to make sure that everyone in the world has access to enough nutritious food all year long; to end childhood stunting; to build sustainable food systems; to
double the productivity and income of smallholder farmers, especially women, and to prevent
food from being lost or wasted.
The Agriculture Extension Division, with its renewed drive to improve every aspect of
agriculture, Mr. Elabanjo noted that continuously educating more farmers and homeowners
about the benefits of growing local is very important.
“So we’re being challenged in that sense to; how do we educate many more farmers to
grow what is best for the home and also work along with the Ministry of Health and other key agencies to ensure that this translates back to the home level for good eating, for good nutrition.” stated Mr. Elabanjo.
In addition, the senior extension officer said that the ministry will be encouraging farmers
to make use of the seeds which are generated by the Chinese agricultural team and grown
locally, as this will help to improve the variety of fruits and vegetables grown in Antigua in a
further effort to enhance food security.
Mr. Elabanjo also mentioned that there are plans to host a number of workshops starting
next month to display the work being done by the Chinese, Green Castle and Diamonds.
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