of an economic shock or natural disaster. Antigua and Barbuda has a long tradition of Environment launched in 2009, with assistance Both happened in 2008. Global food price backyard (or “kitchen”) gardens, used to grow from FAO, a National Food Production Plan. inflation led to steep increases in the local food for the family and a little extra for sharing As well as providing for the rehabilitation and cost of food, which accounts for almost half with friends and neighbours. But that tradition upgrading of agricultural infrastructure – such was in steady decline, as people shifted away as agricultural stations, laboratories, farm roads, of spending among the poorest households. from fruit and vegetables to processed foods and dams and wells – the plan called for action In October that year, Hurricane Omar diets rich in fat, sugar and salt. At the same time, to boost the contribution of traditional home brought floods that swept away farmland farming areas have been depopulated as rural gardens to national food security. and livestock, and caused heavy crop losses. residents drifted to the capital city, Saint John’s. Both events prompted the government to Almost 60 percent of the population now resides That initiative has grown into the National accelerate its plans for boosting the country’s in the districts of Saint John’s City and Saint Backyard Gardening Programme, which With a population of 90 000 and total annual food production, John’s Rural, and most of that “rural” population is managed by the Ministry’s Agricultural is likely to be engaged in urban pursuits. Extension Division. The programme is now including action to Gdp of some US$1.2 billion, the twin‑island Along with urbanization and the closing of active in all districts of the country, including state of Antigua and Barbuda ranks among promote traditional home the sugar industry, agriculture’s contribution to rural areas, with 2 500 registered households the world’s “high income non-Oecd” gardening. Six years later, the national GDP has slipped to just 2 percent, participating. Including members of those countries. But it also has one of the highest the National Backyard dwarfed by the tourism and banking sectors. households, the programme currently benefits rates of income inequality in the Caribbean. Gardening Programme Less than 3 percent of the labour force works directly an estimated 7 500 people. A study in 2007 found that 28 percent of the produces 280 tonnes of vegetables annually in agriculture. Farming suffers from intense Backyard farmers are encouraged to register competition for land from housing and tourism with the Ministry of Agriculture so they can GROWING country’s population was indigent, poor or and is seen as key to achieving “zero hunger” GROWING GREENER development, a lack of year-round production access support services on request. Support GREENER CITIES IN LATIN at risk of falling into poverty in the event in Antigua and Barbuda. CITIES IN LATIN AMERICA and processing technologies, and adverse includes the advice of eight technical officers AMERICA AND THE AND THE CARIBBEAN environmental conditions, including chronic and six community facilitators, as well as the CARIBBEAN water shortages and widespread deforestation. supply of vegetable seeds, seedlings, fruit trees 30 Although horticulture is now the dominant and inputs, free of charge or at minimal cost. 31 ANTIGUA agricultural activity, in 2008 it was meeting In 2011, the programme distributed fertilizer ANTIGUA AND AND BARBUDA barely more than a quarter of local demand. The and 250 000 assorted vegetable seedlings to BARBUDA country’s bill for imported fruit and vegetables backyard farmers. It has also introduced modern, rose from US$4 million in 2000 to US$12.8 million productivity-enhancing technologies, such as drip in 2008, when the volume of imported vegetables irrigation, vermicomposting, shade houses, and reached more than 5 200 tonnes. That year, local microgardening in cut drums and on table pallets. vegetable production was just 2 000 tonnes. The number of backyard gardeners has grown The impact of food price inflation and along with the effects of the global economic Hurricane Omar in 2008 underscored the recession, which has reduced local employment vulnerability of Antigua and Barbuda’s food opportunities and incomes. The participant base system to external shocks. To strengthen the now includes religious organizations, community country’s food producing capacity, the Ministry groups, schools, para-military services and of Agriculture, Lands, Housing and the prisons. There is no class distinction among

essian M illes G in brief: ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA participants, who include lawyers, doctors, the production of seedlings, and grafting trees. Thanks to the National Backyard pilots, accountants, nurses, civil servants As well as promoting vegetable gardening, the Gardening Programme, almost and businessmen. But there is a clear gender Extension Division encourages poultry keeping in 10 percent of Antigua and dimension: home gardening is dominated by schools and apiculture in backyards. Barbuda’s population eat women, who outnumber male gardeners by more The National Food Production Plan and home-grown food. The target than 3 to 1. As regards family size, 55 percent the Backyard Gardening Programme have is to harvest 1 800 tonnes of of registrants have from one to three family considerably improved Antigua and Barbuda’s vegetables a year in citizens’ members, and 43 percent from four to six. Only food security. Vegetable production in rural areas backyards. 2 percent of the registrations came from families reached 3 200 tonnes in 2012, an increase of more of more than six persons. than 60 percent since 2008. Over that period, The gardens are used to grow traditional local urban and peri-urban production grew even more vegetables, such as eggplant, cucumbers, okra, rapidly, from 500 to 900 tonnes. thyme and chives, as well as tropical crops that Backyard gardens accounted for about are also imported, such as tomatoes, carrots, 280 tonnes, or 7 percent of the country’s sweet peppers, onions and cabbage. Most vegetable production. Another 620 tonnes came vegetables are consumed fresh, with little or from peri-urban vegetable growers who have no processing, although hot peppers are often expanded their acreages and, thanks to the use 1 In the capital, Saint John’s, from top-left, clockwise: Students of the Princess Margaret School show off poultry and eggs, produced in their chicken shed; one of sundried or refrigerated, okra and spinach are of improved seed, integrated pest management the city’s vegetable growers with celery that she sells at the public market; officials blanched, and fruit is processed into drinks. and packaging, are supplying lettuce, spinach help children start their own vegetable garden at the Mary E. Piggot Primary The amount of land being used for backyard and other high-value crops to hotels and GROWING School; backyard horticulture along Fort Road, northern Saint John’s. GROWING GREENER gardening cannot be easily quantified. Most supermarkets, and making high-volume sales in GREENER CITIES IN LATIN CITIES IN LATIN AMERICA gardens are very small, ranging from 1 to public markets. AMERICA AND THE AND THE CARIBBEAN 10 sq m, and many producers grow vegetables Home vegetable production is also seen as a CARIBBEAN in recycled containers of various shapes and food security bulwark in case of extreme weather 32 2 At the Hawksbill Bay hotel, the sizes. However, using an average productivity events. When Hurricane Earl struck Antigua in 33 ANTIGUA project held a display of locally grown coefficient, the Extension Division calculates August 2010, flooding “drowned” large fields of ANTIGUA AND pumpkin, cabbage, cassava and yam. 1 AND BARBUDA that urban and peri-urban gardening occupies a vegetables in rural areas and caused crop losses of BARBUDA land area equivalent to about 20 ha. around 20 percent. However, backyard production 2 Of the 2 500 households engaged in backyard was not significantly affected, since home gardens gardening, more than two-thirds consume are smaller in size, more intensively managed and most of what they grow, and give some away to quick to regenerate. friends, colleagues and neighbours. The main Backyard gardening is now so popular that the benefits are savings on food purchases, and government has designated 21 April the official improved household nutritional status. Around National Backyard Garden Day. Government 650 also use their gardens as a source of income, support to urban and peri-urban agriculture is by selling produce at local markets and shops. included in the National Food and Nutrition 3 Home production has also created jobs in the Security Policy, the National Poverty Reduction processing of produce into sauces, jams and jellies, Strategy, the National Economic and Social

