Budding Farmers Jamaica, the newest Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries-endorsed initiative to promote farming among children, has successfully staged its first in-person summer grow camp two years after executing the program online.
For three weeks in July, participants, ages 3-12, were engaged in exciting activities to develop their understanding of the environment and promote food security at the camp held on Molynes Road in St Andrew.
Founder/Director Grace Henry said a visit from Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Pearnel Charles Jr set the tone for the activities and brought out the enthusiasm of the young participants.
"The minister engaged with them and gave them a charge to become advocates for positive change and for promoting food security wherever they go, in schools, churches, homes, or even communities. He explained to them that now more than ever, we need to 'Grow Smart and Eat Smart', which is the ministry's national campaign theme," she told JIS News.
Earlier this year, Minister Charles announced in Parliament that Budding Farmers would be taken into schools, for a one-year pilot, with the aim of introducing children at the early-childhood and primary levels to the fundamentals, business, and technology of farming.
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