JEMS hosts joint workshop on ecological farming today

The JEMS Progressive Community Organisation is teaming up with two other entities to organise a workshop at the Stubbs Primary School on July,18, to promote ecological farming among households of participating communities along the south-east of the mainland. JEMS is organising the workshop in collaboration with the Richmond Vale Academy and the South East Development Inc (SEDI) as part of its Climate Change Adaptation initiative in celebration of its 45th anniversary, a release from the organisation states.

The release notes that the high cost production of quality, nutritional food, and the high incidence of pesticides utilised in the agriculture industry in St Vincent and the Grenadines, have contributed to the increase in cancers and other lifestyle related diseases. The organisations are therefore promoting the ecological farming initiative as a vehicle to market the production of high-quality sustainable foods by householders to boost food security and overall well being.

“Climate change is a devastating problem impacting the lives of residents of these communities. The benefit of the ecological farming project is to ensure food security and climate change adaptation” said Stina Herberg, director of outreach at the Richmond Vale Academy

It is hoped that the workshop will enhance the knowledge base of participants on the impacts of climate change on food production, and provide ideas for the development of a climate friendly approach to the practice of agriculture through ecological farming by each household within the community.

The workshop will be facilitated by Dr Andrew Simmons, Climate Change specialist and director of sustainable development of JEMS, and Stina Herberg, director of outreach, Richmond Vale Academy. The workshop,which begins at 6:15 p.m, is open to farmers, youth and women, community leaders and heads of households from the area.