Monday, July 13, 2009

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Fruits of our labor By THEA RUTHERFORD ~ Guardian National Correspondent ~ thea@nasguard.com: Growing up the son of farmers, the love of cultivation bloomed naturally in Ian Fernander. Now his love of the soil manifests itself in the vegetable and herb plants and fruit trees he has planted throughout his backyard. The list of Fernander's garden crops reads like the offerings of a farmer's market: Guavas, mangos, papayas, bananas, avocadoes, plantains, thyme, rosemary, parsley, sage, beets, carrots, garlic and onions. "It's very relaxing," said Fernander of tending a garden he said also feeds his creative instinct. The administration manager at the a bank institution, Fernander was one of a number of gardeners who attended a Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources Backyard Farming workshop held recently. "I like to create, to get something out of nothing, and gardening gives you a feeling that you have nothing and then you get something out of it," he said. Fernander's sentiments more than likely ring true for the hundreds of people who have signed up for a series of backyard farming workshops hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources since September 2008. The brainchild of Agriculture and Marine Resources Minister Larry Cartwright, the backyard farming initiative was established last year as a means of encouraging urbanites to grow as many of their own fruits and vegetables as their backyards would allow. What began as an initiative soon became the project that has now morphed into a full-fledged program. "It became very popular very quickly," said Revis Rolle, administrator/undersecretary at the Ministry. Even without advertisement in the media, the program grew rapidly through word-of-mouth. "We realized that if we advertise it, we will not be able to keep up with the demand," said Rolle. Over 1,300 people have attended backyard farming workshops like the one Fernander attended. Rolle said that the Ministry estimates that at least 80 percent of the nearly 100 people who attend each workshop go on to start their own gardens. As a result, they have further estimated that almost 300 acres of fruits and vegetables have been planted since the sessions began. "Whereas it may seem very minuscule, we believe that it can make an inroad and it will show in our food bill because currently, The Bahamas is spending over $500 million every year for food imports. The desire of Minister Cartwright and that of the government of The Bahamas is to make sure that The Bahamas becomes more self sufficient." Though Family Islanders have made requests for similar workshops, the backyard farming sessions are held only in New Providence and Grand Bahama at the moment. A minimum of two workshops are held each month and are facilitated by agriculturalists at the Ministry. Basil Miller, a senior agriculture officer, conducted the workshop held at the Central Bank last week. In the no-nonsense tone of a drill sergeant, Miller gave instructions on how to develop and care for a backyard garden in the workshop's slide presentation and question and answer format. Near the end of a session that ran for about 90 minutes, he also demonstrated the use of the Ministry-recommended drip irrigation system. "We find that the drip system is the most conservative and direct way of watering plants," Miller said in an earlier interview. "You're not wasting any water . . . We found out through studies that one of the worst ways to water plants is by sprinkler because you can have a 91-degree Fahrenheit day and you turn on your sprinklers and you wet the leaves of the vegetables, and the sun hits those wet leaves and scalds them, hence you get a burn on the leaf. It's an injury." The system is one of a handful of items, including six varieties of seeds, Pro-mix, 50 feet of drip tape and a Persian Lime tree, that gardeners can purchase from the Ministry for $20 in a start-up kit. An accompanying Backyard Farming guide costs $10. By the end of sessions that include information on garden site selection, recognition of pests and friendly insects, organic forms of pest control (Miller recommends cracking egg shells around the perimeter of your garden to keep snails out) and plant nutrition, Miller hopes to teach people that agriculture is an applied science. "They walk away with a whole different understanding of what it is to farm, whether it's in a garden or whether it's on a large acreage," he said. "It's not about having a green thumb, it's about having knowledge." For more information on Backyard Farming or on when the next workshop will be held, call the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources at 325-7502/9. BACKYARD GARDENING TIPS Make economic use of available space Savings Provide family with healthy, nutritious, fresh fruits, vegetables and cooking herbs Exercise Recreation Relaxation and quiet time to think and relieve stress Pleasure Develop and improve family relationships Build pride and community spirit in the neighborhood Promote love of plants Tuesday, July 7, 2009