COLOMBO: A Home gardening program was organized recently by the Ministry of Environment to commemorate the ‘World Desertification and Drought Day’.
The World day to combat Desertification and Drought is a United Nations observance celebrated each year on 17 June. Its purpose is to raise awareness of the presence of desertification and drought, highlighting methods of preventing desertification and recovering from drought. Each year’s global celebration has a unique, novel emphasis that had not been developed previously.
This year’s theme is “Rising up from drought together” and emphasises the need for early action to avoid disastrous consequences for humanity and the planetary ecosystems.
As the first of a series of events lined up for the program, a ‘Shramadana’ Campaign was successfully launched on 16th of June to prepare the underutilized lands around the ministry office premises for cultivation.
Minister of Environment Hon Naseer Ahamed was the chief guest at the event while the secretary to the Ministry Specialist Dr. Anil Jasinghe and all Ministry officials participated in this event with their fullest support and involvement of the Ministry Welfare Association.
Trees were planted symbolically by the guests. As the second event of the day, an awareness lecture was held in the evening by Ministry Officials on how to enhance crop production in home gardens for consumption and as a source of income. Vegetable seeds were provided to all officials of the ministry to encourage them to venture into home gardening.
The Minister gave instructions to further develop this home gardening program by holding a competition to choose the best plot among the cultivated lands prepared by the divisions of the Ministry. Accordingly, the Director of the Land Resources Division of the Environment Ministry further explained that this program would be extended to cultivate on balconies and open spaces of the Ministry building, and also in the canal near the cultivated land according to proper technical instructions. He also informed that the resulting harvest would be distributed among the Ministry staff through the ministry’s Welfare Society.
Minister Ahamed conveyed his appreciation for organising this timely program which he said will also serve as a model project addressing the looming food security and current economic crisis the country is grappling with.
