A Good Food Revolution Project brought to you in part by the SLHTA’s Tourism Enhancement Fund, to a tune of $40,000.00

The Good Food Revolution Project – a call to action to farmers, retailers and consumers to “grow, buy, consume organic” – is a partnership between RISE, the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology (MSDEST) and the Ministry of Agriculture, funded in part by the SLHTA’s Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), UNDP Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme, and launched during Nobel Laureate week in January.

The project which seeks to create a national environment that promotes healthy food consumption, revolutionizing food production by removing toxic chemicals and harmful GMOs from the Saint Lucian Food Chain, through a 3-pronged approach: consumer awareness-raising and education, farmer training and national policy development, enters a new phase of farmer training which has attracted further support from partners such as the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).

On May 3rd 2016 a group of 40 farmers began a journey together, facilitated by Good Food Revolution consultants Damian Adjodha, Thaddeus Constantine and Johanan Dujon, to revolutionize the way food is produced in St. Lucia. The focus of the training created an understanding of a farm as a living ecosystem that produces food:  Agro-ecosystem.

The first block of training took place over 3 months with sessions designed to train growers in advanced organic practical techniques following a ‘field-school’ format.

 To obtain the certificate of completion, participants started their own organic test plot, documenting the entire process.

The workshop introduced farmers to the organic certification process, to regional and international standards, and to organic Business Plan development.

Participants received hundreds of dollars in organic farming supplies and tools, and a 3- part manual as incentive for successfully participating in the program.