On Monday, June 5, 2023, additional farming equipment and seeds were handed over to the Farm Skills Internship (FSI) program for distribution to its participants at the Orange Hill Biotechnology and Agriculture Centre.
The handover occurred during a site visit by employees from the Volcanic Eruption Emergency Project (VEEP) and the Ministry of National Mobilisation, Social Development, and Youth SVG.
Water boots, rakes, shovels, cutlasses, and buckets were provided, as were tomato, sweet pepper, cucumber, and lettuce seeds.
This three-month initiative is supported by the World Bank through the VEEP and coordinated by the Ministry of National Mobilisation, with assistance from the Ministries of Agriculture, Rural Transformation, Forestry and Fisheries – SVG and Economic Planning Division.
It will provide agricultural training in a variety of areas (for participants living in the red volcanic zone who were impacted by the April 2021 eruptions), including Introduction to Crop Farming, Seedling Production, Land Preparation, Greenhouse Establishment, and Livestock Management, among others.
The Economic Planning Division of the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning, and Information Technology is in charge of implementing the VEEP.