Agriculture Projects create awareness at Cayon Primary School
Pupils of Cayon Primary School are still basking in their success for having the Best Project and also Runner-up Best Project at the recently concluded Science, Mathematics and Technology (SCIMATECH) Fair held at Carnival Village.
The UNESCO-sponsored Fair, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, had seen over 138 exhibits presented by students from 25 schools on St. Kitts.
The Grade Five pupils and their teacher Ms. Joycelyn Pinney had presented two of the Cayon Primary School projects - Home Garden and Food Security, and Organic Fertiliser - which not only caught the attention of visitors to the Fair, but also won favour with judges.
These two projects complimented each other and, according to Ms. Pinney, the idea was birthed after discussion with a relative employed at the Department of Agriculture.
“We were thinking about what we can do as a Science Project for the SCIMATECH Fair and I wanted to include something to do with plants since we had just completed this topic in class. However, we did not have space for a garden. So, I spoke to my cousin at the Agriculture Department and I asked him what would be a good idea for a SCIMATECH Project that would include plants.
“I told him about my problem and concerning the space, so he suggested to me the use of buckets. I said to him, ‘I am looking for a more unique way to plant since this is what everybody did’. I wanted something original and at the same time cater to my needs. So, in brainstorming we came up the idea of using tyres,” Ms. Pinney said. ~~Adz:Right~~
Teacher Pinney explained that she and the pupils had seen the employment of used-tyres as a solution to their problem of space acquisition, which, at the same time, reduces the breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Commenting on the Fair and its impact on the pupils, the teacher explained that the exposure had created the avenue for continuous home projects for the children.
“The students learnt a lot by doing the Project. Even though we started out as a simple project I think they gathered so much out of it in the sense that a number of them have told me that they would go home and have started their own kitchen garden. In that sense, they are educating their parents about utilising space to grow their vegetables in a safe way; safe, in the sense that we would have used natural organic fertilisers that are free from chemicals and pesticides. What came out also in the programme was that we can really plant out own food,” the teacher explained.
~~Adz:Left~~ The pupils also had their say and among them was the very articulate Akinniyi Phipps, who believes that organic fertilisers could be locally produced: “What we learnt is that when we use organic materials such as vegetable scraps, peelings, paper and soil, we can create our own organic fertiliser that is better than what is made in factories. Also no money is wasted in buying stuff that you can find around your home.”
Nigel Thom believes that one of the reasons for his school’s victory is because of the hard work executed by his teacher and the pupils, while Shamane Dos Santos is of the view that food is more secured when people grow their own food using natural organic fertilisers.
Amber Tobias thinks that people should be encouraged make their own fertilisers “because it will be less expensive and healthier rather than wasting your money on factory-made fertilisers which contains chemicals that can poison the important decomposers in the soil”.
“We encourage people to plant their own vegetables because they would not have to spend so much at the grocery store when they can just grow their own in buckets and tyres. It would also help to control mosquitoes that live in these things,” said Quindra Esteridge.
Joycelyn Pinnney declared that the school has long terms plans for the development and sustenance of the Agriculture Science Programme, which would not only include pupils but also the Cayon community.
