In seeking to reduce the Food Import Bill, the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines continues to encourage Vincentians to buy and eat local.
Traditionally, backyard gardening was the method of subsistence used to supply households with an assorted bundle of groceries, including fruits, vegetables, condiments and spices.
In SVG, the Rural Transformation Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture is leading the drive to build awareness of the advantages of home gardening.
The RTU says one of the ways citizens can reduce the food import bill is through home gardening.
Agricultural Instructor, Catherine Bonadie-John of the Extension and Advisory Services of the Ministry of Agriculture, is collaborating with Rural Transformation Unit to work with a group of homeowners in 2022.
Mrs Bonadie-John will advise homeowners on using compost (dead leaves, peeling from the kitchen, lawn cuttings, remaining debris after crop harvesting and animal waste) as mulch and to build and maintain soil fertility.
The Ministry of Agriculture will provide sound technical advice and assistance with linkages to provide the use of hand tractors, organic manure and seedlings.
The Agriculture Ministry stated that home gardens provide an excellent outlet for much-needed physical exercise and raise the consciousness of many persons to the quality of foods they consume.
