WEEK 2/DAY 3 MoA Interns at the Seventh-day Adventist School Farm by Shenequa Williams

The Ministry of Agriculture’s internship programme continued with another hands-on learning experience at the Seventh-day Adventist School Farm, where interns spent the day engaged in vital crop production activities.

Their morning began with carefully removing overgrown grass and unwanted plants from the cucumber banks, to ensure the crops had a clean, healthy space to flourish. Working side by side, the interns then prepped the planting beds, loosening the soil and shaping the banks for new crops.

With the beds ready, the team got to planting. Sweet potato and Irish potato slips, sweet pepper seedlings, and cabbage seedlings were carefully placed into the soil. Each step came with practical guidance from an experienced farm manager, Mrs. Yonette Patrick, who taught the interns about spacing, planting depth, and general crop care.  After all the seedlings were planted, the group made sure everything was well watered, giving the young plants a good start.

To top off a productive day, each intern was treated to a refreshing drink of golden apple juice and cookies, just the right reward after hours of hard work in the sun.  According to Mrs. Patrick, the interns were very helpful, responsible, cooperative and energetic.  “They were a big help and got the job done.  I am very thankful for their assistance and everything I wanted to do got done”, Patrick confirmed.

This experience not only gave interns valuable agricultural skills but also reinforced the importance of teamwork, sustainability, and food security through local farming.