The project where the Gilbert Agricultural and Rural Development (GARD) Centre is providing funding for neighbouring schools to undertake hydroponic initiatives is now into the second phase at the Pares Secondary School.
On Tuesday, Executive Director of the GARD Centre, June Jackson, was on hand as students and agricultural science teachers at the school officially launched the system where recycled water is being used to produce lettuce.
“This is the second phase of the project that we launched several weeks ago where a donor agency provided the funds to install the systems at the Pares Secondary, Glanville’s Secondary and prisoners involved the rehabilitation programme. Today, we are now going to see the hydroponic unit being put into use with the assistance of Adrian Bowen, the facilitator who conducted the training on how to construct the system from the ground up,” she remarked.
Jackson reminded the students of the importance of monitoring the system and the need for record-keeping as this is part of the project and one of the requirements of the ministry of agriculture.
Agricultural Science teacher, Andrea Edwards-Browne explained that one of the requirements for inclusion in the project was that the students had to be intimately involved in all phases of the project. “We got our students from third to fifth form together and went off to GARD Centre for training so that we could be part of technology in agriculture, this hydroponic system. We are proud that Pares Secondary is one of the first schools on the island to have a working hydroponic system that has been gifted to us by the GARD Centre and the donor agency, GIF,” she stated.
Principal of the school, Letitia Lawrence, who signed the agreement on behalf of the school when the project was launched earlier, expressed her appreciation to the GARD Centre for the gift of the hydroponics unit. “It is not only going to be a tool, it also symbolizes progress, it’s a symbol of innovation, it’s an avenue through which we see our students being equipped with vital tools and skills that will enable them to engage in a fast-paced changing world of technology and innovating so we are very grateful to the GARD Centre and to GIF for this initiative,” she emphasized.
Representative from the Ministry of Agriculture, Carol-Faye George, offered words of encouragement to the students to continue to work along with the agricultural science teachers as the country moves towards achieving food security and food sovereignty.
Project Facilitator, Adrian Bowen said it is important that there are structures in place to accommodate teaching agricultural science in the schools. He said the hydroponic system serves that purpose.
