School Agriculture Program continues, 16 Farms Running

By Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

#TurksandCaicos, March 6, 2023 – The TCI is advancing in its quest for better food security with over a dozen school farms now set up across the islands.  Washington Misick, TCI Premier made the announcement in his State of The State Address last Monday, February 27th.

“My government takes the matter of food security very seriously.  The pandemic and recent supply chain issues is a wakeup call,” he said.

Thanks to that ‘wake-up call’ the PNP government said 16 gardens across the country had been set up.  The project which was the brainchild of the former PDM administration was revitalized by the government and began officially in April 2022. The Ministries of Education and Tourism partnered on the project which initially engaged 15 public schools and two private institutions.

“Our aim is to teach sustainability, responsibility and entrepreneurship in schools. Our hope is students will become self-sufficient, self-reliant, and value team and collaborative work with the end goal of developing and promoting the field of Agricultural Science,” the government had said.

In addition to the farms, the government has:

• Provided farmers with grants to upgrade their farms;
• Provided hurricane relief grants to farmers after Fiona, a first for the country;
• Removed all import duties on farm vehicles and;
• Opened the first farmers’ market in the TCI, a project started by the PDM and completed by the PNP.