Mr. Ivan Clarke is the principle of the Hilda Skeene Primary School.
Mr. Ivan a farmer for 2 years, is the principal of the Hilda Skeene Primary School and also heads their educational gardens program. He prides in enabling the students to take care of oneself and by extension ones family, community and country. He encourages students to see that they are litterally feeding themselves.
“I enjoy seeing the look on students faces when their crops start to grow and hearing them speak with pride about their crops.”
The most memorable moment for this year was producing a number of lovely herbs from our rasied gardens. We also had large quantities of pumpkin, squash, cucumbers and okras. I was also proud to see one of our class teachers using our gardens as a tool for teaching classes.
Unfortunately one of our biggest challenge present is larceny. I have also noticed that we seem to have broken the farming traditional cycle when it comes to natural fertilizers namely animal manures.
Favorite Foods
Our flying fish that I love so much seems to be dissapearing. Persons tend to gravitate towards eating more polutry than fish. I still love to eat dolphin baked as a favorite food as will as eggplant sauteed with spinach seasoning and baked in a cheese sauce.
Future Food in Barbados
Scary! Our children are keen on agriculture but more schools have to promote agriculture as a job opportunity. It must be sold as a way of sustaining ourselves or face the high cost of importation. Students should be allowed to grow and experiement with crops.
About Slow Food Barbados Educational Gardens
Slow Food Barbados Educational Gardens Programme aims to reconnect youth with where their food comes from by teaching them how to grow, cook and enjoy real food.
Through increased confidence, knowledge gain and skill building, we want to empower children to become active participants in their food choices. By becoming informed eaters, today’s children will help make a positive impact on the larger world of food and farming well into the future. Learn more about the Educational Gardens here.
The Slow Food Barbados Local Food Hero series features and celebrates farmers, fisherfolk, food producers, chefs and agricultural communities. All who have a strong connection to their community in Barbados. This series is a way for us to recognise those who make delicious, fresh from the farm, locally grown food. We celebrate those who continue to work towards a more sustainable food system in Barbados.