Fri | Mar 29, 2024

Vere Technical poultry farming project gets US$12,000 boost

Published:Monday | February 15, 2021 | 12:07 AMOlivia Brown/Gleaner Writer
Carlton Robinson, member of Vere Technical High School  Global Alumni.
Carlton Robinson, member of Vere Technical High School Global Alumni.
Keith Simpson, member of VTHS Global Alumni.
Keith Simpson, member of VTHS Global Alumni.
1
2

Vere Technical High School in Clarendon benefited from a US$12,000 boost to the institution’s poultry project. The donation, courtesy of the Vere Technical High Global Alumni, was handed over to the principal last Thursday. The poultry project has two chicken houses, rearing over 1,000 chickens every six weeks to supply the school’s canteen and external markets.

Principal Antoinette Banton-Ellis, expressing gratitude for the donation, said agriculture is an integral part of the school’s curriculum.

“We want to make sure our farm is a top-of-the-line farm and that our students will have that different experience, so when they go out there in the world of work, they are definitely able to hold their own because of the experience they would have received,” she said.

Alongside chicken, the school’s farm supplies markets, including restaurants, with pig meat and vegetables.

With various sectors facing a fallout due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Banton-Ellis told The Gleaner that the school’s agribusiness saw a significant decline in sales.

“Before COVID we had quite a good market outside of the institution, so we had quite a bit of restaurants and local shops buying from us, [and] persons coming from all over to buy live pigs from us, but COVID has affected us like everybody else ... we have been hit pretty hard,” she said, adding that the school’s storage facility has reduced the chances of meat spoilage.

When The Gleaner visited the school’s farm, students were busy tending to chickens as a part of their school-based assessment. They shared that they carry out experiments with two sets of chickens to determine what feed and supplements yield a better crop. The principal said her students are enthused about farming.

“Farming is important and we will be self-sufficient; and we want children to actually love the idea of being a provider for the country. We want them to go back to farming to feed your own family ... your own community,” said Banton-Ellis.

Best Revenue Option

Keith Simpson, member of the Global Alumni, shared that the poultry project is one of many in the pipeline that the newly founded Global Alumni Association is undertaking. “The chicken project is what we felt had the best chance of getting revenue that can be used for some of the other projects the school has,” he said.

Carlton Robinson of the 1975 graduating class shared that a technology improvement project, which will see the addition of 25 computers to the school’s computer lab, is geared to be completed by December this year.

Members of the Global Alumni Association are hoping that other past students will join the initiative.