Above: Dominica (CJ Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

With a growing food security problem,  more and more Caribbean countries are making a push to promote agriculture — and that extends to citizens’ backyards.

Dominica is the latest country to do so, with the launch of a Backyard Gardening Enhancement project in communities in the southern part of the island.

The project, which is the brainchild of the Ministries of Health and Agriculture, has dual aims: to improve nutrition and improe economic standards. It has launched in Boetica, Delices, Grand Fond, La Plaine and Riviere Cyrique.

It’s in part due to the results of a survey conducted in the 1990s by the Ministry of Health, which revealed nutrient deficiencies in several parts of the country.

“The launching of [the programme] when undertaken by villagers of the district will certainly enhance the livelihood in that their economic standard will improve,” said Dr Nebiyu Bekele, district medical officer for the area. “It will ensure sustainable food system and will lead to an improvement in their nutritional value.”

The project launched earlier this month to coincide with World Food Day.