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News from Martinique as of
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Ethno-botanist delivers lectures in St Lucia and Martinique
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| Published on Wednesday, August 26, 2009 | Email To Friend Print Version
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By Anselma Aimable
Caribbean Net News St Lucia Correspondent
Email: anselma@caribbeannetnews.com
CASTRIES, St Lucia -- During the celebration of Emancipation week in St Lucia, Ethnobotanist, Laurent Jean Pierre, delivered a series of lectures in the Castries community and in the agricultural community of Choiseul. The lectures were based on the theme, "Jardin Creole (Creole Garden) - Its relevance, pre and post-emancipation."
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| Laurent Jean Pierre |
Immediately following the lectures in St Lucia, Jean Pierre was invited by the Mayor of Ste Anne and the Scientific Committee of Martinique to deliver a similar lecture in the neighbouring island of Martinique. The lecture was entitled, " Plante sa ou ka manger, manger sa ou ka plante" (Grow what you eat, eat what you grow).
Jean Pierre emphasized the need for families to make use of what ever amount of land is available to them as a means of creating the creaole garden. He also said with the ongoing debate about food security and high food import bills, it should be mandatory that every school has access to land for such a project.
Jean Pierre also articulated the need for Jardin Creole to commence at the primary school, then continue up to Secondary level and up to tertiary level.
Jardin Creole was a vital means of survival pre-emancipation and it continues to be as vital to this day more than ever. Growing ones own food not only reduces the food bills it also creates some form of employment. Jean Pierre also reminded the audience that the creole garden does not only include fruits and vegetables, but culinary and medicinal herbs as well as flowers can always be included in the garden.
He finds it amazing that today's generation can identify and rattle out the brands of all the electronic gadgets on the market and they are unable to differentiate between a yam and a dasheen and that they cannot identify and rattle out the names of the varieties of mangoes available on the island.
When Caribbean Net News quizzed Jean Pierre about the benefits of Jardin Creole as opposed to that of electronic gadgets, he said both of them are equally important and none of them should be put on the back-burner. The creole garden provides food, exercise, reduces the food bill and creates employment, where as the gadgets are useful in that research can be done to assist in the development of the garden but one must also remember that exercise is extremely important for healthy living.
Jean Pierre does not believe why land should be left idly by when Jardin Creole would be the perfect project to be implemented in these hard economic times that we live in.
The session in Martinique was well attended by an appreciative and participatory audience. Jean Pierre is looking forward to engage more communities both in St Lucia and Martinique to the benefits of Jardin Creole. | | | | Reads : 1059 | | | |
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