Validation Workshop Brings Saint Vincent and the Grenadines National School Feeding Policy One Step Closer to Completion

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will soon have its very first National School Feeding Policy (NFSP) thanks to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Government of Mexico and the Government of Saint Vincent and The Grenadines.

The policy development process, which began in 2022, is nearing completion following a recently concluded Validation Workshop. The one-day meeting occurred on April 12th and was put on by FAO in collaboration with the Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The Ministries of Health, Agriculture, Education and other key entities like the Zero Hunger Trust Fund, made up the 27 participants in attendance.

These stakeholders focused their efforts on collecting feedback on the draft of the NSFP, achieving consensus on policy statements and strategies as well as gathering further recommendations on policy initiatives and indicators of success. With the workshop now over, the School Feeding Policy Committee is currently finalising the policy document for the National School Feeding Programme, incorporating feedback from stakeholders, and ensuring it aligns with global best practices and sustainable development goals.

During the event’s opening ceremony, FAO’s National Correspondent in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr. Coleen Phillips, highlighted that the workshop represents a collective commitment to sustainable solutions to address malnutrition and food insecurity, especially in vulnerable populations like school children. Dr. Philips says,

“by formulating a robust National School Feeding Policy and Action Plan, we pave the way to ensuring that every single child has nutritious meals, thereby promoting their health, learning and future prospects”.

The Deputy Chief Education Officer in the Ministry of Education, Mrs. Blake Browne, also delivered remarks during the opening ceremony. She says, “the policy framework would make school feeding more sustainable, inclusive, and better aligned with the country’s sustainable development goals”.

The NSFP addresses not only the provision of meals to school children but also important supporting areas such as food preparation and services environment, school curriculum, co-ordination and management and monitoring and evaluation. NSFP also promotes multi-sectoral coordination and building of partnerships among various school-feeding stakeholder groups, civil society and sectors like health, education and agriculture.

The workshop and the forthcoming National School Feeding Policy form part of the Resilient School Feeding Subproject component of the Mexico-CARICOM-FAO Initiative “Cooperation for Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience in the Caribbean” or Resilient Caribbean Initiative, for short.