Green Island Primary embraces ‘Grow What You Eat, Eat What You Grow’ campaign
Published:Monday | March 10, 2025 | 12:06 AMBryan Miller/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
More than 500 students and teachers at Green Island Primary School in Hanover have embraced the national campaign, ‘Grow What You Eat, Eat What You Grow’, by launching a container vegetable garden on their school grounds.
The initiative – spearheaded by the school’s 4-H Club, environmental club, teachers, and student volunteers – has received strong backing from Grand Palladium Hotels Jamaica and the Hanover branch of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA). The garden took root during a dedicated workday at the school last Thursday.
Principal Vaccianna Moseley expressed optimism about the project’s long-term success, noting that a previous school garden had thrived but was discontinued due to a lack of resources. With renewed support from Grand Palladium and RADA, he believes this effort will be more sustainable.
“The entire student body, the PTA, and the board of management are extremely grateful to Palladium Hotels and RADA for this assistance,” Moseley said.
“This project is about more than just feeding students – it’s an educational tool. We want children to appreciate agriculture, understand self-sufficiency, and learn how to care for plants while developing patience and responsibility.”
The produce from the garden will be incorporated into the school’s feeding programme, ensuring fresher, healthier meals for students.
Mitzie Smart, Social Responsibility Manager at Grand Palladium Hotel Jamaica, highlighted that the initiative aligns with the hotel’s quarterly community outreach programmes.
“Each quarter, we focus on a different area – environment, the elderly, vulnerable adults, and children,” Smart explained.
“This school garden fulfills our environmental objective for the first quarter. We appreciate RADA’s contribution, including seedlings and technical guidance, as well as the support from the local community.”
Grand Palladium invested approximately J$600,000 in the project, underscoring its commitment to giving back to the Jamaican people, who have supported the hotel for the past 16 years.
RADA’s Lennice Nelson, an agricultural extension officer for Green Island, provided technical assistance to ensure the project’s sustainability.
“School gardens teach children that agriculture is fun, rewarding, and something they can be passionate about,” Nelson said. “We want to encourage more youth involvement in agriculture, and initiatives like this will help make that possible.”
RADA donated a variety of seedlings, including cabbage, lettuce, pak choi, watermelon, cucumber, sweet pepper, tomatoes, and herbal plants.
With this renewed focus on agriculture, Green Island Primary School is not only cultivating crops but also nurturing a generation that values sustainability, responsibility, and self-sufficiency.