RADA invites private sector support for Backyard Gardening Programme

The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) is encouraging private-sector support for the Backyard Gardening Programme.

Under the initiative, kits containing seeds, fertiliser, chemicals and tools such as small forks and shovels, as well as information, are provided to interested persons across the island, to support planting.

Chief executive officer at RADA, Winston Simpson, says the entity wants to increase the number of kits available but needs support to do so, noting that the demand for kits exceeds the 3,000 that are available.

“For the future, we are looking to expand these kits where we include a watering can and any other things that are needed. Right now, we are concentrating on the basics but, depending on the support we get, we can expand the kits,” Simpson said.“We are using this opportunity to invite partners to join us in making more kits available because the demand is greater every time than our resources. As such, we would like some public-private-sector partnerships. We invite any private-sector entity that wants to come on board to assist us in making this programme have more longevity,” he added.

Simpson also encouraged individuals who receive the kits to make the best use of the resources. He noted that the kits are provided to persons who apply on “a first-come first-served scenario”.

The Backyard Gardening Programme was created to enable residents in urban and peri-urban areas to grow vegetables and herbs in small spaces within their backyards or community spaces.

The programme continues to be an integral component of the New FACE of Food initiative, which focuses on addressing the island’s food insecurity.

The agency views the initiative as ‘important for the well-being and survival of Jamaicans, by cultivating a variety of crops to ensure immediate access to fresh and nutritious food’.

Details on the Backyard Gardening Programme are available at RADA’s website at rada.gov.jm.

JIS