US university helps with St Thomas school garden

DURING MID-MAY, students from Temple University, USA, will be working with the White Horses Primary School in Roselle, St Thomas, to convert a greenhouse into a nursery, prepare beds, and plant crops. The initiatives are in keeping with the school's kitchen-garden project, which is part of the Ministry of Agriculture's National School-Garden Programme.

Launched in 2008, and being implemented by the Jamaica 4H Clubs with support from the Rural Agricultural Development Agency, the project aims to provide all public educational institutions with gardens, supply fresh food for school canteens, promote agriculture as a good career choice, and foster entrepreneurship.

In 2010, a group of Temple students helped to construct the greenhouse, which is now being upgraded. Temple, a major US university, has been entrenching itself in St Thomas since 2004, working in partnership with Edu-tourism, St Thomas, Jamaica, an NGO incorporated in the state of Pennsylvania, but headquartered in Yallahs, St Thomas.

This year's group is made up of 14 persons, including coordinator Gina D'Annunzio, and student representative Jessica Gray, who has Jamaican connections. The participating students are members of the university's leadership programme, which is driven by the principle of social justice.

Dr Nelson Keith, president of Edu-tourism, said that the intervention has the blessing of the local authorities, especially as it supports the development of the school-garden programme at the primary-school level. He said that a number of local Roselle farmers are also actively involved in the development.

"Temple University is really enthused that its students are participating in an initiative that will contribute to benefits at the national level," Keith said.