Students across The Bahamas are learning how to grow and harvest their own fruits and vegetables at school, with help from community partners, like Disney Cruise Line (DCL) and the Agricultural Development Organization (ADO) Bahamas.
Disney Cruise Line and the ADO Bahamas recently visited students at Patrick J. Bethel High School in Abaco to help expand their school garden and teach them how to maintain and harvest their crops, all while growing their love of farming. Disney VoluntEARS from Disney Castaway Cay, the cruise line’s destination in the Abaco chain of islands, joined the ADO team to work alongside students, planting new seedlings and crops throughout their garden.
Helping to foster a love of farming at the school is Agricultural Science Teacher, Hector Sanchez.
“Support from the Agricultural Development Organization and Disney Cruise Line has a profound impact on our school. Through this program, our students have access to practical experiences that will help them develop skills they can use in their future careers and personal lives,” said Sanchez.
Sharing in the excitement was seventh grader, Sophia Decius, as she welcomed more than a dozen Disney Cruise Line VoluntEARS to her school, “Today, you are not just visitors, you are part of our class,” Decius said. “We’re proud to show you what we’ve been working on, and we’re looking forward to learning and growing together – literally.”
In addition to planting new seedlings, the team harvested what they planted together previously and shared a farm-to-table lunch, that, according to one Disney volunteer, included “the sweetest tasting cucumber” they’ve ever had.
Disney Castaway Cay Island Director, Gursel Sahinbas, joined the students to help them harvest lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers, and plant new seedlings for next season’s crops. He said, “We were amazed to see the students' enthusiasm and knowledge about their crops.” He added, “It was inspiring to see their eagerness to learn and make an impact in the world around them.”
Programs like these are helping students create change in their schools and communities. A growing number of students across The Bahamas are showing what ADO Executive Chairman Philip Smith calls “a genuine interest that has the potential to reduce our dependency on food imports and build a healthier nation.” He added, “We have assisted agriculture projects in 34 schools across The Bahamas, thanks to amazing organizations, like Disney Cruise Line,” said Smith. “Our goal is to ensure that there is a successfully operating farm in every school throughout The Bahamas.”
Through these efforts, by inspiring the next generation of farmers, Philip Smith said the positive, long-term impacts on The Bahamas are limitless, reducing the dependency on food imports and contributing to a cultural shift away from processed foods and to a healthier diet.
“We want to spread the message that when we grow what we eat and eat what we grow, we will be healthier, happier and more productive. Our volunteers from Disney Cruise Line and these students today are helping us get there,” he said. “Every volunteer hour sails us in the right direction with students who will be the next generation of backyard farmers. Perhaps, one of these students today who is harvesting and enjoying a farm-to-table lunch will see it as a way of life and become our next successful commercial farmer.”
