Blackman and Gollop Primary students have fun learning experience on World Food Day
By Sheria Brathwaite
Students at the Blackman and Gollop Primary School commemorated World Food Day on Monday with a fun and educating activity.
In partnership with the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS), the Staple Grove, Christ Church school hosted a livestock exhibit.
They got the opportunity to learn about a variety of animals such as cows, sheep, chickens, ducks, goats and rabbits. It was also an up close and personal experience as many of them got to hold and pet the animals, and even milk one of the goats.
The students were visibly thrilled to see the animals and showed no fear in touching them.
Chief executive officer of the BAS James Paul complimented the school for being open to outdoor forms of education.
“It is extremely important that we are aware of the importance of agriculture and the importance of helping people to understand how it plays a role in providing food to the nation. We talk constantly about things about food security and it is important that everybody gets involved in the whole discussion when it comes to food security,” he said.
“It’s not just about the officials or whoever. It is the extent to which other parts of the community can play a role in doing so and . . . develop some type of empathy towards agriculturalists.”
Paul added that it was also important for schools to teach children about agriculture at a young age, so that they can value the industry from an early age.
He added that he would like the Blackman and Gollop Primary School and other schools across the island to get involved in long-term farming projects so they can showcase them at Agrofest.
Science and mathematics coordinator at the school Kana Jones said the exhibition was an important activity because it showed students the source of food.
“Children need to recognise that food actually comes from animals and not from the supermarket. They would have seen the different animals and they would have known some of the by-products of these animals, where they would get eggs from, milk from, and so on. So it was a very exciting experience for the children and I would say that it was very successful,” she said.
Donna Simpson, farm manager of Sunflower Stables & Farm, the business where the animals that were exhibited are reared, said she was pleased to be part of the initiative. She said the farm was established in March 2022 and this was the first time the business exhibited at a school.
“Being that today is World Food Day, they asked us for a Black Belly sheep and we brought a few more animals. The children have thoroughly enjoyed it. A lot of the children need to learn what the chickens that you eat are [broilers] and what the chickens that give eggs are [layers]. And we actually managed to get an egg laid here today,” she said.
Simpson added that it was also important for children to learn about and practise subsistence farming.
As part of the World Food Day activities at the school, there was also a food display in which breadfruit was the star food.
The students, with the help of their parents and teachers, got creative and showcased an artistic set-up of breadfruit, showing the various ways it could be used, and its health benefits. They also had breadfruit meals to sample such as breadfruit tacos and breadfruit chips.
World Food Day is annually recognised on October 16, worldwide.
sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb
