Jamaican councillor promotes backyard farming to boost food security and nutrition | Jamaica Observer | August 6, 2026 | KINGSTON, Jamaica, Councillor Eugene Kelly (People’s National Party, Whitfield Town Division), is encouraging residents to embrace backyard farming as a practical way to improve food security, promote healthier eating habits, and reduce household expenses. According to Kelly, growing fruits and vegetables at home can help families become more self-sufficient while providing access to more nutritious meals. He urged constituents to make use of available yard space, noting that even small home gardens can make a meaningful contribution to meeting household needs. “The concern I have is that there has been a decline in proper nutritional intake among our young people and the wider population. Too many of our people are eating meals based mainly on white rice and flour, and we have to move away from that. It’s important that we have these ground provisions that we’re going to be introducing to our residents,” Kelly said. The councillor was speaking on Wednesday at his annual divisional conference, held at Greenwich Primary School, where the backyard farming initiative was officially launched. “Today, I am introducing seedlings from the sweet pepper family, and I hope to expand the programme even further. We’re going to introduce sweet potato, tomatoes, and other ground provisions that people need. Because of the difficult financial situation facing not only inner-city communities but Jamaica as a whole, the middle class is shrinking. If the middle class is under pressure, then every other socioeconomic group is also under pressure. This is our way of helping to ensure that, especially our young children, receive the proper nutritional intake they need,” Kelly said. 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He urged constituents to make use of available yard space, noting that even small home gardens can make a meaningful contribution to meeting household needs. “The concern I have is that there has been a decline in proper nutritional intake among our young people and the wider population. Too many of our people are eating meals based mainly on white rice and flour, and we have to move away from that. It’s important that we have these ground provisions that we’re going to be introducing to our residents,” Kelly said. The councillor was speaking on Wednesday at his annual divisional conference, held at Greenwich Primary School, where the backyard farming initiative was officially launched. “Today, I am introducing seedlings from the sweet pepper family, and I hope to expand the programme even further. We’re going to introduce sweet potato, tomatoes, and other ground provisions that people need. Because of the difficult financial situation facing not only inner-city communities but Jamaica as a whole, the middle class is shrinking. If the middle class is under pressure, then every other socioeconomic group is also under pressure. This is our way of helping to ensure that, especially our young children, receive the proper nutritional intake they need,” Kelly said. Kelly also announced plans to work closely with school principals to encourage students to participate in backyard farming, with the aim of fostering healthy eating habits and agricultural skills from an early age. Latest News, Regional August 6, 2026 GENEVA, Switzerland (CMC), The 2026–2027 El Niño weather phenomenon could threaten jobs, reduce incomes and worsen working conditions across the Carib... Latest News, Sports August 5, 2026 KINGSTON, Jamaica, Jamaica’s Cavalier and Dominican Republic club Cibao FC played out a goalless draw in their opening Group B match of the 2026 CONC... Latest News, Sports August 5, 2026 OREGON, United States, Jamaica will have strong representation in the 100m finals at the World Athletics Under-20 Championships on Thursday after wor... Latest News, Regional August 5, 2026 HAMILTON, Bermuda (CMC), Bermuda said on Wednesday that while the risk of an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus disease remains low, it is taking pre... Latest News, News August 5, 2026 ST JAMES, Jamaica, President of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) and African Communities League (ACL), Jamaica Division, Steven Gol... Latest News, Sports August 5, 2026 OREGON, United States, Jamaica’s medal hopefuls Gary Card, Shanoya Douglas and Theianna-Lee Terrel | Src: Jamaica Observer (JM)
Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
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Context piece
- A Jamaican councillor is promoting backyard farming to enhance food security and promote healthier eating habits.
- He is distributing seedlings for vegetables like sweet peppers and sweet potatoes to encourage residents.
- The initiative aims to combat poor nutrition, especially among young people, and alleviate financial pressure on households.
Whitfield Town councillor Eugene Kelly is championing backyard farming as a practical solution to bolster food security and encourage healthier diets among his constituents. Kelly, a member of the People's National Party, believes that growing fruits and vegetables at home can empower families to become more self-sufficient and improve access to nutritious meals.
Kelly expressed concern over the declining nutritional intake, particularly among the youth, citing a reliance on diets heavy in white rice and flour. He emphasized the importance of reintroducing ground provisions into the local diet. "The concern I have is that there has been a decline in proper nutritional intake among our young people and the wider population. Too many of our people are eating meals based mainly on white rice and flour, and we have to move away from that," Kelly stated.
The concern I have is that there has been a decline in proper nutritional intake among our young people and the wider population. Too many of our people are eating meals based mainly on white rice and flour, and we have to move away from that. It’s important that we have these ground provisions that we’re going to be introducing to our residents.
During his annual divisional conference, Kelly officially launched the initiative by distributing sweet pepper seedlings. He plans to expand the program to include sweet potato, tomatoes, and other essential ground provisions. "Today, I am introducing seedlings from the sweet pepper family, and I hope to expand the programme even further. We’re going to introduce sweet potato, tomatoes, and other ground provisions that people need," he said. Kelly highlighted the difficult financial situation affecting all socioeconomic groups in Jamaica, noting that the shrinking middle class puts pressure on everyone.
To foster healthy eating habits and agricultural skills from an early age, Kelly also announced plans to collaborate with school principals. This will encourage student participation in backyard farming, integrating practical learning with the initiative's broader goals.
Today, I am introducing seedlings from the sweet pepper family, and I hope to expand the programme even further. We’re going to introduce sweet potato, tomatoes, and other ground provisions that people need. Because of the difficult financial situation facing not only inner-city communities but Jamaica as a whole, the middle class is shrinking. If the middle class is under pressure, then every other socioeconomic group is also under pressure. This is our way of helping to ensure that, especially our young children, receive the proper nutritional intake they need.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Jamaica Observer in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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