JEMS youth and adults focus on backyard gardening

More than two dozen JEMS youth and adults from a dozen communities got first-hand views of the elements of backyard gardening during a three-day workshop, August 17 – 19.{{more}}

In keeping with the theme “Sustainable Living through Backyard Gardening,” the goal of the SVG Helping Hands-sponsored project was to encourage participants to devote a small plot of their land to a backyard gardening project.

Workshop participants visited three different sites to learn technical and practical aspects of composting, crop research and the distribution of seedlings and young plants to farmers. Field trip destinations included the composting area of the Diamond Landfill, the Agricultural Research Station at Rivulet and the Taiwanese Technical Mission Vegetable Greenhouse Nursery at Orange Hill.

Although many JEMS members are already growing crops and herbs in their backyards, others seemed surprised at the large number of root and above ground crops, and fruit-bearing trees that can be cultivated just outside their back doors.

In addition to backyard gardening, the field trips introduced participants to the science behind the cultivation of crops, solid waste management, the process of compacting metals for re-use and sewage treatment. Wildlife protection also found a place on the agenda with a viewing of the “Wild T and T” video about biodiversity in the Caribbean.

“It’s nearly impossible to talk about one aspect of environmental responsibility without mentioning others,” noted JEMS President Rhonda Lee.

“In the end, we covered a lot of ground, both topically and geographically “ Lee added, noting that the group not only covered a broad range of relevant environmental topics, but the Windward side of the island from Enhams to Orange Hill.

In the coming months, JEMS members will visit the backyard gardens that were established as a result of this project.