Port of Spain, Trinidad. July 4th, 2018: The Laventille/Morvant Future Growers’ Project – Agri Fair, was held on July 4^th at the Chinapoo primary school Morvant where students sold their produce to patrons, grown from their hydroponic systems set up in participating schools.  The Project was a collaboration between Angostura Limited, the MP for Laventille East/Morvant’s constituency office, the UWI’s Food & Agriculture faculty and the NGO W.A.N.D.  MP Adrian Leonce was in attendance, addressing the gathering and taking the time to meet the children and view the hydroponic system at the school.   

The fair was the culmination of the Project which was formed in mid-2017.  The objective of the Project was to teach children at primary school level the financial and health benefits that can be gained by growing their own food at home.  After some instructions on how to care for and maintain the units, the UWI team set up hydroponic systems in 8 primary schools in the area last month and a variety of lettuce and patchoi seedlings were transplanted into the systems.   

Several schools had already reaped their crops, which grew beyond everyone’s expectations.  These were sold or given away to teachers and the children, and the revenue generated was used to purchase new seedlings.  At least two schools were able to sell more produce at the Agri Fair and the students who attended were able to see some of the other ways to grow produce as there were several displays by the following organisations – PCS Nitrogen, Caribbean Chemicals, FT Farfan, WHYFarm, NAMDEVCO and the UWI Faculty of Food and Agriculture. Other sponsors were Nestle Orchard, Blue Waters, Angostura LLB and The Scotiabank.  

Angostura is pleased to have been a part of this effort to teach children the value and benefits of learning to grow their own food, both from a health and a financial perspective and encourage others to follow.