BY JOHN CHRISMA
NOT every family in Honiara’s outskirt settlements has the capacity to sustain their livelihood during the course of this year – September’s 36 hours mock lockdown.
According to a devoted mother, Mary Rosella who resides at Lunga community she described her organic garden which comprised of various vegetable and root crops as the main source of food security during last month’s lockdown declared by the government.
With the 36 hours lockdown and closure of vital businesses and services that sell food to local residents within the declared emergency zones in Honiara and other parts of Guadalcanal, Rosella continued to rely on the abundant supply of freshly harvested crops to feed her family.
“From the abundant supply of bananas, cassava, and other vegetables in our backyard garden, we manage to sustain and kept our appetite going during the course of the 36 hours lockdown period,” she described to Environmental Media.
The scenario created by the lockdown sets a new eye-opener and learning curve for Rosella’s family to adapt to the changes that created the new normal caused by the global pandemic.
“I believe my family and especially my children have learned new ways of survival and I could honestly say that we have completely changed our mindset to think out of the box.
“My children and I have accepted the fact that nowadays we must learn to adapt, and not to depend very much on imported goods such as rice and other foods sold in shops; however the pandemic has taught us lessons to not only depend on cash to survive but also grow and eat home-grown garden crops,” she said.
Rosella encouraged other residents living in and around Honiara to change their mindset and start planting crops on whatever available space of land within their community.
“Let’s us not rely on processed foods sold in shops but also to prepare ourselves for future worst scenarios by start planting crops to sustain the livelihood of your family in such times of emergency and uncertainty caused by the pandemic.”
