The refreshing patch of green encased by concrete blocks was a welcome sight in a community where there is a permanent police and army presence. The lettuce, patchoi, chive and parsley were ready for harvest in the Grow Box developed by fifteen individuals, including 8 youth from Charharpe in East Port of Spain.

The Charharpe Grow Box is a project of the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs and the eager participants received certificates of participation at a function in Charharpe at the weekend. Requiring no soil but a special mix of materials, including fertilizers, grow boxes are a viable alternative to market shopping especially in areas where large areas of land for planting are in short supply. Over a three-month period, the participants were supervised by a Ministry of Agriculture-trained facilitator in the preparation and tending of the Grow Box.

A young participant, Anthony Sandy said he was drawn to the project because it was ‘something new and different’ but lamented that more youth did not take advantage of the opportunity. The activity was a family affair with Anthony’s father Stephen Cooper also participating in the Grow Box project. Anthony said he plans to stick with the project and hopes to develop it into a viable enterprise that could provide fresh food for members of his community.