Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is among three countries to benefit from a Food and Nutrition Security Project Small Grants Program.

The Program is being administered by the University of the West Indies and the University of Technology, with funding from the International Development Research Center of Canada.

Grant funding of seven thousand US dollars was awarded to the Greiggs Production & Marketing Association; the Women in Agriculture and Rural Development and Mesopotamia Poultry & Small Ruminant Producers Association.

Speaking at the handing over of the Grants on Friday, 5th March, Coordinator of the Emergency Centre for Trans-boundary Animal Diseases ECTAD, Jethro Green, highlighted the importance of the project

Meanwhile , Acting Chief Agriculture Officer, Renato Gumbs, expressed gratitude to the agencies for implementing the program here.

The Small Grants Program will encourage and promote healthy diets and dietary diversity, and is designed to achieve three main outcomes including sustained livelihoods of the persons in the beneficiary groups.

In-country supervision and oversight will be provided to the groups by Dr. Natalie Toney, Animal Health and Production Division in the Ministry of Agriculture, and Mr. Jethro Greene, Coordinator of ECTAD.

The project is also being implemented in Jamaica and St. Kitts and Nevis.

SOURCE:  National Broadcasting Corporation