The Ministry of Agriculture formally launched the Backyard Gardening (BYG) Competition this week as an initiative that is aimed squarely at reducing the country’s dependence on imported food.
In his feature address, Minister of Agriculture, Anthony Smith Jr., announced that the competition is now re-branded under the “Plant2Plate Antigua and Barbuda Initiative”. The Minister highlighted the country’s vulnerability arising from heavy reliance on imported food and underscored the need for proactive measures to strengthen local food production systems. He explained that the theme for this year’s progamme, “Homegrown Today, Food Secured Tomorrow,” captures the essence of the initiative – transforming backyards into productive spaces that support families, communities, and the national economy
The Minister further announced enhanced incentives and prize money for participants and introduced a new optional component, the “Cook What You Grow” Culinary Showcase. This additional category allows participants to prepare and present dishes using produce harvested from their home gardens, reinforcing the full Plate2Plate concept from production to consumption while celebrating innovation and culinary creativity.
Permanent Secretary Walter Christopher, who spoke at the launch, said backyard and community gardening function as a form of social protection. He explained that household food production provides an economic buffer during period of economic uncertainty and global food price spikes. The PS noted that this is highly commendable, while emphasizing that the overarching goal is for every household in the twin-island state to establish a backyard garden as he revealed that to date, more than 600 households have already registered.
Director of Agriculture Gregory Bailey provided an overview of the project by outlining the scope and intent of the competition, positioning it as a practical, household-level intervention designed to boost local food production, encouraged participation across communities and build long term resilience. According to the Director from as early as 2008 this initiative was introduced and by 2015 there was approximately 450 backyard gardeners on record. “Today, the Agricultural Extension Division manages a database of nearly 700 active, registered gardeners. Backyard gardening has evolved into a structured, nationally recognized movement, celebrated each year on April 21st as “National Backyard Garden Day”.