km 10

3 An extensionist visits a backyard gardener who grows thyme, a favourite in Caribbean cuisine, on tables in the southern town of Falmouth. Backyard gardens accounted for about 280 tonnes, or 7 percent of the country’s vegetable production Photographs: Owolabi Elabanjo (1,2), Julius Ross (3) S /IP

Zero hunger by 2015 n introduce improved production and post-harvest igital w Antigua and Barbuda’s backyard gardens play a key role D technologies. The country’s Bendal agricultural ian in an ambitious plan to achieve “zero hunger” in the Bro station needs upgrading in order to increase the Br nd

country by 2015. Launched in February 2013, the plan o mass production of seedlings for distribution. A takes up UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Zero esm

Hunger Challenge, which calls for action to ensure, D supply of small tractors would also help larger- worldwide, 100 percent access to adequate food all year scale, peri-urban horticulture. round, zero stunting among children of less than two One of the major challenges to the years, 100 percent growth in small farmer productivity and income, the sustainability of all food systems, and programme’s sustainability is access to resources, zero loss or waste of food. especially for vulnerable families. While there are The plan, which was prepared jointly by the credit institutions that lend to farmers, borrowers Government of Antigua and Barbuda, FAO and four need collateral, which low-income families have other UN and intergovernmental organizations, aims at eliminating hunger and extreme poverty in the island very little of. state within two years. Its strategy is to strengthen and There is also a need for community education diversify the agriculture sector, improve the nutrition in the use of greywater on vegetables, which is and health status of the population, expand social not a common practice. Since water is a scarce protection, create employment and income generating opportunities for the poor, and ensure good governance and expensive resource in Antigua and Barbuda, A couple admire their home garden in Saint John’s of hunger and poverty programmes. t it is important to reduce growers’ dependency backyard gardening is seen as a “critical element” r ha on the domestic supply through small-scale

in increasing food availability at the household level. ein Transformation Plan and, most recently, the Zero greywater recycling. The plan is expanding the scale of the programme, M with special focus on women and youth. Community Hunger Challenge Plan of Action (see page 34). Because most of the crops grown in backyards ang GROWING facilitators are working with extension officers in six GROWING

GREENER lfg The national Medical Benefit Scheme, with are consumed fresh, training is also needed in GREENER

CITIES IN LATIN backyard gardening demonstration centres, where o CITIES IN LATIN AMERICA W the assistance of the Ministry of Agriculture, food safety and in integrated pest management, AMERICA AND THE vulnerable households are trained in establishing AND THE CARIBBEAN backyard plots and the use of technologies such as drip has launched “Grow what you eat”, a school to eliminate the use of synthetic pesticide. In CARIBBEAN irrigation and microgardening. The plan also calls for gardening programme that is now active in four addition, there are problems in post-harvest starting vegetable gardens in Antigua and Barbuda’s primary schools. management and storage, which lead to high food 34 33 schools, and including produce from backyard and 35 ANTIGUA losses. ANTIGUA AND school gardens in the national school meals programme, AND BARBUDA which provides meals daily for 3 000 students. The government has set a target of producing Finally, creating networks of gardeners would BARBUDA at least 1 800 tonnes of vegetables annually help them to share experiences, technology and in citizens’ backyards. In order to do so, the information, and to organize group visits to see programme will need to be considerably expanded what others are doing and how to make home- and to draw on the lessons learned so far. level innovations more sustainable. Among Continued government support is crucial. priorities for future development, therefore, is the Backyard agriculture needs to be factored into formation of a backyard producers’ association, the national budget so that it is included in which would assist them in sourcing inputs and allocations made for the provision of services marketing output cooperatively. Farming areas have been depopulated as rural residents drift to the capital, Saint John’s (top). While Antigua and Barbuda is to agriculture as a whole. Funds are needed known as a yachtsman’s paradise, in 2007 some 28 percent of to increase the supply of material inputs, its population was indigent, poor or at risk of falling into poverty such as seed and irrigation systems, and to

Training is needed in integrated pest management to eliminate the use of synthetic pesticide