Last Updated on July 27, 2022, 9:19 AM AST by Anthony Morris
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education of the Nevis Island Administration, Mr Kevin Barrett, is educating children on food security, urging people to eat more of the food grown locally. He said that it was the healthier choice. Additionally, consumption of locally grown food would encourage the farmers to grow more, because of which the country would not have to rely on imported food.
Mr Barrett made the remarks on Friday, July 22, during the closing ceremony of the Nevis Public Library’s 32nd Summer Environmental Awareness Programme.
The programme was held under the theme Our Country, Our People, Our Future, with the sub-theme Nourishment is Key to Food Security: Eat Food Grown Locally.
Eighty (80) children participated in the 32nd Summer Environmental Awareness Programme, which took place for two weeks. According to Chief Librarian Mrs Anatasia Parris-Morton, the first week had 40 children between the ages of five to eight years old, while the second week had 40 children between the ages of nine to twelve.
Permanent Secretary Barrett, while addressing the participants of the programme’s second week, lamented that Nevis has a lot of fruit trees and that while his generation used to eat a lot of the local fruits, the current generation is losing the taste of what the older generation experienced.
He said that is why his Ministry is trying to focus on getting the younger generation back to the taste of local foods and fruits and educating them on food security.
He assured his audience that whatever crop is grown locally is as healthy as the imported alternatives.
“We would encourage you to continue to eat locally. We encourage our cafeterias and school kitchens to focus on many local foods, which would enable our farmers to grow even more. He reasoned that if there were a ready market for their produce, they would be encouraged to grow more local food.
In his closing remarks, he thanked the Chief Librarian for putting together the event themed, Nourishment is Key to Food Security: Eat Food Grown Locally, and ensuring that the children of St Kitts and Nevis get an experience that would benefit them in the future.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
